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    Crumb-Snatched » Side Dishes

    Published: Oct 17, 2022 by Crystal DaCruz This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

    129 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This sweet, tangy cranberry sauce with orange juice is made from fresh whole-cranberries, brown sugar and a pinch of spice. Cooks in just 15 minutes!

    This cranberry sauce will complement all of your favorite holiday dishes. The citrus taste pairs perfectly with this roasted bone-in turkey breast!

    small white bowl of fresh homemade cranberry sauce.
    Jump to:
    • 🌟 Why you’ll love this recipe
    • 📋 Ingredient notes
    • Substitutions
    • 🔪 Step-by-step directions
    • 💭 Tips & Tricks
    • 🥣 Serving suggestions
    • ❓Recipe FAQ’s
    • ❤️ Other recipes you’ll love
    • Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

    🌟 Why you’ll love this recipe

    • Easy and versatile – this recipe has a very short list of ingredients and can be doubled to serve more people. There’s virtually no prep-work involved and cooks in just 15 minutes. Make it a few days in advance of Thanksgiving!
    • Natural ingredients – although canned versions of cranberry sauce are free of pectin, gelatin and red dye, they do contain high fructose corn syrup. There’s none of that in this recipe – the only sweetener used is brown sugar.
    • It’s spiked! But only if you want it to be. Adding a splash of triple sec or Gran Marnier adds extra flavor but is totally optional. The liquor will cook off, so you don’t have to worry about serving it to kids.

    📋 Ingredient notes

    cranberry sauce ingredients - light brown sugar, orange juice, fresh whole cranberries, orange peels, ground cloves, triple sec (optional).
    • Fresh whole cranberries are super-easy and cheap to find during the holidays. You’ll need a 12 ounce bag.
    • Orange juice – unlike most traditional recipes, this recipe uses orange juice as the cooking liquid rather than water. You can buy store-bought orange juice or squeeze it yourself.
    • Sugar and spices – the cranberry sauce is sweetened with light brown sugar and flavored with ground cloves.Triple-sec and orange peel are added for extra flavor but they’re both optional.

    Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact measurements

    Substitutions

    Feel free to replace the main ingredients with any of the following:

    • Try a different flavor by using cranberry juice, pineapple juice, or even water in place of the orange juice.
    • You can use bourbon or rum in place of the triple-sec or omit the liquor completely.
    • Add a unique twist to this recipe by adding blueberries, cherries or even jalapeños, and cooking them with the cranberries.
    • Try different flavors by adding cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, a vanilla bean or lemon zest.

    🔪 Step-by-step directions

    melted sugar and orange juice in a pan (left), cranberries in cooking liquid with orange zest (right).

    Step 1: Combine the orange juice, triple-sec (optional), and brown sugar in a deep sauce pan. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves and the liquid starts to simmer.

    Step 2: Add the whole cranberries, orange peels, ground cloves and bring the mixture to a boil.

    boiled cranberries on stovetop (left), coooked cranberry sauce in a small white bowl (right).

    Step 3: Once the liquid starts boiling, lower the flame and cook the cranberry sauce over low heat for 15 minutes for a loose texture or 20 minutes for a jelly-like texture.

    Step 4: Transfer to a mason jar or small bowl and let cool fully at room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 2-3 hours. The cranberry sauce will continue to thicken/stiffen as it cools.

    💭 Tips & Tricks

    • Take some of the pressure off holiday entertaining by preparing the cranberry sauce a few days in advance. It will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
    • Once the cranberries start to boil, lower the flame and cover the pot with a lid to prevent hot splatters.
    • Let the cranberry sauce cool fully before transferring to the refrigerator. It needs to chill for at least 2-3 hours.

    🥣 Serving suggestions

    Cranberry sauce with orange juice goes well with these dishes:

    • Bone In Turkey Breast
    • Roasted half chicken
    • Creamy mashed potatoes with red skin
    • Roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes

    ❓Recipe FAQ’s

    How do you make cranberry sauce better?

    This entirely depends on preference! For taste, experiment with different spices or adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. To change the texture, adjust the cooking time. Shorter cooking time yields a looser texture, whereas a longer cooking time yields a texture that’s more like jelly.

    Are cranberry and orange good together?

    Orange and cranberry make a great pairing. The sweet, citrus taste of orange balances out the tart flavors of cranberry.

    What’s the best way to store homemade cranberry sauce?

    Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

    ❤️ Other recipes you’ll love

    • roasted brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper
      Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes
    • bowl of garlic mashed red skin potatoes topped with butter and green onions.
      Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Red Skin
    • Bone In Turkey Breast – Roasted
    • Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey
    • spoonful of creamy cast iron mac and cheese made with 5 cheeses.
      Cast Iron Mac and Cheese
    • baked cornbread stuffing in a glass baking dish scooped with a spoon.
      Jiffy Cornbread Dressing
    • creamy brie mac and cheese in a enamel dutch oven.
      Creamy Brie Mac and Cheese
    • Classic Apple Pie à la Mode

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & consider scrolling down and leaving me a review if you REALLY liked it. Thanks!

    homemade cranberry sauce in a small white bowl.

    Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

    Crystal DaCruz
    This sweet, tangy cranberry sauce with orange juice is made from fresh whole-cranberries, brown sugar and a pinch of spice. Cooks in just 15 minutes!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Chill time 3 hrs
    Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6

    Ingredients
      

    • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
    • ¾ cup orange juice
    • ¼ cup triple sec (optional)
    • 1 cup light brown sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    • orange peel (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Combine the orange juice, triple-sec (optional), and brown sugar in a deep sauce pan. Stir until the brown sugar dissolves and the liquid starts to simmer.
    • Add the whole cranberries, orange peels, ground cloves and bring the mixture to a boil.
    • Once the liquid starts boiling, lower the flame and cook the cranberry sauce over low heat for 15 minutes for a loose texture or 20 minutes for a jelly-like texture.
    • Transfer to a mason jar or small bowl and let cool fully at room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 2-3 hours. The cranberry sauce will continue to thicken/stiffen as it cools.

    Notes

    • You can prepare the cranberry sauce a few days in advance. It will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
    • Once the cranberries start to boil, lower the flame and cover the pot with a lid to prevent hot splatters.
    • Let the cranberry sauce cool fully before transferring to the refrigerator. It needs to chill for at least 2-3 hours.
    Tried this Recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Recipe Rating
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    Jiffy Cornbread Dressing »
    129 shares

    About Crystal DaCruz

    Crystal DaCruz is the recipe developer, writer and food photographer behind Crumb-Snatched. Since 2019 she's been sharing recipes from Cape Verde and other cultures with a shared Portuguese language or similar cuisines.

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    Comments

    1. Kendra says

      November 18, 2019 at 10:00 pm

      I’m drooling!!!!

       
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    Sign up for weekly emails!

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    Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

    Seasonal Recipes

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