Name: Cranberry Orange Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
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

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

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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

A saucepan with fresh cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon, and honey

A saucepan with cooked cranberry orange sauce for turkey

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!

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