Brown Sugar Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe is an easy homemade cranberry sauce. Fresh cranberries simmer with brown sugar for a depth of flavor and orange zest lends a hint of citrus.
It's so easy to make your own homemade cranberry sauce that you'll never want to buy that canned stuff again!
Just three ingredients plus water!
Jump to:
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- How to make homemade cranberry sauce
- Cranberry FAQ’s
- Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Substitutions
- Equipment
- Variations
- How long does homemade cranberry sauce last?
- How to store cranberry sauce
- Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
- Holiday Recipes
- Recipes With Cranberries
- Ingredients
- Related Recipes
- Brown Sugar Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce with orange juice and brown sugar. So simple and it just doesn’t get much more delicious than that!
Simply simmer fresh cranberries with a bit of water and brown sugar then stir in fresh orange zest for a bright citrus flavor. That's it!
Homemade cranberry sauce with orange is a pure clean cranberry sauce that you made yourself in a matter of minutes with all natural ingredients.
Dark brown sugar adds a depth of sweetness and orange zest adds citrus notes and brightens up our cranberry sauce with orange juice.
Want even more depth of flavor? Make our cranberry sauce with port.
Yes, a splash, about ¼ cup, of port wine cooked along with the cranberries will lend an added layer of flavor to your fresh cranberry relish.
Whether you call it cranberry sauce or cranberry relish, this is definitely an easy recipe for cranberry relish and cranberry sauce too!
So delicious and oh so easy to make, you'll wonder why you haven't made our easy recipe for orange cranberry sauce before!
And in case you're wondering, can you use frozen cranberries for cranberry sauce, we've got that covered for you!
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How to make homemade cranberry sauce
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below for the complete brown sugar cranberry sauce recipe
- Combine the fresh cranberries, brown sugar and water in a medium saucepot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.
- Refrigerate until chilled.
Cranberry FAQ’s
Are you curious about that bag of fresh cranberries with the gorgeous ruby color? Well then, here are some fun facts about that little cranberry from Ocean Spray:
- Legend has it that the Pilgrims served cranberries at the first Thanksgiving dinner in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- The cranberry is one of only three native fruits cultivated in North America. Others are the blueberry and the Concord grape.
- Cranberries bounce because they have small pockets of air inside of them. This air also makes them float in water so they are easy to harvest in water.
- Americans eat a total of about 400 pounds of cranberries each year. About twenty percent of the cranberries are eaten during the week of Thanksgiving!
How many cranberries are in one pound?
- There are about 450 cranberries in a pound.
How much does a barrel of cranberries weigh?
- A barrel of cranberries weighs 100 pounds.
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Add port wine
- Stir in lemon zest too!
- Add a touch of orange brandy, about ¼ cup
- Make with lime zest for a cranberry lime sauce
- Refrigerate your homemade cranberry relish and serve chilled
Substitutions
- Replace the water with orange juice for a boost of citrus flavor
- Use light brown sugar in place of the dark brown sugar
- Substitute granulated sugar for the dark brown sugar
Equipment
Variations
- Add toasted chopped walnuts for a cranberry sauce with orange and walnuts
- Stir in lime zest for a cranberry lime sauce
- Add minced candied ginger for a ginger cranberry sauce
- Stir in 100% pure maple syrup for a maple cranberry sauce
- Add chopped apples and/or pears
How long does homemade cranberry sauce last?
Believe it or not, if stored properly in a covered container, your homemade cranberry sauce will last about 10-14 days in the refrigerator.
How to store cranberry sauce
Homemade cranberry sauce should be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
You absolutely can freeze homemade cranberry sauce. Be sure to let your cranberry relish come to room temperature first. Then put it in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and seal.
Holiday Recipes
Recipes With Cranberries
- Cranberry Salad Dressing
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Baked Brie With Cranberries
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Bread from Restless Chipotle
- Cranberry Winter Fruit Salad from One Hot Oven
Ingredients
Ingredients Ingredients for homemade cranberry relish:
- fresh cranberries
- dark brown sugar
- water
- orange zest
Related Recipes
You’ll need some delicious side dishes to go along with your cranberry sauce and turkey. Here you go!
You can take your salad to a new level with Pomegranate Apple Mixed Greens With Walnut-Crusted Goat Cheese! Greens are lightly tossed in a perfectly balanced Pomegranate Vinaigrette and topped with apple slices, pomegranate arils and fancy goat cheese rounds.
Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without potatoes! Panko Garlic Mashed Potatoes combine buttery creaminess with the perfect crunchy topping of panko breadcrumbs, parsley and butter!
Smashed Brussels Sprouts With Crispy Prosciutto will be your new go-to side dish recipe for special occasions! Smashed sprouts are roasted with two cheeses and then topped with crispy prosciutto for the ultimate side dish recipe!
But don't forget the sweet potatoes! Pecan Crumb Sweet Potatoes are so decadent that every mouthful is filled with creamy sweet potatoes and buttery cinnamon crumbs…..the perfect combination of a side dish and a dessert!
Brown Sugar Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
- 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
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Instructions
- Combine fresh cranberries, brown sugar and water in saucepot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until cranberries have popped and mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in orange zest.
- Refrigerate until chilled.
Notes
- Add port wine
- Stir in lemon zest too!
- Add a touch of orange brandy, about ¼ cup
- Make with lime zest for a cranberry lime sauce
- Refrigerate your homemade cranberry relish and serve chilled
- Replace the water with orange juice for a boost of citrus flavor
- Use light brown sugar in place of the dark brown sugar
- Substitute granulated sugar for the dark brown sugar
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing sauce recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I love the idea of simmering the cranberries in brown sugar! Sounds delicious! Can't wait to give this recipe a try!