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    Home » Thanksgiving

    November 9, 2022 American Recipes

    Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce (3 Ingredients)

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This 3 ingredient homemade cranberry orange sauce is so easy to make! It has the perfect balance of sweet and tart and is extra special from the addition of orange juice!

    I love to try out new recipes for the holidays. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I sometimes try different cranberry recipes, but this Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce is one I have made for many years.

    This delicious cranberry sauce is naturally gluten-free.

    Originally posted on November 2018 and updated for content on November 2022. I love to try out new recipes for the holidays. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.

    I sometimes try different cranberry recipes, but this Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce is one I have made for many years.

    It truly does not take too much effort to make your own fantastic cranberry sauce. As soon as I find cranberries in the store, I start to make cranberry sauce and we eat it even with baked chicken.

    Why you'll love this orange cranberry sauce recipe?

    • It's so easy to make with just 3 basic ingredients
    • Takes less than 15 minutes!
    • Much tastier than the canned cranberry sauce
    • Easy Thanksgiving side dish
    overhead image of cranberry orange sauce

    Ingredients you need to make this homemade cranberry sauce

    • Cranberries: I like to use fresh cranberries, but frozen will work too
    • Orange: You'll need the juice and zest of one orange
    • Sugar: I like to use white sugar, but you could also use brown sugar
    cranberry sauce homemade

    How to make homemade cranberry orange sauce?

    Step 1: Gather ingredients

    ingredients of cranberry sauce

    Step 2: In a medium sized bowl, rinse the cranberries with cool water, and remove any stems or blemished berries. Drain the cranberries in a colander.

    Step 3: Heat orange juice and sugar to boiling in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

    cranberry cooking

    Step 4: Stir in cranberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop.

    Step 5: Simmer for about 20 minutes.

    Step 6: Pour sauce into bowl or container.

    Before serving, add on the orange zest and orange slices. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled.

    cranberry sauce close up

    How to serve this cranberry sauce

    I like to put this homemade cranberry sauce on sandwiches. I bake a cranberry coffee cake. It is used in so many ways!! It’s even used as a sauce on these slow roasted turkey wings (so good!!).

    Do Italians Celebrate Thanksgiving?

    There is a Harvest Festival that is celebrated in some parts of Italy. It’s mostly celebrated during September and that’s when they are thanking God for their successful harvest season.

    If you happen to be in Italy during Thanksgiving, or you are an expat living there, you will feel sentimental during this very American holiday. Even though it’s not an Italian holiday, it has become part of the lives of the Italian immigrants that settled in America (like my dad and my husband) and they celebrate it.

    What do Italians eat on Thanksgiving?

    When I was growing up, the big Thanksgiving feast sometimes started with a simple broth and pastina. We would then move on to various antipasto dishes and cold cuts. It’s the perfect thing to snack on while everyone is hungrily awaiting the turkey to finish roasting.

    When you are finished snacking on the antipasti it’s time to move on to the lasagna (yes, pasta!) or even ravioli (I know so many Italian American families whose aunts or grandmothers make ravioli for Thanksgiving in the States).

    Is there truly room for turkey after all of this food? Of course!! Yes, Italians are sometimes a little overzealous with food proportions!

    Italian Thanksgiving Terms

    Here are some Italian words to impress your friends either in the States or in Italy on this big holiday!

    • tacchino ripieno del Ringraziamento= stuffed turkey
    • whole turkey = un tacchino intero
    • turkey breast = petto di tacchino
    • cranberries = mirtilli rossi
    • sweet potatoes = patate dolci
    • pumpkin = zucca
    • turkey breast = petto di tacchino
    • stuffing=ripieno
    • mashed potatoes = purè di patate
    cranberry sauce fresh

    Recipe FAQ's

    Is cranberry sauce served cold or warm?

    I prefer my cranberry sauce when it has cooled down from cooking (room temperature). It is even wonderful when you serve it cold. Some may even enjoy it warm right after it has cooked and cooled a little bit. You can serve and enjoy your cranberry sauce the way you like it.

    Can cranberry sauce be made ahead of time and frozen?

    That is a good question! Since it holds well in the refrigerator, I would make it even 7 days in advance and not recommend freezing. Make sure you cool it to room temperature before putting in the refrigerator.

    You could freeze the actual cranberries even a month before and take them out when you’re ready to cook them.

    Why is this cranberry sauce good with orange?

    My mom used to serve Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce for Thanksgiving and that’s when I started it making it this way (it’s been a recipe I prefer since my college days!).

    When you add sweet orange juice, the citrus pairs so nicely with the tart cranberries.

    I make my cranberry sauce a little less sugar than I see most other recipes. Feel free to add more or less sugar to your liking. You could even sub in maple syrup instead of sugar (I sometimes do that and it’s also delicious like that).

    Make the cranberry sauce even 3 days ahead of Thanksgiving. This will save you from one more thing to do and take some stress away!

    Some other recipes to enjoy:

    Slow Roasted Turkey Wings

    Vegan Cranberry Coffee Cake

    Cranberry Meringue Pie

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below:)

    Please Subscribe and give a follow on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok xx

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    5 from 1 vote

    Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce

    This 3 ingredients cranberry sauce is so easy to make! It has the perfect balance of sweet and tart and is extra special from the addition of orange juice!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Dinner
    Keyword: cranberries, Thanksgiving, vegan
    Servings: 6
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces of fresh cranberries 2 cups
    • 1 cup of sugar
    • 3/4 cup of orange juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon orange zest to garnish
    • orange slices to garnish

    Instructions

    • In a medium sized bowl, rinse the cranberries with cool water, and remove any stems or blemished berries. Drain the cranberries in a colander.
    • Heat orange juice and sugar to boiling in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
    • Stir in cranberries. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Don't worry if every single cranberry does not completely pop. Pour sauce into bowl or container. Before serving, add on the orange zest and orange slices. Refrigerate about 3 hours or until chilled.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!
    « Easy Recipe for Turkey Stock (Homemade)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allison Mattina says

      November 15, 2018 at 5:44 pm

      Homemade cranberry sauce is the best! Looking forward to trying your recipe.

      Reply
    2. Chrissie Baker says

      November 15, 2018 at 6:15 pm

      This cranberry sauce look absolutely amazing! I LOVE how easy and delicious this is! Good idea! Looks very tasty! I am going to make this! This recipe really impresses!

      Reply
    3. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

      November 16, 2018 at 5:01 pm

      This looks really amazing! Sounds easy to make, too!

      Reply
    4. Gust și Aromă Moldavia says

      November 16, 2018 at 6:23 pm

      There is no Thanksgiving in our house without this sauce. This one looks fabulous!

      Reply
    5. jen vinuya says

      November 26, 2018 at 8:29 pm

      I love that you added orange! Love the flavor combination!

      Reply
    6. bella says

      November 09, 2022 at 8:48 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious, just made it tonight came out very flavorful.

      Reply

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    lora and gabby

    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

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