This homemade Cinnamon Cranberry Orange Sauce is bursting with fresh juicy cranberries and is perfect served with Roast Turkey. You will be surprised how easy this is (with just 4 ingredients) and it’s way better than canned or storebought sauce.
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Orange Cranberry Sauce is iconic for the holiday table along with classic sides like Mashed Potatoes, easy Turkey Gravy, creamy Sweet Potato Casserole, and of course soft Dinner Rolls. This Cranberry Orange Sauce proves that homemade is best.
Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
You’ll love this spin on Classic Cranberry Sauce infused with cinnamon and orange flavors. You can’t beat homemade because it has a real cranberry texture. The cranberries burst and release their juices as they heat, which turns into a jelly-like sauce as it cools. This one is bursting with bites of sweet, tangy cranberries.
This is one of the easiest side dishes you’ll make but Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without it. Make this once and you’ll quickly realize canned cranberry sauce is no match for the real thing.
How Long Does Cranberry Sauce Last?
You can make cranberry-orange sauce ahead and take a little pressure off the biggest cooking day of the year! Homemade orange-cranberry sauce will keep well covered and refrigerated for 10-14 days.
Can I Freeze Cranberry Sauce?
Cranberry Sauce freezes really well. Transfer it to a freezer-safe Ziploc bag, remove excess air and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Ingredients for Orange Cranberry Sauce
The sauce is infused with orange and cinnamon and sweetened with honey. The honey gives this sauce a boost of flavor and makes it healthier than using sugar. This recipe has all-natural, unprocessed ingredients.
Can I use Frozen Cranberries?
Yes! We love keeping a bag of fresh-frozen cranberries in the freezer for when the cranberry sauce craving strikes. Did you know fresh cranberries can be frozen in their original bag or a freezer-safe bag for 10 to 12 months?
You can use fresh or frozen cranberries to make orange cranberry sauce. Frozen will take slightly longer to reach a simmer but the flavor and consistency will be the same in the finished sauce.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Sauce
This recipe is EASY and comes together quickly. It takes just 10 minutes for the sauce to form.
- In a medium saucepan, combine honey, water, orange juice, zest, and 1 cinnamon stick. Bring it to a simmer.
- Add fresh (or frozen) cranberries then simmer at a low boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until cranberries start to burst.
- Add more honey to taste then remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick.
Pro Zesting Tip: Zest the orange before juicing it (it’s much easier!). When zesting, be sure you only remove the orange peel and not the white portion underneath which can make your sauce taste bitter. Don’t go crazy with the zest. Using more than a teaspoon can overwhelm the sauce. If you only have store-bought orange juice, you can omit the zest and it will still work well.
How to Serve Orange Cranberry Sauce
If you have never tried homemade, you are in for a deliciously easy treat! As the sauce cools, it thickens and becomes spreadable – perfect for the Thanksgiving Turkey, with Pork Tenderloin, chicken, ham, and on Dinner Rolls. That combination of sweet and savory is irresistible. You could even use it as a topping for Cheesecake. The possibilities are endless!
Cranberry Sauce Can be served hot or cold right out of the refrigerator. We usually serve it cold or at room temperature.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Try these top-rated holiday sides to make this your best holiday menu yet! If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving menu ideas, check out all of our Thanksgiving recipes here.
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes – with bacon and garlic
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes – a twist on the classic
- Mashed Potato Casserole – loaded and so cheesy
- Green Bean Casserole – completely from scratch
- Quiche Lorraine – delicious hot or cold
Q: Do YOU have a special cranberry sauce you make every year? I’d love to hear about it. If you haven’t started that tradition, I invite you to try this recipe and hope it becomes a new favorite for you and your loved ones. Have a beautiful and memorable Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup honey, or add to taste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed from 1 large orange
- 1 tsp orange zest, lightly packed, from the same orange*
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 12 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 2/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tsp orange zest and 1 cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve honey.
- Add 12 oz cranberries and bring to a boil. Once boiling, adjust heat to keep at a low boil and cook 10 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will burst and sauce will begin to thicken. A minute or so before turning off the heat, taste for sweetness and add more honey to taste for a sweeter sauce. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken when it cools.
- Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick and cool cranberry sauce to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Filed Under
P.S. I am truly thankful for you, my readers, whether you just stumbled upon my blog today or have been following along since 2009 when this blog was born, I truly appreciate you. Because of you, my husband and I can do what we love to wake up to daily. We have especially been blessed to hear how our recipes have blessed your families, nourished your children and impressed your parents! This Thanksgiving, we are thanking God for you.
I make a cranberry sauce that has apples, oranges, pineapple and walnuts in it. Very good. Recipe from a dear friend.
Would you be able to can this recipe in a water bath? Ive made this last year but would love to have a bunch on hand for the whole year.
Hi Jen, I haven’t tested that and I don’t know if the acidity to sugar levels are safe for canning.
Hello Natasha! I love the sound of this recipe…can it be water bath canned? I’ve never used honey in canning recipes, but have made all manner of jams and jellies with white sugar!
Hi Kim. I honestly haven’t tried canning it for storage. It freezes well.
I’m so happy to hear you love my recipes, Fran. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Exceptional!! Honey over sugar wins big (especially the creamy type from Germany we use) and orange zest is a must (and your suggested 1 tsp. limit, which I tend to exceed;)) ***Tip: for those “hesitant of cranberry sauce” : pulse fresh cranberries in the food processor/blender to minimize chunkiness. Add a can of mandarin oranges and/or crushed pineapple (skip the water).
Thank you for the feedback, Janice!
Delicious! I had to substitute granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and mandarin oranges, but it was so good – I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
So glad you loved it, Valarie! Thank you for sharing.
Excellent recipe. I doubled it and added 8 whole cloves into the mix and it was incredible. I could have eaten the whole pot while still hot 😂
That’s wonderful! Thank you.
I see the ingredients but don’t see what amount of each ingredient to use
Click “Jump to Recipe” at the top of the recipe post, that will take you to the printable recipe card where you can see the ingredient details. I hope that helps!
Love this recipe! Making a double batch right now, for the second year in a row!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Deborah!
I also add a little Grand Mariner Liqueur instead of cinnamon, try it, you’ll like it.
Sounds yummy!
Hi Natasha,
Can I use maple syrup instead of honey?
Thank you and your recipes are always yummy
Hi Kenya, I have not tried it but I’m sure that will work well too!
I use fresh cranberries and a whole orange and mix in food processor. It’s delicious
Yum! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I was wondering if you can freeze this? I want to try this and save for later.
Hi Elizabeth! I have not tested freezing this recipe. I worry the texture will not be the same. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Hi Natasha do you have a recipe using different berries such as cranberries, black berries and cranberries as well…I love all of your recipes.
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda! No, I do not have one. But you may enjoy my cherry sauce or strawberry sauce recipes.
Hi how much ground cinnamon would you use instead of the stick?
Hi Angela, I would suggest using just a pinch of ground cinnamon – no more than 1/4 tsp. You can also omit cinnamon and it would still work well 🙂
I have tried several of your recipes and have loved them all! I am excited to try this one for thanksgiving. I see that this keeps in the fridge for 9-14 days. If I were to make this the day before thanksgiving do you think the flavor or consistency would change when serving? Or do you think it’s best prepared and served same day? Thanks in advance!
Hi Kailey, good to know that you are enjoying my recipes! I love making and serving it on the same day but refrigerating will just be as delicious too!
This is the BEST cranberry sauce I’ve ever tried. I can’t believe how good it is. My family could eat it every single night! I made it as stated in the recipe—found it to be just perfect! Using a really good local honey probably helped. So happy I stumbled upon this recipe!
I’m so glad you discovered this recipe and my blog! Welcome, Emily! Thank you for sharing your excellent review with me!
Last minute and we realized no one got cranberry sauce for Christmas dinner. I was just going to make Sugared Cranberries, but saw the link to this. Had to substitute ground cinnamon, and dried orange peel, but this is wonderful, and cooked up so quick. We will end up having it warm with our turkey, but it is heavenly. Thank you so much for your recipes and the ease of preparing them.
Great to hear that the recipe was a success! Thank you for the review, Jeanette.
Could I use dried cranberries instead of fresh/frozen. I was thinking of soaking them before.
Thanks for your recipes 🙂
Hello Joanne, I haven’t tested that and I can’t say that it will work with dried cranberries.
Planning on making this and serving it over a softened block of cream cheese with dippers for our church Christmas party. I will try to get a picture!
I can’t wait to see it, Pat! I hope you love this recipe!