Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

This year, skip the canned cranberry sauce and make your own at home! This cranberry sauce with cinnamon and orange is super easy and way more flavorful than store bought. It’s fruity, tangy, subtly spiced, and a little citrusy. All you need to make it are a few basic ingredients (a couple fresh ones and some pantry staples you probably already have), 20 minutes, and you’ve got yourself an incredibly tasty addition to your holiday table.

Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

• It’s really, REALLY easy. Making your own cranberry sauce sounds daunting, but it’s actually super easy. All you need to do is put some stuff in a pot, cook it for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, then let it cool down and chill. That’s it. 
• Freshly-made means fresh and bold flavor. Using fresh cranberries and oranges gives this cranberry sauce bright, tart, and citrus notes.
• Doesn’t taste or look like it came from a can. No weird metallic flavors or gelatinous ridges here! If using canned cranberry sauce is your thing, go for it, but we’re much bigger fans of this fresh version. 
• Comes together quickly and can be made ahead of time. If you’ve got 15 to 20 minutes, you can make this cranberry sauce with cinnamon and orange. And if you’re super short on time, cool the sauce in a water bath instead of waiting for it to chill in the fridge (see our tips on how to do that below).

Cranberry Sauce: Canned or Homemade?

Cranberry sauce is a classic, but polarizing, holiday side. Some people stand firmly by canned cranberry sauce, loving the way they can slice it into individual pieces and present it without any fuss and very little preparation. In fact, according to Food & Wine, 76% of Americans buy cranberry sauce. 

Other people are big believers in making the sauce themselves. Making it at home lets you add spices, orange juice, even ginger, all while controlling the sweetness level. We’re on “Team Homemade Cranberry Sauce,” and we believe that if more people knew how easy it is to make, they’d be on that team too.

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

• Cranberries – we’ve only made this with fresh cranberries, but frozen could work too. 
• Orange juice and peel – freshly squeezed orange juice and orange peel add brightness. 
• Sugar – we like to use a mix of granulated sugar for simple sweetness and brown sugar for molasses notes. 
• Cinnamon – a touch of cinnamon adds warmth. 
• Water – a little water helps make this into a sauce.
• Salt – just a pinch for balance.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

1. Add cranberries to a medium pot on the stove.
2. Add the orange juice, water, sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, and salt to the cranberries and mix together. 
3. Turn the heat on to medium and cook until the cranberries pop and get jammy, about 15 to 20 minutes (if they are popping too aggressively, reduce the heat to medium-low or low). Remove from heat.
4. Bring the cranberry sauce to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. It’ll thicken as it cools. Alternatively, you can place the pot in a bowl filled with ice and gently stir it until it cools.

Emily & Rachel’s Tips for Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

• Use freshly squeezed orange juice, if possible. Store bought orange juice tends to be sweeter, and since you’re already adding sugar to this recipe, you don’t need too much extra sweetness.
• Cool the cranberry sauce using an ice bath to make this faster.

• We like our cranberry sauce not too thick but not runny, but if you want a thicker consistency, cook the cranberry sauce longer than stated in this recipe.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

Cranberry sauce is excellent with roast turkey or pork tenderloin. We also like to serve our cranberry sauce with our holiday favorites, like our turkey meatballs or our  bacon wrapped stuffed turkey. For a sweeter option, we love to add a little dollop of this cranberry sauce to breakfast bowls with cottage cheese or plain Greek yogurt and our cranberry orange almond granola.

Store any leftover cranberry sauce in the fridge for 3 to 5 days for best results.

Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon and Orange

This cranberry sauce with cinnamon and orange is super easy and way more flavorful than store bought! It's fruity, tangy, subtly spiced, and a little citrusy, and the perfect side dish for your holiday table.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time:20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy, Fall, Quick, winter

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 to 3 strips orange peel or some zest
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Add cranberries to a medium pot on the stove.
  12 ounces fresh cranberries
• Add the orange juice, water, sugar, orange peel, cinnamon, and salt to the cranberries and mix together.
  ½ cup water, ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 2 to 3 strips orange peel, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, Pinch of salt
• Turn the heat on to medium and cook until the cranberries pop and get jammy, about 15 to 20 minutes (if they are popping too aggressively, reduce the heat to medium-low or low). Remove from heat.
• Bring the cranberry sauce to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. It’ll thicken as it cools. Alternatively, you can place the pot in a bowl filled with ice and gently stir it until it cools.

Final Thoughts

Cranberry sauce with cinnamon and orange is a must for your holiday table. It’s tart, sweet, bright, and a tasty accompaniment to more savory protein options. If you love this recipe, please let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!