This cranberry orange sauce is the perfect addition to your holiday meal! It’s made with fresh cranberries, orange zest & juice, and is naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The flavors are a perfect blend of tart and sweet, and it’s SO easy to make.
If you love cranberry sauce, as I do, you’ll love to know that it’s the easiest thing to make at home! It’s different from the store-bought sauce, but I think it’s 100% better. The tart and sweet flavors from the cooked cranberries and the orange are absolutely perfect when paired with a roasted holiday turkey!
And the best part about making it yourself? It’s super easy to prepare. You can make it days ahead of time to make preparation simple, and have it ready in the fridge when your meal is served.
This recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, and puts any store-bought cranberry sauce to shame! It’s a win-win situation all around.
Ingredients – What You Need
To make this cranberry sauce, you’ll only need 5 ingredients! See below for the full list.
Fresh cranberries: the star of the show!
Orange zest & juice: this recipe calls for both the zest of an orange and the juice for lots of bright flavors!
Maple syrup: to naturally sweetened the cranberry sauce we are using maple syrup! You can also swap for coconut sugar or honey too.
Cinnamon stick: to infuse a little bit of spice, we’ll use a cinnamon stick to simmer with the sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, rinse the cranberries and pick out any soft berries.
(1-2) Then in a medium pot, add the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, and cinnamon stick.
(3) Bring it to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will pop open and naturally start to break down.
(4) After most of the cranberries have opened, place the sauce on LOW heat and let thicken for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the berries have broken down completely and the sauce is thick, shut off the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve!
Tips for Success
More natural sweeteners to use – if you don’t have maple syrup, you can also use coconut sugar or honey instead.
Adjust sweetness to your liking – I personally don’t like a super sweet cranberry sauce. This recipe calls for just a 1/2 cup of maple syrup, but you can of course add more if you need to!
No cinnamon stick? No problem – A stick of cinnamon is nice to use in this sauce because it infuses a subtle flavor without adding cinnamon. But you can swap for 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon instead.
How to Make it Ahead of Time
Make it ahead fresh: this sauce is perfect for making ahead of time for any meal – but especially holiday meals! You can make it days or even a week ahead of your dinner. Just be sure it’s stored in an airtight container and refrigerated.
How to freeze it: cranberry sauce actually freezes great! So if you want to save any leftovers for a meal down the down, place it in a freezer-friendly bag, remove the air, and seal it shut. Keep frozen for up to 2 months!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cranberry sauce made of? Traditionally it’s made of just three ingredients – cranberries, water, and sugar! But in this recipe, we swap the water for orange juice and the sugar for maple syrup.
Can I use frozen cranberries? Yes! Fresh is best, but you can use frozen cranberries instead too. I recommend thawing the cranberries for about 20 minutes before making the recipe.
How do I fix bitter cranberry sauce? If for some reason the sauce comes out slightly bitter, just add a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey at a time until it’s sweet enough. I do not recommend using regular grain sugar to fix this problem because the graininess won’t mix properly.
What to Serve with Cranberry Sauce
Some of my favorite things to serve with this sauce is roasted turkey! You can make it with a Thanksgiving turkey, our air fryer turkey breast, or any roasted poultry. Aside from holiday dinners, you can also serve it on a cheese board, add it to yogurt, or grilled cheese. So many different options!
Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 cinnamon stick or sub for 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries: First, rinse the cranberries under cold water. Pick out any berries that are smashed or crushed.
- Simmer the sauce: add the cranberries, maple syrup, orange juice, zest, and cinnamon stick to a medium-sized pot. Bring to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will begin to pop open and break down on their own.
- Lower heat: once most of the cranberries have popped open, place the heat on LOW and let it cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce, thicken, and the cranberries will form a sauce. If you like a chunkier sauce you can leave it as is, or you can use a spoon to smash down any cranberries that aren't smooth.
- Cool the sauce: once the sauce is finished, taste, and adjust with more sweetness if preferred. Then shut off the heat and let the sauce cool completely before placing it in an airtight container and refrigerating, or serve warm!
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