This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Cranberry Orange Sauce is a delicious combination of sweet and tart, with a refreshing orange flavor, and the perfect accompaniment to all your holiday meals.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
This sweet and tangy Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce will be the perfect compliment to your Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing and it makes a fantastic relish for leftover turkey sandwiches. Plus you can make a double batch and use it for Cranberry Fluff Salad, too!
Say goodbye to cranberry sauce from a can and hello to this perfectly sweet and tart homemade cranberry orange sauce. With just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes of cooking time, it’s so easy to make at home.
Want a delicious holiday breakfast idea? Try topping Pumpkin Pancakes with this cranberry relish, or mix it into your oatmeal, yogurt or smoothies. It will blow your mind!
Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- Fresh Cranberries – this is the base of your sauce. Make sure you buy fresh and not frozen.
- Oranges – You need two mandarin oranges. Peel them, removing as much of the strings of white pith as you can.
- Orange extract or orange zest – If you don’t have orange extract, or don’t want to purchase a bottle, you can zest a couple of navel oranges and use that instead.
- Water – for boiling.
- Sugar – to sweeten the sauce.
How To Make Cranberry Orange Sauce From Scratch
- Add sugar and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add oranges, cranberries, and orange extract and continue to simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. Stir it around a few times. The cranberries will begin popping and releasing all of their yummy juices.
- Remove from the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes to cool. Once the sauce is completely cooled, store it for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Homemade sauce freezes beautifully. Pour into a freezer safe container or bag (squeeze out extra air), label it, and place it into the freezer for up to 2 months for the best quality. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and you are ready to roll.
Cranberry sauce is best served as a chilled relish or side dish. It can be served at room temperature.
Cranberry sauce can be served with a variety of proteins, including turkey, chicken, pork, or ham. It is most often served at holiday meals, traditionally Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinner, and is rarely served at other times.
Don’t forget the turkey!
Get the best roast turkey recipe, plus TONS of tips!
Storage
Refrigerate: Leftover cranberry sauce should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
Freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container or resealable plastic freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 2-3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- We think this sauce has just the right amount of sweetness, however if you want a more tart flavor, reduce the amount of sugar to ½ a cup or less.
- When you peel and chop the oranges, be sure to remove the white pith as it is quite bitter.
- For a warm holiday flavor, add a cinnamon stick or cloves to the sauce as it’s boiling.
- You can easily double the recipe, just make sure your pan is big enough.
- Make this recipe a few days ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge. Keep in mine that this will reduce the amount of time it can be kept once you store your leftovers.
101+ Thanksgiving
Side Dishes
Find all the sides you could possibly want for the perfect Thanksgiving menu!
More Holiday Side Dishes to Discover
- 101+ Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic Rosemary Skillet Bread
- Cranberry Pecan Roasted Vegetables
- Green Bean Casserole (From Scratch)
Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh Cranberries
- 1 teaspoon orange extract or 2 teaspoons fresh ornage zest
- 2 mandarin oranges peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add water and sugar to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Add cranberries, oranges and orange extract and boil gently for about 10-15 minutes; until most of the liquid has reduced and most of the cranberries have burst open.
- Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Store in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Instead of fresh oranges, you can use ½ cup orange juice and 1.2 cup water. Omit the extract and add zest instead.
- When you peel and chop the oranges, try to avoid the bitter white pith, and remove as much as you can.
- Try adding a cinnamon stick or cloves to the sauce as it’s boiling.
- Make this recipe a few days ahead of time and let it chill in the fridge. Keep in mine that this will reduce the amount of time it can be kept once you store your leftovers.
- Refrigerate: Leftover sauce should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container or resealable plastic freezer bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 2-3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition
For all Side Dishes, go HERE.
For a complete list of recipes on the site, go HERE.
This is the best cranberry sauce recipe I have tried. While preparing the recipe on Thanksgiving morning, I realized that I inadvertently purchased a grapefruit instead of an orange. Oops! I substituted 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. The vanilla extract balanced the flavors nicely.
Oops! Glad it worked out. I bet the grapefruit was delicious!