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Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice Perfected

Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice Close-up of thick, glossy cranberry sauce with vibrant orange zest served in a white bowl

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A simple cranberry sauce recipe with fresh orange juice and zest, featuring a thick, glossy texture and a bright citrus flavor perfect for holiday meals.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ounce cranberries, rinsed
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Read before you begin: You need fresh orange juice and orange zest. I recommend zesting the orange first, setting the zest aside, then cutting the orange for the juice. (Harder to zest a cut orange!) You need about half of a large orange for 1/4 cup juice. Juice the other half of the orange if you need more to yield 1/4 cup.
  2. After rinsing the cranberries, set 1/2 cup cranberries aside. You will stir these in at the end for extra texture.
  3. Combine the remaining cranberries, water, orange juice, and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the mixture comes to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low-medium. While stirring occasionally, continue to cook until liquid has reduced and cranberries have burst and thickened, about 15 more minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup reserved cranberries, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
  5. Sauce is excellent served warm or at room temperature. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • Zest your orange before juicing it to make the process much easier. A microplane grater works best for capturing the flavorful oils.
  • Keep the sauce covered tightly to prevent it from absorbing other refrigerator odors. This preserves the delicate citrus aroma.

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