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.
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The easiest Thanksgiving side dish.
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.
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
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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
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ⅛ 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
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Hi Erin! Found your recipe via Pinterest and am going to attempt for Thanksgiving this year! I was wondering if you used whole or ground cloves? Also, would this be ok to make the day before? Thank you so much and can’t wait to try!
Hi Rebekah! I’m so happy that you found this recipe and honored that it will be a part of your Thanksgiving. Use ground cloves, and you can absolutely make it the day before. Just store in the fridge. Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!
Erin! I made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year, and it was a hit. I had recipe requests, and family members who don’t even like cranberry sauce told me how much they enjoyed it. Thanks a million! I hope you’re having a fantastic trip in Thailand :)
Can I make this a day ahead of time?
Definitely Hannah! This tastes great leftover.
Is this best made the day of using it or the day before?
Hi Janie, you can definitely make it the day before!
This is the cranberry sauce my mother made! Absolutely the BEST!
I am so happy to find your blog. ?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Ellie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This recipe was great! Not going back to canned!! Highly recommend adding a little bit of sugar as mine was a little tart.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Cora! Thank you for sharing this kind 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, the citrus perks up the underlying tones of the cranberries. I fudged a little bit and used a 1/4 cup of dry red wine with the orange juice, just for the deliberate tannin addition.
At this time of year, I stock up on bags of fresh cranberries, mix up a big batch and freeze meal-sized batches I can use throughout the year. The berries manage freezing very well if carefully packaged. The frozen bags thaw out beautifully, and add a great touch to chicken, fish, or even basic muffins/bread-type loaves. This is now my go-to for dressing up simple meals.
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Kathleen! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
How long can this be stored in the fridge after making?
Hi Kristen! There are notes in the bottom of the recipe card for more storing options. Hope this helps! Store cranberry orange sauce in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.
hi
can i sub cranberry juice for orange juice?
Hi Linda! I’ve never tested this with cranberry juice so I am unsure that would work. The orange juice balances well with the cranberry flavor! If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
I made this for our Thanksgiving, we are excited with the flavor and finally finding a recipe we love to compliment our turkey on Thanksgiving. I have tried many recipes in the past and this is the best!!! You must try!!!
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
If I had known how easy it was to make cranberry sauce, I’d have been making it all along. I never really liked the canned stuff, but this recipe has me licking my fingers and considering not taking it with me to my cousin’s house tomorrow. It will be a huge hit, but I’d like to keep it all to myself! My house smells amazing! I think you could also drizzle this sauce over cheesecake, that would be amazing. Will post the finished product on Instagram. Thanks, Erin!
Hi Judy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I haven’t made this cranberry orange sauce yet, but have a question about the cloves. Are you calling for whole cloves or clove powder? Your recipe calls for 1/8 tsp cloves, but not sure if this means the powder or whole cloves.
Thank you.
Hi Valerie, that would be ground cloves. Hope you enjoy it!
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t to your tastes, Linda. I (and many other readers) have truly enjoyed it, so I wish you would’ve too!
So easy and way better than the canned stuff.
It IS way better! So glad you agree Blake!
This recipe is made with easy to find fresh ingredients in just a little time. I don’t buy canned sauce either! One guest mentioned too much cinnamon for his taste. I did add extra honey but it was still pretty tart.
Thanks for your feedback Joan!
Everyone loved this cranberry sauce, thank you for an amazing simple recipe! (I did add a bit more honey but perfect otherwise)
Hi Nita! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Incredibly simple and delicious! The flavor was wonderful. I made it the day before, which is always a plus. Anything made ahead for Thanksgiving dinner that is fabulous is a win-win. I’ve made a lot of cranberry recipes over the years and this was a favorite
I made this to go on top of a brie pastry appetizer. I looked at the ingredients and it sounded like a winner. I love anything with zest. However for some reason, these ingredients did not taste good together. I always make homemade cranberry sauce and the only thing this recipe had that my recipe doesn’t is cinnamon and instead of honey I use a mix of water and sugar. I omitted cloves because I don’t like them. For some reason the combination of adding the zest of a whole orange, cinnamon, and honey just did not work. I was shocked. It tasted like medicine but less sweet. Such a bummer, because I had such high hopes!
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this Freya. Making any changes to the recipe would result in it tasting differently.
Hi! This is M.C. I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving, and mine turned out VERY tart and sour, but a guy from our church liked it, and the taste made a strong impression to go with all the memories. I spent Thanksgiving night watching vintage commercials and eating this with leftover corn pudding, (a very nostalgic thing to do, even for someone who wasn’t born then). :-)
Hi M.C.! Thanks for the feedback! You can definitely adjust the honey if you need to!
I wanted to make a different cranberry sauce to try this Thanksgiving. This one is fantastic! I doubled it and used a touch of sugar, as I always do. I can’t wait for my family to try it! I love the taste of the orange in it.
So so happy to hear that Ava!
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.
Thanks for sharing Veronica!
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!
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!
Glad you enjoyed it Janina!
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!
Hooray, I am so glad to hear it. Thanks for taking time to share this review!
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!
So happy to hear this was a hit!
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.
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!
That sounds delicious!
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.
Made for Thanksgiving! So easy and delicious.
Fabulous, thanks Mattie!
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!
DELISH! Thanks for sharing Mia!
This was fantastic! A new staple for our Thanksgiving menu.
Love that! Thank you Lisa!
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!
Yay! Thank you Christine!
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!
Great to hear, thank you Katherine!
We absolutely loved it!
This made my day, thank you! xo
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!
So glad to hear! Thank you!
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!
Thanks for the feedback, Kristina!