Cranberry Sauce Orange Juice (Printable)

Tangy-sweet cranberry blend enhanced with fresh orange juice. Great for spreads or holiday sides.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Fruit

01 - 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
02 - 1 medium orange, zested and juiced (about 1/2 cup juice)

→ Sweetener

03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar

→ Liquid

04 - 1/4 cup water

→ Optional Additions

05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
06 - Pinch of salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Rinse the cranberries thoroughly and discard any soft or bruised berries.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and water.
03 - Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously until the sugar completely dissolves.
04 - Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and the sauce thickens.
05 - If desired, stir in ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
06 - Remove from heat and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature; it will thicken further as it cools.
07 - Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 20 minutes, which means you can make it fresh while everything else is cooking.
  • The orange juice cuts through the tartness in a way that feels elegant, not aggressively sweet like store-bought versions.
  • It's naturally vegan and gluten-free without tasting like it's trying to be, and people genuinely ask for seconds.
02 -
  • Don't skip picking through the cranberries—one mushy berry can introduce an off flavor that spreads through the whole batch.
  • The sauce will be looser when hot than it is cold; if you try to judge thickness on the stove, you'll end up with something too stiff once it's chilled.
  • Fresh orange zest matters more than the juice; use a microplane if you have one and don't feel bad zesting aggressively.
03 -
  • If your sauce breaks or separates in the fridge, stir it gently over low heat with a splash of water until it comes back together.
  • Leftover sauce becomes an incredible spread for morning toast, stirred into yogurt, or even mixed into vinaigrettes for roasted vegetable salads.

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