Homemade cranberry orange sauce is so simple to make and it tastes amazing. It will be ready in 15 minutes and can be easily reheated. It goes great not only with turkey, but also with chicken, duck, or goose.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious cranberry orange sauce:
- cranberries – can be fresh or frozen, is using frozen thaw them first
- oranges – we will need orange juice and orange zest
- sugar – to sweeten sour cranberries
- salt – to balance the sweetness
Freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest really take this sauce to another level!
A small pinch of cinnamon would also be a good addition.
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Zest one orange then squeeze the juice out of 2 oranges. Measure out 3/4 cup of juice. Add orange juice, orange zest, and sugar into a medium pot.
TIP: The best zester for grating citrus zest is a Microplane.
STEP 2: Bring to a boil then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the juice has thickened a bit.
STEP 3: Add the cranberries.
STEP 4: Simmer for 6-8 minutes until all the cranberries have burst.
STEP 5: The sauce will look too runny at this point but don’t worry all the liquid will turn into jelly when the sauce has cooled down. Stir in the salt and let the sauce cool and thicken.
Enjoy!
Storage
You can keep the sauce for up to 5-6 days in the fridge. It reheats very well.
It can also be frozen. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat in a pot.
What to do with leftovers
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Leftover Turkey Quesadilla
- You can serve it with roast turkey, chicken, roast duck, roast goose, Swedish meatballs.
- Make cranberry mayo (stir cranberry sauce with mayonaisse) and serve it with turkey sandwiches.
- Make cranberry yogurt parfaits: spoon the sauce over Greek yogurt and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Recipe FAQs
Cranberries naturally contain a lot of pectins which will thicken the sauce as it cools. This sauce is thick and jammy but it won’t be as thick as from the can. This article explains well why that is.
Drain it on a fine mesh strainer reserving the liquid. Add the liquid to a pot and cook it until thickened. Add the thickened liquid to the cranberries. Wait for the sauce to cool.
Serve it at room temperature or just slightly warm.
You can add some lemon juice to balance the sweetness.
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Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice about 2 medium oranges
- zest grated from 1 large orange about 2 teaspoons
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 12 ounces (340g) cranberries
- big pinch of salt
Instructions
- Zest one orange then squeeze the juice out of 2 oranges. Measure out 3/4 cup of juice.
- Add orange juice, orange zest, and sugar into a medium pot.
- Bring to a boil then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sugar is dissolved and the juice has thickened a bit.
- Add the cranberries, simmer for 6-8 minutes until all the cranberries have burst.
- The sauce will look too runny at this point but don’t worry all the liquid will turn into jelly when the sauce has cooled down.
- Stir in the salt and let the sauce cool and thicken.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can reduce the sugar amount to 3/4 of a cup (150g), if you want it less sweet. The sauce will be still sweet with a hint of tartness. I wouldn’t reduce it more.
- The sauce can be made several days in advance. Reheat it in a pot.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/8 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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