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Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce

Fresh cranberry orange sauce with a quick simmer that bursts most berries, then gets bright citrus from orange zest and segments. Chunky, glossy, and spoonable—made for easy chilling and serving.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cranberry
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
sweetener and citrus juice
  • 0.75 cup sugar
  • 1 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
orange segments
  • 1 orange peeled and segmented
seasoning
  • 0.06 tsp salt pinch

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Boil the base
  1. Bring sugar and fresh orange juice to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Look for a rolling boil that keeps bubbling across the surface.
  2. Add fresh cranberries and salt to the saucepan. Stir to coat the berries and return to a boil before reducing heat.
  3. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most berries burst and the mixture looks thickened. Keep the simmer steady, not a hard boil.
Finish with citrus
  1. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in orange zest. The sauce should smell strongly citrusy right away.
  2. Cool slightly, about 5 minutes, so the sauce isn’t too hot to handle. It should be warm but not actively steaming.
  3. Gently fold in the orange segments until evenly distributed. Stop stirring as soon as the segments are coated to avoid breaking them.
Chill and serve
  1. Chill the cranberry orange sauce until serving. The texture should thicken as it cools.

Notes

Pro tip: For the chunkiest texture, simmer just until most berries have popped—aim for a mix of burst and intact cranberries. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months (texture may soften slightly on thawing). For a lower-sugar option, substitute sugar with an equal-measure non-sweetener-style granulated alternative designed for cooking to keep the simmer consistency.