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This orange cranberry sauce recipe is one of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes! Simmering fresh sweet-tart cranberries with orange juice and cinnamon sticks makes a jellied cranberry sauce infused with zesty citrus and spice.
No holiday table is complete without classic sides like gluten-free stuffing, creamy green bean casserole, and a big bowl of cranberry orange sauce.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
- Skill Level: Easy
Why We Love This Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This homemade orange cranberry sauce is the finishing touch to our holiday table every year. I make this recipe with fresh simmered cranberries and brown sugar, infused with orange juice and cinnamon sticks for the utmost flavor. It’s sweet and tart with a smooth jelly texture, just the way we like it! Zesty orange cranberry sauce is the perfect sidekick to our Thanksgiving turkey or my favorite glazed ham at Christmas. And it’s so easy to make!
- Deliciously jellied. Some people prefer the whole berry style, but my family loves jellied cranberry sauce best. I let this recipe cook for quite a while to thicken it up before I strain out the skins. The result is a smooth, sparkly, ruby-red cranberry jelly infused with delicious flavors.
- Easy to make. Most of the “work” gets left to the stove, since this orange cranberry sauce needs to simmer for a bit. It’s a very simple recipe that packs a ton of flavor.
- Festive. This orange cranberry sauce smells AMAZING as it simmers away on the stovetop. It fills the whole house with the holiday aromas of cozy spice and zesty citrus. So good!
- Naturally gluten- and dairy-free. The thickening comes from the natural pectin in the fruit, not from any flour or starch, so there’s not gluten. It also happens to be vegan.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy orange cranberry sauce recipe has only four ingredients that pack a punch of flavor. I’ve included some quick notes here, and you’ll find a printable ingredients list with the full amounts in the recipe card below the post.
- Fresh cranberries – Be sure to rinse and drain the cranberries, then pick through them quickly to remove any that might be bad.
- Oranges – You’ll need the zest of one orange, plus two cups of juice. You can squeeze a few extra oranges to use all fresh juice or use a carton of orange juice to get the full two cups.
- Brown sugar – Coconut sugar or an equal amount of maple syrup also works. If you use syrup, you’ll just need to simmer the cranberry sauce a bit longer.
- Cinnamon sticks – I simmer whole cinnamon sticks in the sauce and remove them before serving. Make sure they are food-safe and not ones meant for decoration! If you don’t have cinnamon sticks, you can substitute ½-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon for each stick.
How to Make Orange Cranberry Sauce
Here’s what you can expect when making this easy homemade orange cranberry sauce. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Combine the ingredients. Add your cranberries to a saucepan along with orange zest, orange juice, and brown sugar. Stir in a couple of cinnamon sticks.
- Simmer. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then a simmer. While it cooks, I like to crush the cranberries against the bottom and sides of the pot so they release their juices. Stir often as the cranberry sauce thickens. This can take 30 minutes or longer depending on the consistency you’re after (see below).
- Strain. Once the sauce has thickened to your liking, press it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the cinnamon sticks and cranberry skins. Let the sauce cool.
- Chill. Pour the cranberry sauce into a bowl (or a mold) and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to serve. When it’s cooked long enough, the chilled orange cranberry sauce will hold its shape just like the jellied cranberry sauce you find in cans!
How Do You Thicken Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
This orange cranberry sauce usually thickens up simply by cooking it. As the sauce simmers, the liquid evaporates and the cranberries release a fiber called pectin, a natural thickener. The longer you simmer it, the thicker the sauce will be.
If you find that your cranberry sauce is still a bit runny after cooking, you can always try adding gelatin or store-bought pectin, though I have not tried that in this recipe. If you turn your cranberry orange sauce out after chilling and it doesn’t hold its shape, just transfer it to a bowl instead. It’ll still be delicious!
Recipe Tips
- Zest first, then juice. I like to use my microplane zester to zest the orange, then squeeze the orange with my juicer. I find that freshly squeezed orange juice makes such a difference in this recipe!
- Stir often. As the orange cranberry sauce thickens, you’ll need to stir it more frequently to keep it from sticking and burning. I recommend using a heat-resistant spatula, as the cranberry sauce gets quite hot.
- Boil the sauce for long enough. For a thick but spoonable sauce, the cranberries usually take about 30 minutes to simmer and thicken. However, if you wish to pour this cranberry sauce into a mold, you’ll need to simmer it for longer. Cook until you can run a spatula through the sauce, and it holds in place for a few seconds instead of running back to the bottom of the pot. This means it should be thick enough to mold.
- Make this in advance. I like my cranberry sauce served cold, or at least at room temperature. I recommend making this orange cranberry sauce at least a day in advance. This ensures it has plenty of time to cool and firm up before serving.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store this orange cranberry sauce in the fridge for up to 1 week. Enjoy leftovers cold, or take the sauce out ahead of time to let it warm to room temperature.
- Freeze. You can freeze homemade cranberry sauce for up to 2 months. You might notice a change in texture after it’s thawed, but the flavor will still be good. Thaw the cranberry sauce in the fridge before serving.
Make It a Meal
If there’s one occasion where this orange cranberry sauce is always welcome, it’s at Thanksgiving and Christmas! The festive flavors make this a holiday classic side dish to serve alongside all my other favorites, I even love spreading this over my turkey in place of gravy. Don’t forget a slice of gluten-free pumpkin pie for dessert! But first, here are some more sides to round out the meal, whether you are serving turkey breast, a delicious boneless ham, or a savory bottom round roast.
- Potatoes. Add tons of flavor with Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Bacon or save space on the stove when you make Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- Bread and stuffing. Enjoy seasonal flavors whether you choose to bake Gluten Free Cornbread with Apple Butter or make Apple Stuffing.
- Green beans. Always a favorite with holiday meals, whether you go with simple Air Fryer Green Beans or dress them up and make Orange Glazed Green Beans with Cranberries.
- Brussels sprouts. Enhance the naturally sweet flavors with Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Butternut Squash or go savory with Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- Two 12 oz. packages of fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
- Zest of one orange
- 2 cups orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed (see Note)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until very thick, stirring occasionally, and using a spoon or spatula to “pop” the cranberries. As it becomes thicker, you may have to lower the heat and/or stir more constantly.
- Reduce to desired thickness. This could take 30-40 minutes. If you want to be able to mold it, it should almost hold shape when you push it to the side of the pan with a spoon or spatula.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Strain and push the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove the cinnamon sticks and cranberry skins.
- If desired, pour into a mold.
- Chill completely.
Notes
Did you make this?
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Hi! This sounds so good. I like the whole cranberries in the sauce- would it work as well if I didn’t ‘pop’ all the cranberries or strain it?
Yes, that would work fine. I do it this way because my family prefers “jellied”.
Very delicious. Will use again!
Hello Brianne ♥ Just thought I’d leave a massage to let you know I’ve loved this amazing recipe and I’ve included it in my 50 Epic Vegan Christmas recipes’ roundup:
http://sevenroses.net/2015/12/50-epic-vegan-christmas-recipes/
Thank you & happy holidays! =)
Thank you!
OMG, this looks absolutely delish! I can’t wait to make this! I’m celebrating my birthday with a recipe link up and a spicy giveaway that include 4 oz of each of these spices: ground chipotle, ground cardamom, ground ceylon cinnamon, oregano, granulated garlic, and whole cumin. I’d love for you to stop by and link up this recipe and any other’s that use one or more of these spices. TGIF!
http://4you-withlove.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-birthday-party-begins.html
Marilyn