Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe With Orange Juice - RecipeMagik (2024)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a Must when it comes to Holiday Sides or Thanksgiving Table. The burst of Orange Juice and the nuttiness of Ground Cinnamon takes it all away!🎄🎃

Did you know these Health Benefits of Cranberries? I was blown away!😲

This recipe for Cranberry Sauce is what we make in our home during Thanksgiving and Christmas. I know this is a popular recipe and you must have your own version of Cranberry Sauce. So, feel free to comment below and tell me how you make it at your home.

And, if you are making Cranberry Sauce for the first time, you are in for a real treat. Don't forget to top over this Thanksgiving Breakfast Casserole and of course with the Turkey or Roasted Chicken or Whole Roasted Cauliflower.

Whether it's for your breakfast pancakes or for your vanilla ice-cream, cranberry sauce is a must add-on. But while the cranberry sauce from the stores is pretty decent, you can at the same time make it on your own right at your home!

My Favorite Cranberry Recipes

• Cranberry Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles
• Healthy Apple Cranberry Muffins
• Warm Pear Cranberry Cobbler
• White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars
• Brown Sugar Glazed Orange Cranberry Muffins

🥣What is Cranberry Sauce?

Cranberry sauce is not like ketchup in its consistency, and is actually more similar to a relish that is made out of cranberries.

The making of cranberry sauce goes back years old, which can be traced back all the way back to 1912 in Hanson, Massachusetts. Traditionally cranberry sauce has been associated with Thanksgiving dinner, but you can actually use it for plenty of other things as well!

🔪Ingredients needed to make cranberry sauce

You should have no difficulty in finding the required ingredients for making cranberry sauce. Even if it's not the cranberry season and you can't find fresh cranberries, you always have the option to go for canned/frozen cranberries. With this said, let's take a look at what other things you'd need to make cranberry sauce!

1. Sugar

Make sure you use quite a bit of sugar as cranberries can be very tart and you'd want to balance that. You can use granulated sugar or powdered sugar depending on your choice. We prefer the latter one for a smoother texture.

2. Water

Use water for thinning purposes. But don't add too much as you'll want a thick and rustic cranberry sauce.

3. Cranberries

You have the option to choose between either frozen cranberries or the fresh ones. If cranberries are in the season then we suggest you go for fresh cranberries!

4. Orange Juice

Orange Juice and Orange Zest or Orange Peel is a must when it comes to making my homemade Cranberry Sauce. That tarty freshness of Orange works so well in this recipe.

5. Ground Cinnamon

I like the touch of ground cinnamon to make my cranberry sauce. Ground cinnamon has a gorgeous sweetness and a nuttiness which makes it a perfect addition to this recipe.

6. Kosher Salt

A pinch of Kosher salt is so important to make the best cranberry sauce.

🫕How to make Cranberry Sauce?

Making cranberry sauce by yourself is easy. Just make sure to follow all the steps below and you should be done with making cranberry sauce in 30 minutes!

• If you're using fresh cranberries then wash them under running water and remove their seeds. You don't need to do this step with frozen cranberries. Instead just thaw them until they're ready for use.
• Take an appropriate sized saucepan and combine water, orange juice, and sugar in it. Bring it to a boil and keep stirring it until you're sure all sugar has mixed into the water.
• Once the syrup of water and sugar is boiling, it's time to add in the cranberries. Reduce the heat to low and wait for all cranberries to start bursting. It should take around ten minutes.
• Once most of the cranberries have burst, your cranberry sauce is ready. Or you can at this point mix in more ingredients of your choice to give it an extra touch. But either way, the sauce is complete.
• Let the cranberry sauce cool on its own at room temperature. Keep in mind that it will thicken even more during the cooling process. Now you can either use this cranberry sauce immediately or store it away carefully for future use.

📖Variations for your Cranberry Sauce

The basic cranberry sauce is great, but there is still room for many fun variations and additions to it. Cranberries are also such versatile berries that you can add all kinds of things to it to make a sauce that is your very own. We'll tell you a few such variations to get you started!

The right time to make your additions is right at the end of cooking cranberry sauce. You can add a wide variety of ingredients of your choice, which includes:

• Pecans, raisins and currants Will give make your cranberry sauce completely in the mood for the fall season!
• Blueberries, and even strawberries are a great addition for your cranberry sauce. The more the berries the merrier!
• You can grate some lemon zest and add it to your cranberry sauce for an even more tempting fragrance.
• Certain spices are a fair go in cranberry sauce as well! In fact, they complement the sweetness and tartness of your sauce perfectly! We particularly suggest spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice to make your cranberry sauce perfect with turkey!
• Oranges go surprisingly great with cranberries, making it an excellent combination. If you want to give your cranberry sauce an extra kick of orange, then just reduce the amount of water and replace it with orange juice!

🌱Is this cranberry sauce vegan?

Vegans don't need to worry about this cranberry sauce because it is completely safe for vegans. Even with any further additions or variations, it'll still be vegan friendly!

🍭Is there a sugar-free version of cranberry sauce?

Cranberry sauce needs sugar to combat the natural tartness of cranberries. But there are plenty of healthier substitutions available in the market for sugar. You can use a sugar replacer like Splenda or Truvia, which will make your cranberry sauce on a more healthy side and safe for any sugar conscious individuals!

🧊How to store Cranberry Sauce?

This homemade cranberry sauce contains no added preservatives like your grocery store one, so you'll need to be extra careful when it comes to storing it.

1. Pack your cranberry sauce in an airtight glass jar and keep it in your refrigerator. Preferably the shelf that is designated for all your sauces.

2. Your cranberry sauce should last two weeks in the refrigerator with proper storing. Make sure you check your cranberry sauce in between to see if it's still in good condition.

3. Don't use a plastic container, or at least make sure it is free of toxins and is completely airtight and safe for storing edible items.

☃️Can I freeze cranberry sauce?

Since cranberries are seasonal, it's a good idea to make cranberry sauce ahead of time and freeze them for future uses. This way you can make sure to have cranberry sauce whenever you need it, like at your Thanksgiving dinner!

• Choose a container that is safe for freezing and completely airtight. Then fill it with cranberry sauce and seal it tightly.
• Keep this container in the freezer of your fridge and leave it there to freeze completely. It should take about 24 hours for this to happen.
• Frozen cranberry sauce lasts six months to ten months easily. Just make sure to thaw it at room temperature and then reheat it on a gas stove or inside the microwave for further use!

💁Tips for your Cranberry Sauce

• Make sure you pick cranberries that are not too tart or too sweet for your sauce.
• If you are a fan of a cranberry sauce that is on the tarter side, then all you have to do is reduce the amount of sugar you add to half.
• Keep tasting your cranberry sauce in between to make sure you get the sugar just right!
• Chill the cranberry sauce before serving it. This will give your cranberry sauce a perfect consistency to go along with your main dish, like Thanksgiving Turkey for example.

⛑Is cranberry sauce healthy?

Yes, it is healthy for you! Especially if you make your own cranberry sauce at home. This way you'll get to control what and how much ingredients will go in it, including sugar!

🧑‍🍳What can I use cranberry sauce for?

Besides its place at Thanksgiving dinner, you can use cranberry sauce at many places. It especially goes well with different kinds of meats, like chicken, pork, beef and especially turkey. Try to use cranberry sauce as a spread for your turkey sandwich! You'll love the combination!

🍯Is cranberry sauce supposed to be sweet or sour?

We suggest a balanced medium between sweetness and tartness. Just taste the cranberry sauce in between while you're making it to make sure you get the right taste for you!

🔖Recipe