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This Thanksgiving, sink your spoon deep into a bowl of homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce. It’s tart, sweet, subtly spiced, and the EASIEST Thanksgiving side.

recipe for cranberry sauce with orange juice in a white bowl with spoon

The easiest Thanksgiving side dish.

cookbook author erin clarke of well plated

Simply dump all the ingredients into a saucepan, stir, and BOOM. You’ve got bright, blissful cranberry orange sauce that’s the perfect tart bite to complement your Thanksgiving Turkey.

While there’s a time and a place for canned cranberry sauce, the holiday meal you spend hours preparing deserves the real deal. With notes of orange, cinnamon, and floral honey, this recipe elevates everyday cranberry sauce beyond expectations.

(For another take on cranberries, try this Cranberry Orange Relish, which is made in the food processor.)

Key Ingredients

You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the blog post below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.

  • Fresh Cranberries. Ditch the can and head to your produce department for a bag of fresh whole cranberries. Frozen cranberries work too if you can’t find fresh.
  • Orange Juice + Zest. For a fresh, festive pop that brightens and sweetens the cranberry sauce. Burst of happy flavor!
  • Honey. I love the subtle floral flavor it lends the sauce. For a vegan cranberry orange sauce, swap in maple syrup. The flavor profile will be slightly different, but it will still be delicious!
  • Salt. A pinch of salt balances all the flavors in this homemade cranberry orange sauce recipe.

5 Star Review

“This sauce couldn’t be easier to make. I don’t think I will ever go back to the slab of canned sauce everyone else sticks on the table. Tangy, tart, but semi-sweet.”

— Kathleen —

How to Make Cranberry Orange Sauce

Put It All Together. Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.

Cook. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until the cranberries break down and the sauce thickens. (Remember, the sauce will thicken more as it cools.) Taste and add more honey if needed, then serve and ENJOY!

Meal Prep Tip

Knock one thing off your Thanksgiving to-do list. Cranberry orange sauce can be prepared ahead of time and then chilled in the fridge or frozen until ready to serve.

The best homemade cranberry sauce recipe with orange juice and cinnamon in a bowl with a spoon

Leftover Ideas

Spread leftover fresh cranberry sauce over toast, stir it into your morning oatmeal, layer it in these yummy yogurt Leftover Cranberry Sauce Parfaits, jazz up ham or pork chops, use it to top these Cranberry Cream Cheese Appetizer Bites, or spread it onto leftover turkey sandwiches.

One of my absolute favorite ways to use leftovers, though, is in a grilled cheese. Spread it onto a thick, crusty bread like sourdough, add a good aged cheddar, and toast it on the griddle until it’s golden brown and melty. Such a treat!

Cranberry Orange Sauce

4.96 From 42 reviews . Help us out! Review HERE.Help out & review HERE

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 2 cups, approx.
This easy cranberry orange sauce is the best! Quick to pull together and WAY better than the can. Perfect with turkey, for duck or dessert!

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries thawed if frozen
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • ¾ cup fresh orange juice
  • ¼ cup honey plus 2 tablespoons (plus additional 1 to 2 tablespoons to taste)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon cloves
  • teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Bring cranberries, orange zest, orange juice, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey, water, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to a simmer over medium heat.
  • Continue cooking, stirring often, until the cranberries break down and the sauce thickens. Taste (careful, it will be hot!) and add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey as desired. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little extra water to reach the desired consistency. Let cool, then serve.

Notes

  • TO STORE: Store cranberry orange sauce in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. 
  • TO FREEZE: Homemade cranberry orange sauce may be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before serving.
  • TO REHEAT: Warm in the microwave or on the stovetop to the desired temperature. You may also serve leftover cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 8); about 1/4 cupCalories: 62kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gPotassium: 89mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 72IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg

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Round out your holiday spread with these other healthy Thanksgiving side dishes.

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

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  1. This was my first time making cranberry sauce and it came out fine. I will say it’s a little too sweet for my taste. Next time I will lessen the amount of honey in it.5 stars

  2. I made this yesterday with a bag of fresh cranberries I needed to use from the holidays….WOW! It is refreshing and delicious. Going to serve it along with cornflake crusted chicken for dinner. Thank you!5 stars

  3. Tangy and not too sweet. It is a refreshing flavor on your Thanksgiving table. The orange adds freshness and compliments the heavier dishes. My family really loved it!5 stars

  4. 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!5 stars

  5. I made this for the first time for our Thanksgiving meal and it was phenomenal! We doubled the recipe. I like to test out recipes before I serve them to others, especially for holidays. This one is just PERFECT!5 stars

  6. Perfection! Dad always opens a can of cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving, so this year I told him I’ll bring homemade cranberry sauce. New addition to our Thanksgiving table.5 stars

  7. This is the absolute best cranberry sauce ever!!! I did put an extra 1/4 cup of honey in it because we like it a little sweeter since the cranberries are so tart, and I use a cinnamon stick. I can’t wait to try this for Christmas on top of homemade cheesecake!5 stars

  8. This is one of my favorites! Super easy, and I love that it has honey instead of sugar. The taste of the cranberry really shines.5 stars

  9. Mmmm! Just made this recipe, and wow, it’s delicious! Only thing I did differently was I got the hand blender and pureed it. Tastes amazing, and I can’t wait to have an English muffin for breakfast with this yummy stuff slathered on it! Delicious!5 stars

  10. This recipe is SO easy and SO yummy. I think a goto as long as I can find fresh cranberries. It was great on the Brie Bites and also over vanilla ice cream!5 stars

  11. I wanted to say this is my Thanksgiving staple recipe each year, and it tastes wonderful yet is so quick and easy. A BIG HIT for the whole family. Thanks Erin, we love your receipes!5 stars

  12. Seriously so easy and delicious! I brought these to Thanksgiving as a person who insists on homemade cranberries and they were a hit with everyone!5 stars

  13. I love a simple cranberry sauce. I’m partial to a bit sweeter so added more sugar but love the simplicity of this recipe- it’s a keeper!5 stars

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