Cranberry Orange Sauce
Skip the canned cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving and make it right at home – it is embarrassingly easy to make with just 3 ingredients!
Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple, and it has to be one of the easiest dishes to make. It can be made ahead of time and does not require any oven real estate.
So how does this come together? Well, you just need 3 ingredients (if you don’t count the water).
- Orange juice
- Orange zest
- Sugar
- Fresh cranberries
And all you have to do is let it simmer and thicken. It’s also wonderfully sweet and tart, beautifully complementing the fresh orange kick.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?
Yes, absolutely. Cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
DO I SERVE CRANBERRY SAUCE HOT OR COLD?
Some like it hot, some like it cold! But I personally find that cranberry sauce is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled.
HOW CAN I USE UP LEFTOVER CRANBERRY SAUCE?
- Breakfast: perfect in yogurt + granola or topping off your pancakes/waffles/french toast with some whipped cream
- Sandwiches: these leftover thanksgiving sliders are always a hit
- Dessert: cheesecakes, coffee cakes, banana bread and streusel bars can all use some homemade cranberry sauce during the holidays
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- ½ cup sugar, or more, to taste
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water, orange juice, orange zest and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
- Stir in cranberries and bring to a boil; reduce heat and let simmer until sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Great recipe my Gigi has never had homemade cranberry sauce and she loves it the only thing I did as a twist was add cloves and cinnamon.
GREAT recipe! Thank you so much and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Just made this for tomorrow (Thanksgiving) and it’s just fantastic! Thanks!! K:-)
This is the ultimate cranberry sauce! Love the simplicity but it’s the amazing flavor.
this is the recipe I make for the fall holidays every year & the family love’s it. Thank you for a great recipe!!!!!
Definitely delicious
I don’t have any oranges on hand. Can I use orange extract instead? TY
Perfect!!!!
Deelicious! There’s also a raw version of this – the recipe was always on the cranberry package, but I have no idea if it still is. A great combination of fruits.
Yes, I remember that it was on the cranberry package and was disappointed this year to discover that the packages I have don’t provide this particular recipe. I had to come to the Internet to find it. We love this combination of flavors; for us, it’s perfect and always welcomed at the Thanksgiving table but also pretty much year-round.
Can you use dried cranberries in place of fresh cranberries?
Exact same ingredients we have used in our family for at least four generations now EXCEPT we do not cook. In food processor, chop berries, then add chunked oranges after you have zested and peeled them, add orange zest and add sugar to taste. Make several days in advance to let flavors meld together. Optional: add chopped apples before serving. Great on turkey sandwiches or just by itself. Have never made with sugar substitute (like monk fruit) but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Love, love, love all your recipes!
This is a quick and delicious cranberry sauce.
This year I kept 1/2 of the sauce for the Turkey,and added 5 diced apples to the other half for cranberry applesauce
Can’t wait to make the shrimp and spiral cut zucchini, thanks
All the Christmas guests loved it.
Excellent and so easy! I’ve made it for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love leftovers to mix with yogurt and granola. Yummy breakfast!
Oops! Just saw that the bag is 12 ounces. Sorry!
Not everyone lives where you can buy cranberries by the bag. Pounds? Cups? Grams?
I agree with everyone this is excellent I added a little extra orange rind because my oranges were small but they’re very sweet and come for my organic tree. It was delightful!
This cranberry sauce is delicious and deserves a place at your Thanksgiving table. it reminds me of the sauce my Mother made for so many years. Thank you.
Great. Added chopped jalapeño
I make this every year and everyone ALWAYS raves about how good it is. This cranberry sauce is flawless
Good, light just the right amount of sugar. I really like cranberry sauce and I have it throughout the year, and I never get tired if it!
P.S.
Shouldn’t water be part of the ingredient list. I almost missed putting it in.
No need for water. The OJ replaces the water that is in most recipes.
I’ve been making this recipe for many years and always double it. With the leftovers I make an amazing cranberry loaf and freeze that!
I also make this every year and have for several years. Everything else pales in comparison. I make a double batch and it never lasts long.
Hi Kathleen
Would you share your cranberry loaf recipe? Thanks!
This was by far the most-welcome, well received cranberry sauce I ever set on the holiday table. Absolutely every guest complimented me on its flavor, a few even on the bright appearance. I admit to adding just a smidge, pinch or dash of cinnamon. Just enough that it could not be identified, yet added a mysterious warmth. I highly recommend and will make this a new tradition to our holiday menu!
Use it every year!! Delicious!!
Easy, perfectly delicious. Great pure flavors. Our fave dish on a very good Thanksgiving table this year! Thank you!
Made this today, on Thanksgiving, and was not disappointed. So quick and easy and best of all, delicious. The only change I made was to reduce the amount of water and increased a little more orange juice. It was my first attempt at cranberry sauce and I loved the addition of the orange juice and zest. I’ll be making this again, holiday or not, it’s just that good.
This is AWESOME. I get alot of request for this dish. I use this on everything to begal to oatmeal. Thank you for the recipe.
The recipe is really easy and amazingly delicious. I simmer it longer for a thicker sauce. I made this recipe and brought it to Thanksgiving dinner at the home of good friends. It tasted so good that our evening’s chef (the husband of the household) questioned me closely about the recipe. When I returned as a guest for Christmas dinner, my friend chef proudly presented his twist on the recipe. Now that’s an endorsement.
This cranberry sauce is the best I would recommend to all my freinds
Delicious and sometimes I mix it with orange marmalade just for a change up. So good on croissants, scones, and just plain toast!
This cranberry sauce is awesome! Whenever we have turkey or ham at a family gathering (Thanksgiving & Christmas) I am always asked to bring this! My brother-in-law eats it on it’s own…..finished the last of a large bowl! Am making it for Christmas tomorrow! Merry Christmas to you & yours!C
I love this recipe. I’ve been using it for the past 3 Thanksgivings and occasionally for Christmas too. I love cranberries and didn’t want canned so I looked up a recipe and found this one. It’s simple and delicious. I get lots of compliments on the sauce. Even from those who said they didn’t like cranberry sauce lol.Thank you!
love
Absolutely delicious and soooo easy to make!
Very similar to the recipe I’ve been making for years. Sometimes I don’t have orange juice on hand, or I just want to increase the flavor profile, I will add 1/4 tsp or more of orange extract.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I have been making this cranberry recipe for a couple of years now. I was not a big fan of the canned cranberry but this recipe is amazing. I will be tweaking it a bit this year and add a bit of cinnamon and maybe some cloves. Thanks so much for sharing.
I made fresh cranberry sauce last year for the first time. The basic : berries, sugar, water. Blew me away ! Can’t wait to try the orange addition. Also loving the tweaks from other cooks, as always. (cinnamon stick and added to Greek Yogurt are intriguing).
TO ALL: There are some basic rules of cooking…
1) Everyone’s taste is different. If it isn’t to your liking, it might not be the recipe. (See #2).
2) No recipe is “engraved in stone”. Do not be afraid to change the recipe. All recipes were created with “Tweaks” until the creator was happy with the taste. You are now the creator. Just be advised that there may be some bad tweaks along the way. But don’t give up ! (reminds me of my 3 pan Lasgna Saturday. Didn’t like the first one, so tweaked it, and then again. My neighbors loved that day.)
3) If there is a discrepancy in the recipe, then use common sense, or check another internet recipe to see what the ingredients look like there. (see #2).
Just my thoughts…my mother always said “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything”.
Thank you Chungah for the great recipes.
This is very good! Actually had a request for it for our Easter dinner. Just wish you would have used a different adjective in the description.
Not sure which adjective you’re referring to, Linda, but we’re glad you still enjoyed this recipe! Happy Easter!
Damn, easy answer to that question!
Hi…can you tell me if this is the same exact recipe for cranberry sauce that you use for your slow cooker cocktail meatballs.? Love your recipes.
Perfect on a spoon, better with your Thanksgiving turkey! It’s Delicious! Easy! Make ahead! Sweet, tangy and tart!
I make this every thanksgiving time. Really love it and it can be made ahead of time so flavors can blend. Yummy on biscuits.
Can you freeze this?
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Have just taken this off the burner – delicious. Will probably reduce the liquid quite a bit next time since we prefer it a little chunkier, but otherwise it’s fab. Love that it’s mainly tart with just a little hint of sweet. Oh, I added a full TBSP of grated ginger for a bit of zing.
This sauce can be canned in a boiling-water bath canner, like jam. It only made a couple of jars, though, so you might want to double it to make it worthwhile running your canner. The orange zest and fresh-squeezed juice are the key: that’s where the pectin is that will make it gel. To test the gel, put a plate or ramekin in the freezer ahead of time, and drop a teaspoonful of sauce onto it when you think it’s done. If it gels, you’re good; if it doesn’t, keep cooking for a few more minutes.
If you really want to set it off, add 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
never heard that tip before. i think I will try it
Doubled the recipe (why isn’t the water on the ingredients list?) And it didn’t want to thicken
I grew up eating a cranberry gel thing that I never thought was any good. I have made this for our family and my son, who would never eat cranberries, goes back for thirds. I add a little nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and walnuts. It is so good.
I’ve been making cranberry sauce like this for years… wouldn’t have it any other way! I also add a few whole cloves for that extra ‘zing’!
I add Port too – but I am English!
I love cranberry sauce but for the most part, the rest of my family doesn’t care for it. This looks incredible though! I may have to make it for my work potluck.
This sounds delish! How Can I fix this dish where I can enjoy it ?
I just love this cranberry sauce and add them to my margaritas. They were a huge hit this holiday so I added it to my blog. Come by and check it out. http://questfordelish.blogspot.com/2016/12/cranberry-margarita.html
Simple, easy, delicious and elegant! Great recipe, thank you for sharing. I love it! For sure a new addition to our table ♡
Since my questions and comments keep disappearing while others are published, I can only conclude you post only positive comments and nothing that raises any question about your recipe. Most disappointing and disillusioning.
Just finished making for tomorrow. It is amazing. Love it, love it, love it… Just the right balance between sweet and tart. I’ll add this to my arsenal of recipes. Thank you!
I made it today, too. Turned out a bit bitter, and I am hoping the blogger will post my question (sent in earlier) with a possible answer. I’m wondering why your comment shows up and not mine. ???
Perhaps your batch of cranberries are a bit tart? You can add additional sugar as needed. Hope that helps!
I made it this morning, carefully according to the recipe. I did not get any pith in with my zest. But the result is a little bitter. Is there anything I can add to improve the flavor? Will it get better overnight?
Booklady, comments may take 24-48 hours to be moderated. There is no “disillusion” here. It’s also Thanksgiving today and I am on holiday with my family and baby corgi, but doing my absolute very best to answer reader questions. 🙂
Hi! Wondering how many people this recipe serves. Hosting my first thanksgiving and want to make sure I have enough for everyone. Thanks!
Shannon, this recipe yields about 3 cups – that should be enough for 6-8 servings, if not more. It just depends on how much your guests will use!
I’m not normally a big cranberry sauce fan when it comes to Thanksgiving foods. However, I made this last year and everyone LOVED it(including myself 🙂 )! I’m looking forward to making it again this year! Happy Thanksgiving!
I add blackcherry jello nutmeg and cinnamon …. everyone waits for this cranberry!
Can you use Splender in lieu of sugar?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
What is the best way to reheat this recipe for a large group? I’ll be making it ahead of time.
You can heat low and slow until just heated through on the stovetop.
Great recipe! Loooove simple and quick. I also add crushed pineapples and slices of Christmas oranges. After berries stopped popping , I take a potatoe masher and mash in the pineapples and oranges. It’s a huge hit.
Oh my sounds divine! Would you please share your EXACT recipe with measurements and instructions please? Thank you so much!!!
I just discovered your web site today while looking for a Mexican Rice Casserole recipe… After reading recipes after recipes, I’m really impressed with what I see. I’m sooo looking forward to trying some over the weekend 🙂
As far as this Cranberry Orange Sauce recipe goes, I love it! I haven’t made it yet but just 2 nights ago, I got creative in the kitchen as I was craving some Homemade Chunky Cranberry Sauce. I ended up making mine with a 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries, 2 peeled & diced apples, 1 c. of water, 3/4 c. sugar, juice of 1/2 an orange + zest, a generous sprinkle of cinnamon and a small packet of vanilla sugar: it turned out great! (It yielded 2 16 oz. Ziploc containers)
By the way, I did make a “One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole” inspired by your recipe and it turned out great; even my picky 13 year-old son loved it! Next, I’m going to make your Cranberry Sauce Cheesecake Brownies: sounds divine! So, thank you so much for sharing your culinary talents with us: it’s truly inspiring!
Hi Anne! I have never liked anything cranberry before but for recipe intrigued me … would you please send me your EXACT recipe complete with measurements and instructions? I would greatly appreciate that and ẁould love to make this for my family for the upcoming holidays!!! Thank you friend … Blessings to you
How far in advance can this be made? Was thinking of making it tonight to prep for Thursday’s feast, think that would work?
Yes, absolutely!
I add cinnamon , star anise and a pinch of cloves to mine!
My aunt made fresh cranberries one year and I would like to try it this year. Most of the berries in hers stayed intact and burst in your mouth. Will this be similar or will they be more cooked down and mushy?
The beauty of this recipe is that you can choose to cook the berries down completely or leave them intact.
HI! I have made this before and it is my son’s favourite!!! I am cooking for 40 this year and wondering if I made it this weekend could I throw it in a water bath canner and can some and then have it? I could also make extra and send home as a gift. What do you think? Happy Thanksgiving early 🙂
What a great idea! But without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I’m hosting about 20 this year and I’m making this. I hate the canned, congealed stuff but this recipe looks scrumptious!
Looks soooo good!!! I’d like to try this 🙂
But, what is it for? Meat? (I’m not from the States and where I live we have nothing similar)
Thank you :)))
Cranberry sauce is typically made for Thanksgiving as a traditional accompaniment to turkey.
This is the second time I have made this cranberry sauce and it gets better every time. It is delicious and so simple to make!
What if it doesn’t thicken????
You can use a potato masher to speed up the process and let it help thicken.
This is my second year making this upon my family’s request. I didn’t print it out last year and panicked that I wouldn’t find it. I’ve officially written it down and I will hold on to it tight! This recipe is the only kind I’ve ever had not from a can (I was a canned fan for almost 25 years!), and I’m so happy with it I dare not go back, or bother to find a different recipe. Delicious, delicious, delicious!
Dont worry about canning…just freeze it…however using normal canning procedures for jams and jellys, you should be fine…but use mason jars, not cans
can this be canned so that I could have it for maybe 6 months or longer? If so how do I process?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried canning this myself. Please use your best judgment if you decide to move forward with the canning process.
Yes, it can be canned. I’ve done it. The orange zest and fresh orange juice have more than enough pectin in them to get it to gel; in fact that’s what commercial pectin is made of. Just cook it until it gels and then can it like jam in a boiling water canner. Most jams call for ten minutes of processing time so that’s what I did, and it turned out great. I confess it didn’t last six months on my shelf, though – I kept adding it to Greek yogurt for my lunches so I almost didn’t have any left for Christmas. 🙂
I made this sauce with brown sugar, erring on the low side of the sugar, and added a little bit of Stevia at the end because I had gone a little too low on the suger. The final product tasted great, and the touch of Stevia didn’t detract from the overall flavor. I served it on top of “mashed” butternut squash, topped with roasted hazelnuts. It was delightful. Thanks for the great recipe!
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I just got done making this and it came out great and tastes delicious! I added 1 cinnamon stick to this recipe and it really brought the flavor out more and came out perfect (smells amazing too!) Definitely will be making this every year!
Actually it says 12oz and a pound is 16oz so if you have 3lb that is 48oz and you will need to multiply all of the ingredients by 4, 3 cups of water 2 cups of sugar or more to taste, 1 cup orange juice (I use fresh tangerines here and substitute 2 per orange so 8 of those for zest), zest of 4 oranges, and a 50ml shooter of Grand Marnier at the end. Happy Thanksgiving!!
This recipe can use anywhere from 12-16 ounces cranberries. But feel free to triple or quadruple to taste!
Okay this is what I’m making but I bought a 3lb bag of cranberrys. I’m not great in the kitchen or conversions. How much should I use?
The recipe calls for 1 pound of cranberries so you can triple the recipe if you want to use the entire 3lb batch of cranberries.
I think the recipe is calling for 12 oz , not a pound of cranberries? Is that correct? I am terrible with food conversions but I try!
Yes!
Omgoodness Tami this recipe sounds delicious! I have never been one for cranberry anything but I definitely am trying this recipe. And your twist with crushed pineapples … . Would you mind sharing your exact recipe complete with measurements and instructions so I can make that for my family for the upcoming holidays? I would greatly appreciate that! Blessings to you my friend
16oz is one pound. That is equal to 2 cups 🙂 The recipe calls for a cup and a half.
I just finished cooking this. It smells wonderful. I did add a dash or two of salt and a bit of cinnamon. I think salt always makes sweet sweeter. The cinnamon just seemed right. Thanks for a great recipe!
I live in Mandarin orange country and it is harvest time. I just brought home 10 lbs of mandarins from my neighbor’s orchard so I am going to prepare this recipe with the mandarins instead of regular oranges. Mandarins are smaller so I will use the zest of two of them instead of one orange, and they are sweeter so I may not need as much sugar. I will give it a try and I bet it will be yummy! Thanks, by the way I found you by googleing cranberry orange sauce and you came up top of the list. I am bookmarking your site, its great!
Where is the water used?
Sylie, the water is used in the very first step. As stated in the instructions, “In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice, orange zest, sugar and 3/4 cup water over medium heat.”
“Just 3 ingredients, if you don’t count the water, and all you have to do is let it simmer and thicken.”
Actually, there are four ingredients listed. Water isn’t one of them.
Actually, Syndi, there are still 3 ingredients:
1. orange
2. sugar
3. cranberries
Orange zest and orange juice come from 1 ingredient.
Excited to try this! How many oranges did you use to make the juice?
One orange should be sufficient but you could always add more to taste!
Divine! Can never go wrong with orang and cranberry flavors together 🙂
Easy peasy, gotta try it!
Beautiful, Chung-Ah! Pinning!
This is going to be my sauce for this Thanksgiving and might add a touch of Grand Marnier for an extra kick. Thank you!
Homemade sauce is 1000x better than the canned stuff! Love the addition of orange too!
This is my first year hosting thanksgiving and my mom asked if there would be cranberry sauce. I was like, ughh no icky cranberry globous goo. But now I’m kind of excited to make it! Thanks!
I’m so glad! Good luck on your first year of hosting! If you need any tips, let me know. My first Thanksgiving feast involved 17 people and it was a bit of a nightmare!
Chung-Ah! I love cranberry and orange together. Your homemade cranberry sauce looks so easy. I feel like cranberry sauce should be a year-long phenomenon. I love the stuff!
When our local grocery has cranberries buy one / get one, I stock up my freezer, and have sauce whenever I want all through the year.
I make it at different times of the year. It’s great with pork or chicken Cornish hens so if you get cranberries fresh fresh some for later they are hard to find. My husband loves it on toast also he uses it like jam and on muffins.
I love this recipe, and will definitely have to try and incorporate it into our thanksgiving 🙂 yum!!
Cranberry Orange Sauce it the best part of Thanksgiving dinner – looks great!
I can’t believe this has so few ingredients! Looks incredible!
I love cranberry sauce and this one this perfect. Simple, but SO good! Totally making this!
This cranberry sauce needs to be on my Thanksgiving table, gorgeous!