Infused with orange juice, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon, this homemade Cranberry Sauce bursts with sweet and tangy flavors! It’s so easy to make and requires only 15 minutes on the stove.
I did not grow up eating cranberries, so my first encounter with cranberries and cranberry sauce was during a Thanksgiving I spent with my American host family. This sweet and tangy cranberry sauce brings back heartwarming memories of the kind host family who welcomed me into their home.
Whenever we celebrate the holiday at home, I make it a point to make my own cranberry sauce. Since homemade cranberry sauce tastes 100 times fresher and better than the store-bought one, there’s no excuse not to make my own. It is also my son’s favorite and makes the perfect accompaniment to our Smoked Miso Butter Turkey Breast.
Table of Contents
Why You Should Make This Recipe
- Quick & Easy — Just throw 5 simple ingredients together in a pot, and it’ll be done in 15 minutes.
- Make-ahead — A homemade sauce that can be made ahead before you get busy with the holiday meals!
- Incredibly flavorful and aromatic — Not only does it taste amazing, but it also makes the whole house smell wonderful and cozy.
- Fresh tasting — Once you make the homemade sauce, you’ll never go back to the canned stuff.
Ingredients for Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberries — Fresh is best, but frozen is fine too. If using frozen, you don’t need to fully thaw them. Just rinse the cranberries with water before using.
- Fresh Orange Juice & Orange Zest — Before you juice the orange, grate some zest off for flavoring and garnish. Then squeeze ½ cup of juice. If you don’t care for the zest, you can substitute it with orange juice (not from concentrate) instead.
- Sugar — For sweetening the sauce, I’ve tried white sugar, light brown sugar, a combination of white and light brown sugars, honey, and maple syrup. Each sweetener gives a different flavor profile, so choose what you like. This time, I use light brown sugar only. My husband prefers a combination of an equal part of white and light brown sugar, and my kids like white sugar only.
- Grated Ginger — Grated ginger gives a nice kick and adds to the layers of flavor.
- Cinnamon Stick — We love the smell of cinnamon in the cranberry sauce. You can substitute ground cinnamon for the stick, but add it to the sauce after removing it from the heat.
- Water — I usually add some water just to give more liquid to the sauce. If you want to increase the orange flavor, substitute more orange juice for water.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
- Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and water in a small saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped, about 8 minutes.
- Add the cinnamon stick, orange zest, and grated ginger. Cook until the mixture has thickened to your liking, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature.
Variation
If you prefer an extra-citrusy flavor profile, try using 1/2 lemon juice and lemon zest with the orange juice and orange zest.
How to Store
Let the sauce cool completely before you store it in an airtight container. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, so I usually make it ahead whenever we host Thanksgiving or Christmas at our place. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
What to Do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce
In addition to turkey or roast chicken, there are many other delicious ways to enjoy any leftovers:
- Enjoy it as a jam for sandwiches! My son will attest that a turkey sandwich with this sauce is simply delicious. For vegetarian/vegan, try it with a grilled cheese sandwich or chickpea sandwich. It adds a layer of tanginess that cannot be beat.
- Use it like you would other chutney! I love pairing it with fresh brie or camembert cheese for my charcuterie board.
- When preserved in small jars, it makes a wonderful gift or holiday table contribution.
- Makes a fabulous sauce for stuffing or vegetarian nut loaf.
- It is excellent with both pork and potatoes, so you may want to add this sauce to Japanese Pork Roast.
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Easy Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz cranberries (1 bag, 3–4 cups, fresh or frozen)
- ¾ cup sugar (6 oz; I used light brown sugar this time; or use honey or a combination)
- ½ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed from 1 large orange; you can use orange juice (not from concentrate), but it‘s sweeter than fresh squeezed)
- ¼ cup water (instead of water, you can use a total of ¾ cup orange juice for more intense orange flavor)
- 2 tsp orange zest (lightly packed, from the same orange; save some for garnish)
- 1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ginger (grated, with juice; add more, if you‘d like)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Rinse 12 oz cranberries well and drain off the excess water. Pick through the cranberries and discard any squishy ones. Transfer them to a small saucepan.
- Zest the orange (I use a microplane) until you have 2 tsp orange zest and set it aside. For one-quarter of the orange, I use a citrus zester that yields ribbons for garnish.
- Cut the orange in half. Juice until you get ½ cup orange juice.
- Grate the ginger (I use the same microplane) and measure ⅛ tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
- In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, ¾ cup sugar, the juice of the orange, and ¼ cup water.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped, about 8 minutes.
- Add 1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, the orange zest, and the grated ginger. Cook until the mixture has thickened to your liking, about 1–2 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. You can serve the sauce warm or at room temperature.
To Store
- Cool completely. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. To freeze, cool the sauce completely and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Nov 26, 2019. The post has been republished on November 2020.
I used mandarin oranges instead of a navel orange because their citrus bites less and doesn’t overwhelm the cranberries. Also added .5 tsp vanilla, twice the ginger, and light brown sugar. Best cranberry sauce ever, ty!
Hi Southern cook! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and sharing your experience with us! 🙂
How would I use dried cranberries? Can’t find fresh or frozen in Sydney, thanks
Hi Jo-An! I checked google and it looks like you can use craisins to make cranberry sauce! I recommend adding cranberry juice too! 🙂