Orange Cranberry Sauce
Homemade orange cranberry sauce beats store-bought every time. Fresh orange zest and juice add bright citrus notes to tart cranberries, creating a simple Thanksgiving side dish that comes together in less than 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold alongside turkey.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh cranberries 12 oz
- 1 orange
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Wash and clean the fresh cranberries. Rinse them thoroughly and remove any bad ones.
- Zest the orange into a sauce pan using a microplane for half of the orange to create fine zest. Zest the other half with a zester to create longer strips for texture.
- Juice the entire orange into a measuring cup. Fill the cup with water up to the 1 cup line. Pour the juice and water mixture into the sauce pan with the zest.
- Measure out 2/3 cup of sugar and add it to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the cranberries to the pan. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer the cranberries for 10-15 minutes until almost all of the cranberries burst open.
- Pour the cranberry sauce into a bowl and cover. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Optional: For smooth jellied cranberry sauce, strain out the cranberry skins after cooking. If you prefer the texture of whole cranberries, skip this step.
Notes
For extra flavor, add a cinnamon stick while simmering. Toasted pecans stirred in before serving are also a delicious addition. This sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.