A vibrant cranberry sauce bursting with flavor! Made with fresh cranberries and oranges, this is a must-have classic side dish for your holiday feast. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but also delicious on pancakes, toast, oatmeal, waffles, and yogurt!
The holiday season is a magical time of year. For me, it starts with Thanksgiving, works its way through the month of December, and finally greets in the New Year. I love all of the twinkling lights, the cheerful colors, the jolly music, the optimism, and the kindness – it seems that most people are just a bit more cheery and a tiny bit more kind during the holidays. Stores are bustling with sales and hopeful shoppers trying to find the perfect gift for friends, co-workers, and loved ones…
What’s strange is I haven’t even mentioned the food yet. I absolutely love traditional holiday food! All of it. I always have. There are so many wonderful holiday treats that truly shine during one month every year – Christmas cookies, panettone, and fruit cake, anyone? I’ve already shared my delicious Vegan Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pie recipes that are healthier plant-based renditions of traditional holiday classic desserts.
Yet, despite my serious sweet tooth, my favorite part of a holiday meal is the abundance of mouth-watering side dishes that are usually reserved for a Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. My favorites include Creamy Rosemary Mashed Potatoes, Savory Mushroom Stuffing (dressing), Green Bean Mushroom Casserole, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, sweet corn, and Cranberry Orange Sauce. And more than anything, I love it when all of these scrumptious sides are nestled together on my cozy plate. They also make the best leftovers!
This post is dedicated to one of these magical holiday sides that I simply adore. So let’s chat about this Cranberry Orange Sauce. That’s why you’re reading this post after all. For the record, I really enjoy all kinds of cranberry sauces, including the jellied cranberry sauce found in cans. I do. But I especially enjoy eating whole cranberry sauce. And so, when I asked my mother to share her recipe with me many years ago, she said she just adds some orange juice to some cranberries with some sugar and cooks it in the microwave until it’s ready. Haha!! Now that is a pretty straight-forward recipe!
Over the years, I have adapted this somewhat simple concept to incorporate the holiday magic and flavors I enjoy the most. First, I use one standard bag of fresh cranberries. This is typically twelve ounces, which equates to about three or four cups of cranberries, depending on the size of the cranberries. Feel free to use frozen cranberries, too. I actually purchase a couple of bags of fresh cranberries and freeze them so that I can make this Cranberry Orange Sauce or Orange Cranberry Muffins whenever I feel the urge.
Fresh oranges are fantastic in this recipe, though you can purchase and use commercial orange juice as well. I find it convenient to squeeze one or two whole oranges so that I can include some of that orange zest from the peel for extra flavor. Alternatively, you can include part of an orange peel while simmering the water and orange juice, though neither the zest or the peel are required. It just bolsters the orange flavor in this Cranberry Orange Sauce.
This Cranberry Orange Sauce is sweetened naturally with a combination of pure maple syrup and coconut sugar. I have tried using less sugar but it’s just a bit tart for my taste.
I like including a whole stick of cinnamon and one or two whole cloves while the sugar, maple syrup, and water are simmering in the saucepan. It adds a nice hint of cinnamon and cloves without it becoming too overpowering.
It’s important that you take a few minutes to allow everything to simmer together – the maple syrup, coconut sugar, orange juice, and water, along with the cinnamon stick and cloves. This does two things. First, it ensures your cranberry sauce sets up properly. But it also captures the essence of your spices without overwhelming the Cranberry Orange Sauce.
It’s also important that you remove the cinnamon stick and cloves before adding in the cranberries. Otherwise it may prove more than challenging to find those itty-bitty cloves once the cranberries are added and start bursting and breaking down. If you prefer, you can put the cloves in a loose leaf tea holder or tea bag to make it easier to find them. Alternatively, you can add in a little ground cinnamon and cloves instead of the whole spices.
Once the cinnamon stick and cloves are removed, it’s just as important that the cranberries simmer for about ten minutes, until most of the cranberries burst. This ensures the sauce thickens to the right consistency and develops the perfect texture. The cranberries truly transform beautifully to create a vibrant sauce that goes extremely well with your holiday sides. If the cranberries aren’t allowed to simmer long enough, they just aren’t able to do get their job done well and the sauce won’t be thick enough to hold its own on your plate.
Also, if you prefer a more smooth Cranberry Orange Sauce, feel free to use an immersion blender to smooth it out a bit. If you want it even smoother, allow the sauce to cool completely before blending it in a high-speed blender. Then store the sauce in a lidded container in the refrigerator. This Cranberry Orange Sauce keeps a bit longer than most other foods. I typically consume mine within one week, but you can store it a little longer, but no more than two weeks.
Now I have to let you in on a wonderful secret. This Cranberry Orange Sauce isn’t just a delicious side for your holiday feast; it’s also an incredible topping on oatmeal or in a yogurt parfait. And it’s equally satisfying on toast, waffles, and pancakes. I found this out recently when I topped my Cornmeal Pancakes with it. It had to be divine intervention because I think I went to heaven. You think I’m being a little dramatic; but seriously, this combination is to die for.
Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself!
This Cranberry Orange Sauce recipe is fool-proof and simply perfect as written. But, if you’re feeling even more adventurous, you can add in a variety of ingredients. Blueberries and pecans are an especially delicious and delightful twist. I have also added in applesauce and a pinch of nutmeg or allspice. All are fantastic.
If you’re going to include any of these add-ins to your Cranberry Orange Sauce, you should add them while the cranberry sauce is still hot. This allows the flavors to infuse into the sauce better. If you’d like to include chopped apples, I recommend simmering them with the water and maple syrup before adding your cranberries. That way, the apples cook thoroughly and mingle more readily with the bursting cranberries.
I hope you enjoy this Cranberry Orange Sauce as much as I do.
I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut or raw sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick (or ¼ tsp ground cinnamon)
- 1-2 whole cloves (optional)
- 12 oz fresh whole cranberries (about 3½ cups)
- 1 tsp orange zest
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, orange juice, maple syrup, water, cinnamon stick, and cloves, if using, and bring to a low boil. Allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a strainer, tongs, fork, or spoon.
- Add the cranberries and continue to simmer over medium heat until the cranberries pop, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in the orange zest (and any optional add-ins, if using – see note below).
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a covered container and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours. The sauce will thicken as it chills.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Notes
- For a tasty twist, add in blueberries, applesauce, pecans, blueberries, nutmeg, and/or allspice after removing from the heat.
- This Cranberry Sauce is also delicious on oatmeal, yogurt, toast, waffles, and pancakes.
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Equipment
- stove
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut or raw sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick or ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-2 whole cloves optional
- 12 oz fresh whole cranberries about 3½ cups
- 1 tsp orange zest
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, orange juice, maple syrup, water, cinnamon stick, and cloves, if using, and bring to a low boil. Allow to simmer 4-5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cinnamon stick and cloves with a strainer, tongs, fork, or slotted spoon.
- Add the cranberries and continue to simmer over medium heat until the cranberries pop, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest (along with any optional add-ins, if using).
- Transfer the cranberry sauce and store in a covered container for at least four hours in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken as it chills.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.