Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice

Why Make Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice

Cranberries are popular in the UK around Christmas and during the Thanksgiving holiday season States-side. Whatever your favorite time of year for eating them, they’re incredible in a sauce (cranberry bread and scones😉). Adding orange juice to the mix takes it over the top. It’s a pair made in heaven.

If you love sweet and sour, this guy is your berry. Tart enough to compete with lemons, most people don’t enjoy them without some sugar. Orange juice has enough sweetness to complement the sugar and turn the cranberries into a versatile homemade sauce that will brighten any dinner table.

Recipe Ingredients

1. Cranberries – Fresh cranberries are amazing, but frozen ones work fine and are easier to find when out of season.
2. Sugar – Granulated and brown sugar balance out the cranberries’ tartness. Honey, agave, and maple syrup work well for healthier sugar substitutes. However, the flavor and consistency will be a little different.
3. Orange – A cranberry sauce recipe with orange juice and orange zest is perfect. Add more orange flavor by replacing the water with orange juice.
4. Spices – Cranberry sauce with orange juice and cinnamon provides a special holiday twist. Ground nutmeg adds more holiday-style spice, while vanilla extract adds a decadent aroma. Feel free to use a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon, and put it out before cooling.
5. Grand Manier is optional, but it works like an orange extract. Any orange liquor or vodka with a teaspoon of orange extract will work.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

• Mix the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries, and heat over medium, and bring to a boil. (Photo 1)
• Cook – Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries start popping. Keep stirring, and mash a few berries with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking until most of the berries have opened and the sauce thickens – 8-10 minutes. (Photo 2)
• Finish – Turn the stove off and remove the saucepan from heat. Add vanilla extract and Grand Manier if desired. Adjust consistency with a tablespoon or more of water, let it cool completely, and store your cranberry sauce in a glass jar. Remember it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Recipe Variations

1. Low Carb and Sugar-Free – Sweeten it with erythritol, monk fruit, or sucralose. Absolutely guilt-free! Honey and agave also work for a sugar-free version.
2. Spicy – Do a Mexican twist by adding a minced habanero or jalapeno to the sauce.
3. Cranberry swap. Roselle calyces have a delightfully tart flavor and color similar to cranberries. If you live where they’re available, you can replace the cranberries with an equal amount of chopped hibiscus calyces.

Notes and Tips

1. Add a little more sugar and a pinch of salt if the sauce is bitter.
2. Cranberries need a lot of sugar to balance their sourness. If the sauce thickens too much, stir in a teaspoon of water or orange juice to thin it back out.
3. If it’s too runny, either simmer it until it reduces or add a cornstarch slurry for the right consistency.
4. Quick hack on the brown sugar: mix a tablespoon of molasses and a cup of white sugar to make brown sugar.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instruction

You can make it a day in advance or more. Let it come to room temperature and store it in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also freeze cranberry sauce for six months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, and you’re good to go.

What to Serve With Cranberry Sauce on Thanksgiving

1. Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
2. Smoked Turkey
3. Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
4. Spiced Roast Turkey
5. Slow Cooker Ham
6. Deep-Fried Turkey

More Savory Sauce Recipes to Try

1. Peri Peri Sauce
2. Homemade BBQ Sauce
3. Remoulade Sauce
4. Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce
5. Tartar Sauce

This blog post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated with additional tips and gorgeous photos