Cranberry Orange Sauce

People seem to be very impressed when you make homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, even though it’s incredibly easy. (Okay, opening a can and plopping it in a bowl is easier. But not by much!)

I say: let them be impressed. Bring this cranberry orange sauce (or cinnamon apple cranberry sauce) to the table and let your guests ooh and ahh over your culinary prowess. Homemade cranberry sauce? Wow, you really went all out!

This cranberry orange sauce recipe benefits from the bright flavor and acidity of citrus, along with the subtle caramel notes of brown sugar. It’s truly something special—for Thanksgiving dinner and the turkey sandwiches you’ll be eating for the next several days.

Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce

Only four ingredients. And one of them is water! When you’re planning a holiday dinner, your shopping list is long and overwhelming so anything you can make with just a handful of ingredients is welcome!

Easy to make—and make ahead. Making cranberry orange sauce from scratch takes just 20 minutes from start to finish, so it’s doable on Thanksgiving day, but this is also a recipe that stores well, so you can make it in advance too.

Superior flavor. While I’m one of those rare birds that actually finds canned cranberry sauce appealing (you’ll find it in my cranberry salsa recipe), sauce from scratch knocks the canned version out of the park in terms of flavor and texture. 

Ingredient Notes

• Fresh cranberries: Look for cranberries in bags or in big bins of water in the produce section during the lead-up to Thanksgiving. Frozen cranberries will also work.
• Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar or, for a more molasses flavor, dark brown sugar.
• Orange: A juice orange or navel orange is fine. You’ll be using the zest of the orange and the juice. When you zest the orange, be sure to remove only the very outer layer (the dark orange part). The white pith can be bitter.
• Water: Although water is fine, if I happen to have ginger ale or ginger beer on hand, sometimes I’ll use that instead of water for an additional layer of flavor.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Sauce

Prep the orange. Wash the orange well since you’ll be using the zest. Use a microplane zester (ideal because it creates a fine zest) to zest the entire orange. Then, cut the orange into halves and juice both halves. You should have about a teaspoon of orange zest and a half cup of juice.

Combine ingredients. Add the zest, cranberries, and sugar to a saucepan. Pour the orange juice into a liquid measuring cup, straining out any seeds; if the juice doesn’t reach ½ cup, add water until it does. Add the juice to the pan.

Cook. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, especially at first when the cranberries are still whole. The cranberries may start to pop and they’ll start to soften. You’ll actually be able to hear an audible pop!

Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the berries are soft and the sauce is thick. (Keep in mind, it will get even thicker as the cranberry sauce cools.) If needed, you can crush the cranberries against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon if they’re not breaking down as much as you’d like.

Finish. Once the sauce is cooked, pour it into a heat-proof bowl and let it cool. It can be served once it has cooled, or you can cover and refrigerate the bowl until you’re ready to serve it. Garnish with additional orange zest for garnish, if desired.

Recipe Variations

• Adjust the consistency. Add up to a cup of orange juice and/or water for a thinner cranberry sauce. 
• Adjust the sweetness to your liking. Decrease or increase the sugar, as desired. The amount of brown sugar (¾ cup) may seem like a lot but cranberries are quite tart. Granulated sugar or honey can be used instead of brown sugar.
• Add spices. You can add warm spices like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, or cloves. Cardamom is my favorite in this recipe!
• Simmer with a cinnamon stick. Another option for a more subtle flavor is to add a cinnamon stick to the cranberry orange sauce as it cooks. This infuses the sauce with a light cinnamon flavor without overpowering it. Remove the cinnamon stick after the sauce has cooked.

Serving Ideas

Turkey. Of course! Herb roasted turkey breast is perfection with cranberry orange sauce. The tart/sweet sauce balances out the rich savory meat. It goes well with a roasted chicken, too.

Pork. While turkey is what we most associate with cranberry sauce, it’s also quite good with pork, much like how applesauce pairs well with pork chops. Try it with air fryer pork tenderloin or breaded pork chops with herbs and Parmesan.

Sandwiches. In addition to those post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, cranberry sauce makes a stellar addition to this air fryer grilled cheese sandwich.

Appetizers. Cranberry sauce can be used much like a compote or jam. In fact, I always include it on the charcuterie board that I serve before Thanksgiving dinner. A smear of goat cheese and a dab of cranberry sauce is so good on crostini or crackers. You can top a softened block of cream cheese with a few spoonfuls of cranberry orange sauce for a very easy appetizer idea.

Breads/Muffins. I love adding spreading cranberry sauce on toast, English muffins, and pumpkin bran muffins, like how you’d use jam. Delicious!

Make Ahead/Storage

Refrigerate: Once the cranberry sauce has cooled enough to thicken a bit, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks. (Yes, it lasts that long!) You can serve it chilled or let it come to room temperature before serving but it shouldn’t be left out at room temperature in an open container for more than 2 hours.

Freeze: Transfer cranberry orange sauce to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.