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!
Jump to:
🌟 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
- 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
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.
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
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.
Orange and cranberry make a great pairing. The sweet, citrus taste of orange balances out the tart flavors of cranberry.
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
❤️ Other recipes you’ll love
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!
Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
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.
Kendra says
I’m drooling!!!!