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a bowl of cranberry sauce with a spoon next to it to serve.

Cranberry Sauce

Easy homemade Cranberry Sauce made with fresh cranberries and enhanced with fresh orange. A must-have on any Thanksgiving dinner table! Make-ahead up to a week ahead of time.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cranberry, cranberry orange, thanksgiving
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yields: 2 cups
Recipe by Tessa Arias

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, optional
  • 12 ounces (340 grams) fresh or frozen cranberries, (about 3 cups)
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Bring the water, juice, sugar, and zest to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

  2. Reduce the heat to medium, add the cranberries and cinnamon, and simmer until two-thirds of the cranberries have burst and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 to 12 minutes. Taste and season with salt and add more sugar if necessary.

  3. Allow to cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

If using fresh cranberries, rinse them first.

If you don’t have orange juice, use water in its place, too.

You can also add in 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier or triple sec after cooking.