Fresh Cranberry Sauce Made with Orange Juice
This fresh cranberry sauce, made with orange juice, is lower in sugar than many other recipes to let the beautiful sweet-tart flavour of cranberries shine through! Just 3 core ingredients and SO easy to make…comes together in minutes! Enjoy on the holiday table, or on top of yogurt, oatmeal and chia puddings.
I love cranberries. So much so, that I will actually pop frozen whole cranberries like candy. Yes, I know how tart they are but this dietitian eats those sour nuclear waste candies for kicks so it makes sense.
The holidays are prime cranberry season…but why not eat them all winter long? This fresh cranberry sauce, made with orange juice, is totally at home on the holiday table but also makes a great addition to so many other dishes, from oatmeal to overnight oats, or even spooned over a thick piece of sourdough toast.
This vanilla-scented cranberry sauce is one of those sneaky nutrient-dense foods that people eat all the time, without realizing that it’s super good for you! It’s rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound.
I’ve been making this homemade cranberry sauce for my family for years and I still can’t get enough of it. And if you’re looking for more delicious, nourishing plant-based recipes, pick up a copy of Good For Your Gut cookbook!
How to make a lower sugar fresh cranberry sauce at home
Making fresh cranberry sauce is so simple, you almost don’t need a recipe! With just 5 ingredients, and less than 30 minutes of cooking time, you’ll have fragrant, sweet-tart cranberry sauce that will make anything else you’re serving even more delicious.
The orange juice acts as a nourishing sweetener here…the cranberry sauce won’t really taste like orange. Want to boost it? Add the zest of an orange at the end of cooking.
Feel free to make this one your own: ditch the vanilla if you like. Add a little bit of fresh grated ginger if you prefer!
Because this cranberry sauce is lower sugar, the pectin in cranberries won’t gel as tightly as a traditional sauce…but it will be thick. To optimize gelling, don’t refrigerate the sauce until totally at room temperature!
Got leftovers of this delicious fresh cranberry sauce? Use it as a topping for hot oatmeal, chia pudding or overnight oats. You can spoon it onto a graze board with vegan cheese, crackers and nuts. Or, spoon it onto a thick piece of sourdough toast topped with protein-packed tofu ricotta. Or turn that into a canapé!
More essential holiday recipes:
- Vegan Mushroom Gravy
- Vegan Whole Grain Stuffing with Kale + Pecans
- Baked Vegan Wellington with French Lentils
- Creamy White Bean and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Sautéed Green Beans with Dijon Butter
Fresh Cranberry Sauce Made with Orange Juice
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (2 1/2 cups), if using a standard 12 oz/340g bag see note below!
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, not from concentrate
- 1 – 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, sliding scale of tart to pleasantly sweet-tart
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a full boil on medium for 5 minutes, stirring often, to help break down the cranberries.
- Reduce temperature to medium low and maintain a simmer until sauce is thickened up, stirring occasionally, takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Sauce will thicken further as it cools to a loose jam consistency. Remove cinnamon stick and serve room temperature or chilled.
- Recipe makes about 1 ½ cups (375 mL). Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the fridge.
8 Comments on “Fresh Cranberry Sauce Made with Orange Juice”
We have made this cranberry sauce every thanksgiving and Christmas for the last several years. On the table again this year. Thanks so much! We use 3 table spoons of honey or maple syrup and I puree a whole orange (pealed) – using enough orange until I have a cup of liquid (topping up with a little water if needed). That way we get the goodness/fiber from all of the orange – except the peal of course.
Oh I love that idea to do a blended orange, and Jann you for sharing it!!
This is just the recipe I was looking for, Desiree! Lovely and tart. (I plan to put it in two serving bowls and add a drizzle of Triple Sec to the adults’ bowl.) Thank you.
Oh now THAT’S a fun way to dress up cranberry sauce… well done!
I’ve never really liked cranberry sauce before but this was amazing— made me a convert! Thank you!
Hi Gail, I am SO glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating and comment 🙂
Just wondering this works without the orange juice? We actually don’t have any juice in our home right now and are out of oranges… curious to hear what you think may work instead or if I can simply leave it out. Thanks in advance!!
It totally works without it! Substitute water and then add maple syrup to taste.