Cranberry Orange Sauce is a homemade cranberry and orange sauce that’s brimming with citrus flavors and warm, cozy sweetness thanks to pure maple syrup.

This cranberry sauce with orange juice, orange zest, and maple syrup calls for just 5 ingredients and takes less than 30 minutes to make. Whip it up early and freeze it for the feast!

A white bowl full of homemade orange cranberry sauce with an orange slice on top on a distressed green and brown background.

Table of Contents

The Story Behind the Recipe

Every year, one of the first things I make for the big Thanksgiving feast is cranberry sauce. For one, I usually like to create a new Thanksgiving recipe or two for here on the blog. 

But also, homemade cranberry sauce freezes perfectly, so it’s a super easy thing to make weeks (or even months!) ahead of time, then I freeze it and forget about until Thanksgiving.

This year, I thought I’d try something a little different – a delicious, maple-sweetened cranberry sauce with orange juice. See, I’ve gotten to the point to where I rarely use granulated sugar any more, instead sweetening my recipes with pure maple syrup or honey. I know that syrup and honey are still sugar – just different kinds of it – but I feel better using more natural forms as opposed to the refined stuff.

A white bowl full of homemade orange cranberry sauce with an orange slice on top on a distressed green and brown background.

Conveniently, pure maple syrup is so quintessentially “fall” that it goes perfectly in a myriad of seasonally appropriate recipes. Like: Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce!

What Does Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce Taste Like?

You actually can’t really taste much of the maple syrup in this recipe – just a hint. Part of the reason is because cranberries have such strong flavor that they overpower any maple subtleties. The other reason is that I use Grade A syrup, which is much lighter than the more-intense and much more flavorful Grade B. So keep that in mind if you make this cranberry sauce recipe.

The orange and the cinnamon, on the other hand, you can definitely taste – though not in an overpowering way. Orange zest and juice highlight the best of the cranberries. Meanwhile, simmering the sauce with a stick of cinnamon adds another festive note.

Ingredients

  • Cranberries – You’ll find them in the produce section of most grocery stores. Tip: Buy them as early as possible! The last couple of years, they’ve sold out in my area. You can even freeze the cranberries ahead of time until you’re ready to make your cranberry and orange sauce.
  • Pure maple syrup – I tend to use Grade A for more subtle maple flavor.
  • Orange juice and zest – The natural sweetness and citrus flavors of orange goes perfectly with cranberries in this orange cranberry sauce recipe. I recommend using a microplane zester to make quick work of zesting your orange. Then just cut it in half and juice it!
  • Water
  • Cinnamon stick – I like how a simmering this orange cranberry sauce with a cinnamon stick adds lovely cinnamon flavor without the grittiness you can get from ground cinnamon.

How to Make Cranberry & Orange Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is SO easy to make! Just add the ingredients to a medium saucepan and simmer until the berries have burst and a thick, rich chunky sauce has formed. Taste and add more sweetener if you like, remove the cinnamon stick, and serve!

Two images showing a saucepan with cranberries being cooked down into cranberry sauce.

Tips for Success

  • Tips for zesting the orange: Use a microplane zester to finely grate off the peel all around the orange. Take care not to take off only the first layer and avoid the white pith (which can make the sauce bitter). If you don’t have a microplane zester, use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel, take off any of the white pith, and mince it finely.
  • Start with 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, then add more at the end of you want more sweetness. Cranberries can vary in tartness/sweetness, so the amount of sweetener can be tricky to dial in exactly in a recipe.

How to Store Cranberry Sauce & Freeze Ahead

Make it now, freeze it for later. That’s the very best thing about homemade cranberry sauce – other than the fact that it tastes incredible, of course!

Just cook it up, let it cool, and put it in an airtight container or storage bag. Store for up to 5 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months (make sure you have a freezer safe container). To thaw, put it in the fridge overnight and it’ll be thawed by morning.

A white bowl full of homemade orange cranberry sauce with an orange slice on top on a distressed green and brown background and a green spoon in it.

I hope this orange cranberry sauce is a hit at your Thanksgiving table! We’ve made this one for years and it’s always a winner.

More Cranberry Sauce Recipes

Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce - This easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe is sweetened with pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Orange and cinnamon lend subtle seasonal flavor without taking over. Make now and freeze for Thanksgiving!
5 from 4 votes

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Author: Kare
Yield: 12
Sweetened with pure maple syrup and flavored with orange zest and juice, this easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe is a wonderful addition to the holiday table! Orange and cinnamon add subtle seasonal flavors that make the cranberries shine.
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cranberries (1 [12-ounce] bag; fresh or frozen )
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup ( + more if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from two or three medium oranges)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cinnamon stick (5-inch or two 3-inch)

Instructions

  • Rinse the cranberries. Discard any mushy or underripe berries and stems. 
  • Place a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and add the cranberries, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice, water, and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling over medium heat until the berries burst and break down, forming a sauce, 15-20 minutes. 
  • Taste for sweetness. If it’s too tart, add more syrup – a tablespoon at a time – until the sauce tastes sweet enough for you. 
  • Remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon into your serving container to serve or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for 3-4 days. You can also freeze your cranberry sauce for up to 2 months – I do this every Thanksgiving! Just place the sauce in an airtight container or zipper freezer bag and transfer to the freezer. Move to the fridge to thaw about 24-48 hours before the big meal.

Notes

Storage/make-ahead:

Make it now, freeze it for later. That’s the very best thing about homemade cranberry sauce – other than the fact that it tastes incredible, of course!
Just cook it up, let it cool, and put it in an airtight container or storage bag. Store for up to 5 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months (make sure you have a freezer safe container). To thaw, put it in the fridge overnight and it’ll be thawed by morning.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1g, Calories: 41kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.004g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 2mg, Potassium: 62mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 38IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.1mg

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