This cranberry sauce recipe made with fresh cranberries, orange zest, orange juice and honey is perfect for your upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday feast!
Cranberry sauce – some people absolutely love it and some people hate it. I’ve always been somewhere in the middle until this year when I finally made my own!
I grew up eating cranberry sauce from a can for Thanksgiving. You know what I’m talking about. That infamous canned cranberry sauce that just slides out of the can, into a bowl and is so gelatinous that it somehow holds its shape. Yep. That cranberry sauce.
The taste of the canned stuff is okay at best, but the presentation is always so uninviting and just kind of sad. So when I set out to make my first Thanksgiving turkey ever, I knew I had to make a delicious and beautiful cranberry sauce recipe to serve along with it.
To my joyous surprise, making cranberry sauce is literally one of the easiest things you can make for the holidays! Just dump all the ingredients into a pot, stir, and it’s done in only 20 minutes. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to make my own!
How to make cranberry sauce
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Add a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, the juice and zest of 1 orange, 1/3 cup of honey, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
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Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to simmer. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and sauce begins to thicken.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes! You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this recipe.
Can I make cranberry sauce ahead of time?
Yes! Cooking a big holiday feast can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be if you’re able to prepare a few things ahead of time.
Cranberry sauce is one of those perfect side dishes that you can make up to a week in advance and just keep it in the fridge until ready to serve. Since the sauce thickens the longer it sits and cools, you may want to mix in a tablespoon or two of water to thin it out before serving.
If you’re making this recipe for an upcoming holiday meal (like Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving or Christmas!), here are a few more recipes you might like.
What to serve with cranberry sauce
- Herb Roast Turkey Recipe
- Chiptole Citrus Thanksgiving Turkey
- How to Make Turkey Gravy from Drippings
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
- Green Chile Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 large orange, juiced and zested
- 1/3 cup honey, plus more if you like it sweeter
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to simmer.
- Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop and sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
This recipe sounded so good, but it turned out to be so sour that it was inedible for all 20 of us. This was after increasing the honey to 1/2 cup. It ultimately had to be tossed. I absolutely love cranberry sauce and love to try different types.
Hi Jody, thank you for the feedback.
Do you think this recipe can be canned???? I would love to make this for gifts..