Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice Recipe

This is the best homemade cranberry sauce with orange juice and so much texture! The best part is that it’s made with just a few ingredients and that it’ll be the most low-maintenance side dish to make an appearance on your Thanksgiving dinner table. Make it the day ahead and pull it out when dinner is ready!

Original post: November 2016 | Updated: November 2022 and November 2024

Why This Recipe Works

• The orange flavor makes this recipe unique and oh so delicious.
• Made with just a few simple ingredients, it’s the easiest, most low-maintenance recipe that’ll don your holiday table. Make it the day ahead and pull it out when dinner is set!
• Amidst the steaming hot turkey and gravy, succulent asparagus and piles of fluffy mashed potatoes, my boys ask for this delicious sauce!
• This is a massive step up from the canned stuff. Tart cranberries combined with sweetness from the sugar and orange juice is the perfect delicious match.
• Make this fresh cranberry sauce for your next holiday dinner and I promise you will get tons of rave reviews.

Recipe Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

Orange juice – Buy the variety you’ll most enjoy adding to a mimosa on Thanksgiving morning! Or consider starting with fresh oranges to create freshly squeezed orange juice for an extra fresh side dish.

Sugar – Granulated sugar is typically used for this recipe, but swap part or all for brown sugar for a yummy twist! Adjust sweetness by using more or less of this ingredient. You can also replace a portion of the sugar with pure maple syrup, honey or agave nectar.

Cranberries – Fresh cranberries are only available during the few months leading up to the holidays, but they freeze really well so grab an extra bag of cranberries for a future holiday!

Cinnamon and nutmeg – This powerhouse combo of delicious spices will spruce up this easy recipe. Consider adding a cinnamon stick to the pan while cooking for an extra cinnamon punch of flavor.

How To Make Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice 

Step 1

Pour 1 cup fresh orange juice into a medium saucepan over high heat and add 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil on the stove top, stirring occasionally.

Add the cranberries to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer at medium-low for 10 minutes or until cranberries start to burst.

Step 2

Add 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Remove from the heat and let cool completely to room temperature. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed into the top of the mixture. Transfer to a serving dish when dinner is ready!

Recipe Tip: Making cranberry sauce in your Instant Pot is super easy, too!

Recipe Notes

• For added freshness, stir in 1 teaspoon of orange zest after removing the orange juice cranberry sauce from heat. 
• Replace fresh cranberries with frozen cranberries, if needed. 
• This side dish is 100% gluten free! 
• For extra flavor, consider adding a couple vanilla beans or a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the mixture before boiling. 
• When storing homemade cranberry orange sauce, press plastic wrap directly onto its surface before refrigerating. This will prevent a film from forming on the surface and it will keep the sauce fresh. 
• Use a potato masher or immersion blender for a smooth sauce.

When Can You Buy Fresh Cranberries

Fresh cranberries are only harvested in the fall and are typically sold in grocery stores from about September through December each year in the United States. Thankfully they can be frozen for up to 1 year, so buy an extra bag and freeze it for next year!

Can You Freeze Fresh Cranberries

Place cranberries directly in the freezer (still in the bags they came in from the grocery store) for up to one year. Let them sit at room temperature until thawed before using them. Alternatively, you can rinse them first, then transfer to a resealable heavy duty bag to store in the freezer.

How Long Does Cranberry Sauce Last

When stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator, homemade cranberry sauce will last up to 10 days.

How To Freeze Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce freezes well! Transfer it to an airtight container or freezer ziploc bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. When ready to defrost, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

What To Do With Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Just because Thanksgiving day is done, it doesn’t mean your leftovers need to be! There are ways to repurpose this delicious, red sweet sauce. Here are a few suggestions:

• Throw it into a Thanksgiving Leftovers Stromboli. This is a favorite in our house! 
• Smear it over a few slices of turkey.
• Use the leftover sauce as cranberry relish on just about anything, including dinner rolls, pork, waffles or chicken.
• Build a Thanksgiving leftovers grilled cheese.
• Use as a spread on leftover turkey sandwiches.
• Use it as a sauce for your next sweet pizza, maybe with brie cheese, pear slices and honey. 
• Replace it with the jelly in this Crockpot Meatballs recipe. 

Mac and Cheese Recipes for Thanksgiving

Mac and cheese is a Thanksgiving staple! Read on for some scrumptious mac and cheese recipes for Thanksgiving that you can make this year! You’ll find a ton of options to choose from in this roundup.

Best Thanksgiving Recipes

• This is my Mom’s Mashed Potatoes recipe and it is the best potato recipe ever. Great with any main dish, any time of year. You’ll never need another mashed potato recipe again!
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes are the perfect side dish to sit next to your Thanksgiving turkey.
• This Classic Sweet Potato Casserole is great on your Thanksgiving table and also a perfect side dish that can be enjoyed any time of the year.
• Throw just a few ingredients in your slow cooker to create crockpot green bean casserole. 
• This delicious Crockpot Stuffing with Leeks and Sausage is made easier in a slow cooker! The addition of leeks and sausage makes it unique and delicious. 
• If you really love having low carb options at your table, try this Cauliflower Stuffing recipe! It’s an easy, healthy side dish for your next holiday meal.

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