This Cranberry Orange Sauce tastes SO much better than anything you can buy in a can. It’s really easy to make your own and it has so much more flavor!
Cranberry Orange Sauce
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner — or any great turkey dinner — there is always that one part of the meal that you just can’t live without. Once you try this Cranberry Orange Sauce, it may become that one thing for your family. Cranberry Orange Sauce is delicious on turkey and rolls. It tastes so good and smells so good that I have to discipline myself not to just eat it right out of the pan. It has a zesty, tangy flavor. I love it served warm, but cranberry sauce is traditionally served chilled, which makes this recipe one that can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for at least a week before a holiday dinner.
A family affair
If you’re looking for a recipe that the whole family can help prep, this Cranberry Orange Sauce is a great one to try. When the cranberries heat up in the pan they make a hissing noise just before they pop. When all of the cranberries “pop” or split open the sauce starts to thicken. With only a few ingredients, this sauce is inexpensive to make. I watch for fresh cranberries to go on sale, buy a bunch, and freeze them right in the bag in my freezer, then pull them out when I want to make cranberry sauce. It’s also a great gift for neighbors and friends during the holidays. Pour the sauce into decorative jars, keep chilled, and add a bow.
Cranberry Recipes
If you are looking for another tasty cranberry sauce recipe to make at home, click here for our Raspberry Cranberry Sauce recipe. If you have leftovers, this sauce can also be used as the base for our Cranberry Vinaigrette Dressing. Some other cranberry recipes that we always are making over the Holidays are our Cranberry Almond Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl for breakfast, our Cranberry Salsa for a yummy appetizer, and our Cranberry Chicken and Cranberry-Sausage Stuffing are perfect for Holiday dinners.
Don’t forget the turkey
As amazing as our Cranberry Orange Sauce tastes, don’t forget about the main event of the meal: The turkey! If you are looking for the best way to cook a turkey, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll be so pleased with the turkey and the Cranberry Orange Sauce, you just might decide to make it more than once a year at Thanksgiving.
How to make Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries about 3 cups
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. You will see the cranberries soften and hear them begin to pop.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with turkey and rolls.
- If serving chilled, pour sauce into a dish or jar and cool at room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Steffani says
November 28, 2014 at 12:36 pmWe made this yesterday for Thanksgiving and it was delicious!!! I made the raspberry cranberry sauce last year, which is also fantastic but I like not dealing with The Raspberry seeds. I did add an extra cup of sugar bc I like it more sweet.
Carolyn says
November 17, 2016 at 11:13 amMy mom also added some chopped walnuts…that’s how I like it!
Echo says
November 18, 2016 at 9:39 amOooh – yum! What a great idea!
Lisa says
November 19, 2016 at 1:01 pmCan this be reheated?
Echo says
November 19, 2016 at 10:38 pmAbsolutely! It is good cold or warm. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Courtnet says
November 21, 2016 at 10:50 pmDo you mean orange juice bought or fresh squeezed oranges?
Echo says
November 22, 2016 at 10:30 pmStore bought or fresh squeezed will both work fine in the recipe. Use what is most convenient for you. Thanks for asking!
Marisa says
December 14, 2016 at 10:02 amThis is so good! I made it for Thanksgiving and for a Christmas work thing, and it was recieved with great fanfare! Great recipe!
Echo says
December 15, 2016 at 10:38 amI’m so glad you like the recipe, Marisa! It is my absolute favorite cranberry sauce. I make it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love it on turkey and rolls.
Tracy says
November 14, 2017 at 4:27 pmI absolutely love this recipe. it is so very easy and delicious. I like to make it 2-3 days ahead of time. I think it tastes better the longer you let the flavors meld. Thank you for sharing.
Melissa says
November 19, 2017 at 4:02 pmI can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m always worried about trying new recipes on Thanksgiving! I’m so glad you can make ahead! I read one of the reviews where she said its better when left in the fridge for a couple days! Perfect!
Patricia says
November 26, 2017 at 4:23 pmMy recipe is similar; just adds one cinnamon stick which is discarded after cooling…yummy
Favorite Family Recipes says
November 28, 2017 at 12:07 pmYum, I’ll have to try that!
Matthew says
January 6, 2018 at 2:07 pmGreat recipe. Made it for thanksgiving. Unfortunatly only two of the 5 people there likes cranberries. I was left with half left over which I did end up using most of. My question is how long will this sauce hold for in the fridge? Thank you
Favorite Family Recipes says
January 8, 2018 at 1:35 pmIt should stay good for a couple weeks. You can also freeze it if you needed to!
Debbie says
November 11, 2018 at 12:42 pmAn online friend said she adds two Gala apples to this, as well as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Favorite Family Recipes says
November 12, 2018 at 10:48 amYum! That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Shawna McKim says
November 15, 2018 at 11:12 amI want to make this sauce for Thanksgiving this year, and I am also making another recipe that calls for cranberry sauce to be used in it. I want to use this homemade sauce rather than store bought. I know the recipe says this makes 12 servings, but how large is a serving for this recipe? What would you say the total amount made is? 2 cups? 3 cups? Thanks so much!
Favorite Family Recipes says
November 15, 2018 at 3:00 pmIts about 4 cups. I hope you like the recipe! It is one of my all-time favorites!
Sylvia says
November 21, 2018 at 12:11 pmI made it last Thanksgiving and cant wait to put it on my table again. All of the kids including my picky nephew were devouring it . They did not touch the can ones . Cant wait ! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Favorite Family Recipes says
November 21, 2018 at 4:37 pmYay! We are glad you like it as much as we do! Thanks for the 5-star rating and Happy Thanksgiving to you too!