An Easy Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
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This easy cranberry sauce recipe is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg as well as sweetened with fresh squeezed orange juice, to give that perfect combination of sweet and tart. If this is your first time making fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner, you won’t be disappointed!
The holidays are almost upon us, and the perfect addition to that Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing is this easy homemade cranberry orange sauce. The tart flavor of the cranberry shines, while still being slightly sweet along just a hint of orange and spices.
What I love about this cranberry sauce is that it is customizable to your personal preferences. The addition of a few staple spices gives your traditional sauce a little twist but is easily left out if you prefer a classic cranberry sauce. The pairing of the tart cranberry and the fresh, sweetness of the orange balances beautifully. It’s our family’s favorite homemade cranberry sauce recipe for the holiday season.
This easy recipe makes 6 pints, which is great to prep some for the holidays ahead of time and have it ready on the shelf. If you aren’t planning to can this recipe, you can easily half or quarter the amounts. An added bonus, it’s so easy to make and comes together in just a few minutes.
If you would like to move beyond the grocery store tin canned stuff for your next holiday meal, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients
- Fresh Cranberries
- Oranges, organic is best since we will be using the rind
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
Cooking Instructions
Wash the fresh cranberries in warm water, drain.
Combine 4 cups of white sugar and 4 cups of water in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil until the sugar is dissolved. While you wait for that to boil, prep the orange ingredients.
Wash the oranges, and pat dry. My personal favorite fruit wash is a liquid castile soap. I highly suggest using organic oranges since you are going to be adding the rind to our sauce. With a zester, zest the orange rind being careful to not get any of the pith, or white part right under the skin. It will impart a bitter flavor, and you don’t want that. Add the fresh zest to a bowl and set aside. Once you have both oranges zested, cut the oranges in half and juice them into the same bowl with the zest.
When the sugar has dissolves, add the bag of cranberries, fresh orange zest and the fresh orange juice to the large pot.
Add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, stirring to combine all of the ingredients.
Reduce to medium heat and continue to cook until the cranberries are tender, and their skins start to burst, stirring often to ensure there’s no sticking to the bottom of the pot. With back of the spoon, gently mash the softened cranberries, until no whole cranberries remain-about 5-10 minutes. At this point, the sauce will have thickened and is ready to use.
You can use less sugar if you prefer a tarter sauce, unless you plan to can the sauce, then you need to keep the amount of sugar to properly preserve the sauce.
Storage Options
To store, cool to room temperature and place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To freeze, add sauce to freezer ready containers, and freeze for up to 6 months.
My favorite option is to can the sauce, as it will be shelf stable and doesn’t take up valuable freezer space. Ladle the sauce while it’s still hot into hot, pint size jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth or napkin and top with two-piece caps. Process for 15 minutes in boiling-water canner. Remove, and allow to sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Remove the bands, check the seals and move into storage. Any jars that failed to seal will need to be placed in refrigerator and used within a week or moved into a freezer ready container and frozen.
What To Do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce?
Here are a few great ways to use the leftover sauce beyond the Thanksgiving table.
- Paired with meatballs
- Spread on leftover turkey sandwiches
- Paired with oatmeal: baked, overnight or traditional stovetop
- Inside crepes
- A swirl in plain yogurt
- On top of baked brie
- Thinly spread in a grilled cheese sandwich
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to tag #Lockremhomestead in photos of your Cranberry Orange Sauce on Instagram!
The Best Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 cups Fresh Cranberries
- 4 cups Sugar
- 4 cups Water
- 2 Organic Oranges, Zest and Juice
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
- Wash the cranberries, drain.
- In large pot, add sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until sugar is dissolved.
- While waiting for water to boil, wash oranges. With a zester, zest orange rind and add to a bowl. Cut oranges in half and squeeze the juice into the same bowl as the zest.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, add the cranberries, orange juice and zest to pot. Add cinnamon and nutmeg and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium and stir often. As the cranberries begin to soften, their skins will burst. Using the back of a spoon, gently burst the remaining berries. The sauce will begin to thicken.
- Allow to cool and store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- To freeze, add sauce to freezer ready containers and store in freezer up to 6 months.
- To can, ladle sauce into hot, clean pint size jars. Wipe rims and place two-piece caps. Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from canner and allow to cool, undisturbed for 24 hours. Check seals after 24 hours. Any that didn't seal, move to refrigerator or to freezer ready container and freeze.
- Yield: 6 Pints
