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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!

completee Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice on a white surface
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Simple Yet Elegant Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe

As convenient as just grabbing a jar of cranberry sauce is for your vegan Thanksgiving feast, 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 scones, spooned into vegan oatmeal, and with banana ice cream?!

Looking for more ways to enjoy cranberries this holiday season? Check out our apple cranberry crisp, brussels sprouts with cranberries, or apple pecan cranberry salad.

The Ingredients and Substitutes

This recipe for homemade cranberry sauce relies on just four ingredients, and one of those is water.

ingredients for Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice on a white surface
  • Cranberries: Make this orange cranberry sauce recipe with fresh or frozen cranberries- no need to thaw them first. Look for berries that are plump and firm with no blemishes/spoilage.
  • Orange: A combination of fresh orange juice and orange zest helps brighten, balance, and add natural sweetness and depth to the sauce. Omit the zest, if preferred, though.

We use regular oranges, but it’s also possible to make cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges for a slightly different flavor profile.

  • Water: To bring the orange cranberry sauce to the correct consistency.
  • Sugar: To make cranberry sauce vegan, it’s best to use organic white sugar (regular white sugar can be processed through bone char). Feel free to replace some with brown sugar for molasses flavor or use unrefined options like raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, or even maple syrup. Adjust the amount to taste.

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 homemade 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

  • First, zest and juice the orange. Then, bring the water and orange juice to an almost boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
  • Add the sugar and stir until it fully dissolves.
  • 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.

Taste it at the end of this step to see if you want to add any extra sugar/sweetener.

  • 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

How to thicken cranberry sauce?

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.

Can I make cranberry sauce using dried cranberries?

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.
completee Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice on a white surface

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.

  1. Spread it over holiday-themed vegan sandwiches, wraps, paninis, crostini, etc.
  2. As a filling for holiday-inspired plant-based hand pies and other pastries.
  3. The base to a Thanksgiving/Christmas vegan pizza.
  4. A glaze for roasted butternut squash, tofu, vegan ham/salmon, etc.
  5. Use it instead of jam over bagels and toast, in vegan thumbprint cookies, etc.
  6. Add it to oatmeal, apple cinnamon overnight oats, vegan chia pudding, and vegan yogurt parfaits.
  7. Enjoy it warm over vegan banana pancakes or banana spinach pancakes, vegan waffles, cheesecake, vegan bundt cake, vegan scones, etc.
  8. As part of a vegan cheese board or Christmas charcuterie board.
  9. Stir some into your favorite fall/winter fruit vegan pear crisp or vegan apple crumble.
  10. Stir it into vegan mayo or BBQ sauce for condiments with a twist.
Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice in a storage container on a white surface

More Vegan Thanksgiving Sides

Photos by Alfonso Revilla

completee Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice on a white surface

Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

5 from 13 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
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!

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 791kcalCarbohydrates: 203gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 525mgFiber: 13gSugar: 175gVitamin A: 456IUVitamin C: 111mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Additional Info

Author: Toni Okamoto
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Method: Stovetop
Diet: Vegan
Tried this recipe?Please tag us at @PlantBasedOnABudget! 🙂
About

Toni Okamoto

“They say you are what you eat, so I strive to be healthy.
My goal in life is not to be rich or wealthy,
‘Cause true wealth comes from good health and wise ways…
we got to start taking better care of ourselves ” – Dead Prez

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