Orange juice with cranberry sauce

Why make cranberry sauce with orange juice?

Cranberries are popular around Christmas time in the UK and around Thanksgiving time in the US. No matter what time of year you like to eat cranberries, they are delicious in sauces.Cranberry Bread and Scones😉) Adding orange juice makes it even more delicious – a match made in heaven.

If you like your cranberries sweet and sour, these berries are for you. They’re just as tart as lemons, which is why most people can’t eat them without sugar. Orange juice has enough sweetness to complement the sugar, turning cranberries into a versatile homemade sauce that brightens up any dinner table.

Recipe Ingredients

1. cranberry – Fresh cranberries are great, but frozen ones work fine too, and they’re easy to find out of season.
2. sugar – Granulated and brown sugars will help balance the tartness of the cranberries. Honey, agave syrup, and maple syrup are good, healthier sugar substitutes, but they have slightly different flavors and viscosities.
3. orange – This cranberry sauce recipe is perfect with orange juice and orange zest. Using orange juice instead of water will give it more of that orange flavor.
4. spices – Orange juice and cinnamon make this cranberry sauce special for the holiday season. Ground nutmeg adds extra holiday spice. Vanilla extract It adds a luxurious aroma. Use a cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon and extinguish it before it cools.
5. Grand Marnier It’s optional, but works just as well as orange extract: add a teaspoon of orange extract to orange liqueur or vodka and it will do the trick.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

• mix Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Add the cranberries and heat over medium heat until boiling. (Photo 1)
• Cooking – Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to pop. Keep stirring and mash a few berries with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, until most of the berries have opened and the sauce has thickened. (Photo 2)
• Finishing touches – Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat. Add vanilla extract and Grand Marnier if desired. Adjust the consistency with 1 or more tablespoons of water and cool completely before storing the cranberry sauce in a glass jar. Note that it will thicken as it cools.

Recipe Variations

1. Low Carb, No Sugar – Sweeten with erythritol, monk fruit, and sucralose. No guilt involved! For a sugar-free version, you can also use honey or agave syrup.
2. hard – Add some finely chopped habanero or jalapeno to the sauce for a Mexican twist.
3. Cranberry SwapRoselle calyxes have a pleasant tart flavor and color similar to cranberries, so if you live in an area where roselle is readily available, you can use an equal amount of chopped hibiscus calyx in place of the cranberries.

Notes and Tips

1. If the sauce is bitter, add a bit more sugar and a pinch of salt.
2. A lot of sugar is needed to counter the tartness of the cranberries. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in a teaspoon of water or orange juice to thin it out.
3. If it’s too watery, simmer until reduced or add cornstarch slurry to get the right consistency.
4. Easy way to make brown sugar: Make brown sugar by mixing 1 tablespoon of molasses with 1 cup of white sugar.

Advance preparation and storage methods

You can make this a day or more in advance. Bring it to room temperature and store it in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the cranberry sauce for up to 6 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and it’s ready to eat.

What to serve with cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving

1. Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
2. Smoked Turkey
3. Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham
4. Spiced Roast Turkey
5. Slow Cooker Ham
6. Freshly fried turkey

Flavorful Sauce Recipes to Try

1. Periperi sauce
2. Homemade barbecue sauce
3. Remoulade sauce
4. Easy to make homemade pizza sauce
5. Tartar sauce

This blog post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos.