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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce

    Published: Dec 1, 2020 · Modified: Mar 22, 2022 by Emily This post may contain affiliate links

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    It's easy to make your own fresh and homemade easy Cranberry Orange Sauce! Cook fresh cranberries with fresh orange juice, orange zest, organic sugar, and lemon juice for a tart yet sweet addition to your holiday table in less than thirty minutes!

    Jump to:
    • Why make this easy cranberry orange sauce?
    • What makes this cranberry sauce vegan?
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients
    • How to make this Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce
    • Variations
    • Top tip
    • What to do with leftover cranberry sauce
    • FAQ
    • Related recipes
    • Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce

    Why make this easy cranberry orange sauce?

    It's beautiful, it's simply delicious, and it's good for you! The store-bought canned version doesn't even come close in terms of flavor. When does store-bought anything taste better than homemade?

    This cranberry sauce is a gorgeous shade of pinkish red, making it a festive addition to the table throughout the winter season.

    What makes this cranberry sauce vegan?

    Although sugar itself is vegan, the processing may not make it so. Some refined sugars are filtered through bone char. However, this isn't the case with organic sugar.

    Ever since I went vegan several years ago, I've been buying organic cane sugar. The brand I typically use is listed in the recipe, although you can use any organic cane sugar. If you prefer, use maple syrup instead.

    Equipment

    Here's what you need to make this easy cranberry orange sauce:

    • Colander or bowl to rinse the cranberries and sort through them
    • Microplane zester for the orange zest
    • Medium saucepan, preferably a deep saucepan because the cranberries pop as they cook.
    • Wooden spoon
    • Spatula

    Ingredients

    • Oranges for fresh orange juice and zest.
    • Cranberries - fresh or frozen.
    • Fresh lemon juice for adding brightness and acidity
    • Organic brown sugar and organic cane sugar - you can use maple syrup instead, or only organic cane sugar.
    • Sea salt to bring out the flavors, just a pinch.
    • Cinnamon stick for spice, this is optional.
    • Optional: cognac, gin or brandy (not pictured).

    How to make this Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce

    Rinse the cranberries and sort through them, discard any that shriveled and soft cranberries (not fresh). A fresh cranberry will bounce.

    • Zest one orange, then juice the oranges. If you're a little short on orange juice, it's okay, just replace the missing orange juice with water. You may need to add a bit more sugar or maple syrup, taste as you go.
    • Preheat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
    • 1) Mix all of the ingredients together and bring to a gentle boil.
    • 2) Simmer for 15- 20 minutes uncovered. Lower the heat to keep the mixture just simmering. Stir often until the cranberries have popped.
    • The cranberry sauce is ready when it coats a spoon.
    • Remove the saucepan from heat, and stir in gin, cognac, or brandy if you wish.
    • Let it cool and then refrigerate in a glass jar for up to one week, or two weeks if you add alcohol.

    Variations

    • Add nuts such as walnuts or pecans if you like a bit of crunch. I prefer not to unless I'm putting the cranberry sauce in another recipe.
    • Try lemon zest instead of orange zest.
    • Try maple syrup instead of sugar.

    Top tip

    Make this easy vegan cranberry sauce ahead of time for your holiday dinners!

    What to do with leftover cranberry sauce

    • Try my Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites, they have only 5 ingredients and take 30 minutes to make.
    • Put this cranberry sauce on toast, just like you would with jam. It's so good! You can also put it on French toast, crepes, pancakes, or waffles.
    • Serve it with granola and vegan yogurt.
    • When you are baking, try swirling cranberry sauce in the batter.

    FAQ

    Can I freeze this cranberry sauce?

    You can try it, however, when thawed, it may be too watery. You can try cooking it down. I tend to consume cranberry sauce within a week or two of it being made, so I don't recommend freezing it.

    Can I make this cranberry sauce ahead of time?

    You can make the sauce up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight glass container in the fridge. Once you make it, it will last in the fridge for about a week. If you make it the day before Thanksgiving or Christmas, you have a week to enjoy it! If you add gin or brandy, the cranberry sauce may last for two weeks.

    Can I use frozen cranberries?

    You can use frozen cranberries, which are available year-round.

    How long do fresh cranberries keep?

    Fresh cranberries can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. If you buy them more than two weeks in advance of cooking them, be sure to freeze them. There is no need to wash them, just place them in the freezer in the bag they come in. When you’re ready to make cranberry sauce, rinse the cranberries in cold water; there is no need to thaw them.

    What if the cranberry sauce is too thick?

    If the cranberry sauce is too thick for your taste, add more water.

    What if the cranberry sauce is too thin?

    Let it cook down a bit more if the cranberry sauce is too thin for your taste. Keep in mind it will thicken as it sits.

    What if the cranberry sauce is too tart?

    Add a bit more sugar or maple syrup to your taste if it is too tart.

    Related recipes

    • Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites
    • Poached Pears in Red Wine
    • Hazelnut and Almond Vegan Linzer Cookies
    • Vegan Chocolate Blood Orange Cake


    If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★★★★★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.


    top view of vegan cranberry sauce

    Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce

    Emily Miller
    There's nothing like fresh, homemade cranberry orange sauce! Fresh cranberries are cooked with orange juice, orange zest, and lemon juice. Gin or brandy is optional and makes a festive addition!
    5 from 14 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 93.4 kcal

    Equipment

    • Medium saucepan
    • wooden spoon
    • Microplane zester

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 teaspoon orange zest from 1 large orange
    • ¾ cup orange juice from 2 large oranges
    • 12 oz fresh cranberries picked and sorted or frozen, 3 cups equivalent
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • ⅓ cup organic light brown sugar packed, or organic dark brown sugar
    • ⅓ cup organic cane sugar
    • Pinch Sea salt
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1 tablespoon cognac optional, or gin or brandy

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat a medium saucepan with high sides over medium heat.
    • Add orange zest, orange juice, cranberries, lemon juice, brown sugar, cane sugar, sea salt, and cinnamon stick.
    • Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered, stirring often, until the cranberries have popped. The cranberry sauce should set on a spoon on a plate. It should not be runny.
    • Remove from heat, stir in gin or brandy if desired. Pour into four 1 cup glass jars leaving ½ inch space from top. Place lids onto jars.

    Notes

    Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks if gin, cognac, or brandy is added, otherwise, store for up to one week in the fridge. 
    If frozen, the cranberry sauce may become watery. I don't recommend it.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8peopleCalories: 93.4kcalCarbohydrates: 24.1gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.1gFiber: 1.6gSugar: 20.2g
    Keyword 30-minute, easy, fall, fruit, holiday, Thanksgiving
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.

    « Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Skillet Cookie
    Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Bites »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Brian

      December 02, 2020 at 5:54 am

      5 stars
      Good Stuff! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Emily

        December 04, 2020 at 5:33 pm

        I am glad you enjoyed it, Brian! Thank you for your feedback!

        Reply
    2. Natalia

      September 26, 2021 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      This is really good and really easy, I've made it twice so far this week. I love cranberry sauce, it's one of my favorites!

      Reply
      • Emily

        September 26, 2021 at 1:33 pm

        Natalia, thanks for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Chris

      September 26, 2021 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      This is by far the best cranberry sauce! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Emily

        September 26, 2021 at 1:38 pm

        Thanks so much for your review, Chris! It's always a joy to hear such a lovely comment!

        Reply
    4. Kayla DiMaggio

      September 26, 2021 at 2:06 pm

      5 stars
      This vegan cranberry sauce was so delicious! I loved how sweet and tangy it was! Can't wait to make this for Thanksgiving!

      Reply
      • Emily

        September 26, 2021 at 2:35 pm

        Kayla, thanks for the feedback! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I'm a big fan of cranberry sauce and it's one of my favorite sides to make for Thanksgiving!

        Reply
    5. Joshua

      September 27, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      This cranberry sauce is the best! I love baking it with puff pastry. It’s so good together!

      Reply
      • Emily

        September 27, 2021 at 4:42 pm

        That is an amazing combination, Joshua! Thank you for your review!

        Reply

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    Emily Miller

    Hi, I'm Emily! I love to share my passion for tasty and nourishing plant-based food. You'll find seasonal vegan recipes here with the occasional indulgence. I hope to inspire you to try something new and eat more plants along the way!

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