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4-ingredient cranberry sauce with orange juice is sweet, tart, ready in 15 minutes, and a classic sauce to complement your holiday feast, roast dinner, or dessert!
Simple Yet Elegant Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
As convenient as just grabbing a jar of cranberry sauce is for your vegan Thanksgiving feast (45 vegan Thanksgiving recipes here), they’re often loaded with sugar (sometimes even high fructose syrup), and it pales compared to homemade cranberry sauce. Luckily, it’s surprisingly simple to whip up with just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes, and you’re in 100% control of the ingredients.
In this easy cranberry sauce recipe, a combination of fresh, frozen, or even dried cranberries (refer to the FAQs for the latter) are combined with orange juice, zest, sugar (refined or unrefined), and water to create a perfectly ruby-red, bright, sweet-tart, delicious sauce.
Even better, it’s flexible and can be customized with different sweeteners, spices, and add-ins. You can even make it in advance and store it for later. Oh, and did we mention that this naturally vegan cranberry sauce is as perfect for complementing a roast dinner as it is slathered over toast or vegan walnut oat scones, spooned into vegan oatmeal (how to cook oatmeal on the stove here), and with banana ice cream?!
Looking for more ways to enjoy cranberries this holiday season? Check out our apple cranberry crisp, roasted brussels sprouts with cranberries, or easy apple pecan salad (with cranberries).
The Ingredients and Substitutes
This recipe for homemade cranberry sauce relies on just four ingredients, and one of those is water.
How to Add Flavor to Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
- Ginger cranberry sauce: There are several ways to introduce the heat of ginger to cranberry orange zest sauce, including ground ginger, fresh minced ginger, or candied/crystallized ginger. Start with a small amount and increase to taste (about 1 tsp fresh or ¼ ground).
- Spiced cranberry sauce: Enhance the warmth with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and/or star anise. We’ve used storebought or pumpkin pie spice with amazing results before, too. Start with a small pinch and adjust to taste.
- Jalapeno cranberry sauce: Finely mince jalapeno to add heat. Chipotle cranberry sauce could also be delicious.
- Vanilla: Just a splash for a little extra depth.
- Nuts: Add texture and subtle flavor with chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
You could also pair several fruits with the cranberries (pears, apples, berries, pomegranate, etc.). However, they deserve recipes of their own. Let us know in the comments if that’s something you’d be interested in.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Step 1: First, zest and juice the orange. Then, bring the water and orange juice to an almost boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Step 2: Add the sugar and stir until it fully dissolves.
Step 3: Next, add the cranberries and leave them to cook, stirring often, until they begin to pop and burst. Then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the orange zest, and simmer for 10 minutes. Finally, remove the orange cranberry sauce from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a jar/container to chill in the refrigerator for an hour to thicken. Enjoy!
FAQs
It should naturally thicken as the cranberries release their pectin into the sauce. However, if you need to thicken it more, simmer it longer to further reduce it.
Alternatively, add cornstarch in a slurry (start with just 1 teaspoon), increase the heat, and stir until it thickens. Remember, it thickens more when chilled.
Making cranberry sauce with dried cranberries (craisins) is very simple. Use 1 ½ cups of dried cranberries with ¾ cup cranberry juice (instead of water. Use 1 cup for a saucier version) and bring all the ingredients to a boil, simmering for 6-10 minutes for the berries to plump up.
Then, add 1-2 tbsp cornstarch (mixed with equal parts water) to form a slurry, and stir until the sauce thickens. If using sweetened dried cranberries, reduce or even omit any added sugar.
Top Recipe Tips and Notes
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking: Start with less than recommended, then taste and adjust. If it’s too sweet, add some lemon juice/ more orange juice for acidity.
- Don’t add the zest too early: Or it can become bitter in the sauce.
- To adjust texture: For smoother cranberry and orange sauce, use an immersion blender to blend some or all the cranberry sauce.
- To adjust the consistency: Use more/less liquid in the sauce. Thicken it with cornstarch if necessary. Note it thickens more when chilled.
- Leave it to cool: Not only will it thicken as it cools, but the flavors also have more time to meld.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Orange cranberry sauce is great for prepping ahead and storing for later. It even tastes better on day two. Simply allow it to cool, then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze this whole berry cranberry sauce for 2-3 months. Leave it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the kitchen counter for several hours.
We highly recommend removing it from the fridge 30-40 minutes before serving for the best taste and texture.
What to Do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce?
You might be surprised at how many ways you can use this sweet-tart condiment. Here are just our top ten leftover cranberry sauce recipes/ideas.
- Spread it over holiday-themed vegan sandwiches, wraps, paninis, crostini, etc.
- As a filling for holiday-inspired plant-based hand pies and other pastries.
- The base to a Thanksgiving/Christmas vegan pizza.
- A glaze for roasted butternut squash (how to roast abutternut squash), tofu, vegan ham/salmon, etc.
- Use it instead of jam over bagels and toast, in these raspberry jam thumbprint cookies, etc.
- Add it to oatmeal, apple cinnamon overnight oats, healthy chia pudding, and vegan yogurt parfaits.
- Enjoy it warm over vegan banana pancakes or easy banana spinach pancakes, vegan waffles, vegan banana cheesecake, easy vegan bundt cake, vegan walnut oat scones, etc.
- As part of a vegan cheese board or Christmas wreath charcuterie board.
- Stir some into your favorite fall/winter desserts like this easy pear crisp or the best vegan apple crumble.
- Stir it into vegan mayo or BBQ sauce for condiments with a twist.
Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup of water
- ½ cup of orange juice
- ¾ cup to 1 cup of sugar (depending on sweetness preference)
- 1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ teaspoon of orange zest (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water and orange juice to a boil. Add in the sugar and stir until it is dissolved.
- Pour in the cranberries and stir until they begin to burst, then lower heat to a simmer, add in the orange zest (if using), and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Place it in the refrigerator for an hour to chill and continue thickening.
Notes
- Don’t add the zest too early: Or it can become bitter in the sauce.
- To adjust texture: For smoother cranberry and orange sauce, use an immersion blender to blend some or all the cranberry sauce.
- To adjust the consistency: Use more/less liquid in the sauce. Thicken it with cornstarch if necessary. Note it thickens more when chilled.
- Leave it to cool: Not only will it thicken as it cools, but the flavors also have more time to meld.
Perfect for the holiday table!