cranberry sauce made with orange juice

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Cook Time: 15 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Dairy Free | Gluten Free | Egg Free | Vegan

This fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce is foolproof and easy to make. Sweetened and flavored with orange juice, this fresh cranberry sauce combines tart and sweet, and is made with just 4 ingredients.

cranberry sauce made with orange juice

I love cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving time. It’s the only meal I like when my food is touching and I can combine all the flavors of Thanksgiving into one bite. To me, the cranberry sauce is the glue in a good thanksgiving meal. It’s the perfect mix of tartness and sweetness when you have the saltiness from the turkey, stuffing and gravy.

Whip up this quick and easy homemade cranberry sauce for your next holiday meal, and serve alongside these Creamy Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes and Gluten Free Stuffing.

Happy cooking!

Want some Thanksgiving inspiration? Make these dishes for your next holiday meal:

cranberry sauce in a mason jar

Ingredients in the Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

Fresh Whole Cranberries

Orange Juice- pulp or no pulp. You could even use fresh squeezed orange juice.

Water

Sugar- regular granulated sugar.

Optional Add-Ins- cinnamon stick, vanilla extract, orange zest, a splash of bourbon.

Tools needed to make Homemade Cranberry Sauce:

a spoonful of homemade cranberry sauce

How to make Cranberry Sauce:

Cook: Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: For whole berry cranberry sauce, there is no need to mash. Serve warm or let cool off and then serve.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce: For jellied cranberry sauce, use a potato mashed to mash the cranberries to your desired consistency. As the cranberry sauce cools, it will gel up.

Tips for the best Homemade Cranberry Sauce:

  • For extra flavor, or flavor twists, add in vanilla extract, a cinnamon stick, orange zest or even a splash of bourbon.
  • After mashing, the cranberry sauce will not be very gelled, but will gel up as it cools off.
  • If you do not want to make this cranberry sauce with orange juice, sub out the orange juice for water. Up the sugar to 1 cup.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger amount of people.

How to make the Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

How to store leftover Cranberry Sauce:

This cranberry sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

You could also freeze this cranberry sauce by adding it to a large silicone ice cube tray, and then transfer the frozen cubes to a freezer ziploc or a freezer friendly container.

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Recipe by MaryCourse: Sides
Servings

4-6

servings
Cooking time

15

minutes
Total time

15

minutes

This fresh Homemade Cranberry Sauce is foolproof and easy to make. Sweetened and flavored with orange juice, this fresh cranberry sauce combines tart and sweet, and is made with just 4 ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz pack of fresh, whole cranberries- rinsed and dried

  • 3/4 cup orange juice

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • Optional- vanilla extract, orange zest, cinnamon stick, splash of bourbon

Directions

  • Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: For whole berry cranberry sauce, there is no need to mash.
    Jellied Cranberry Sauce: For jellied cranberry sauce, use a potato masher to mash the cranberries to your desired consistency. As the cranberry sauce cools, it will gel up.
  • Serve warm or let cool off and then serve. Enjoy!

Recipe Video

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