Easy Orange Cranberry Sauce 3 Ingredients

Fresh or frozen cranberries are tossed with orange zest and juice and naturally sweetened with maple syrup, then baked (or cooked on the stovetop) until burst and fragrant. The colors alone are mesmerizing, and then there’s the aroma and tart-sweet flavor! It’s the only cranberry sauce you’ll need this holiday season (and beyond). Let us show you how it’s done!

How to Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce

We’re firm believers that fresh is best! If you only know cranberry sauce as a jello-like, super sweet substance that gets ignored at the holiday table, you must give this fresh version a try! It’s a game changer. It starts with fresh or frozen whole unsweetened cranberries. They’re tart, vibrant, and beaming with antioxidants! Maple syrup and orange juice perfectly balance the tartness of the cranberries without the high fructose corn syrup. We dialed the sweetness in to about two-thirds that of your average canned version, but you can use more or less maple syrup to achieve your preferred level of sweetness. We infused it with orange zest because cranberry + orange = made for each other. This recipe can be made in either a baking dish in the oven or in a saucepan on the stovetop. While the oven is our preferred method for best flavor, if your oven is filled with other holiday goodies, the stovetop is great too! Once the cranberries are burst and fragrant, all that’s left is to mash with a potato masher or spoon, or purée into a fine sauce (we prefer some texture!).

How Long Does Cranberry Sauce Last?

Cranberry sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for at least 1 month (without freezer burn).

What To Do With Leftover Cranberry Sauce?

Other than serving cranberry sauce with your favorite Thanksgiving classics, it’s delicious on pancakes (or gluten-free pancakes), cornbread (or gluten-free cornbread), waffles (or gluten-free waffles), crepes, oats, and more! We could also see it working well as a galette filling, or with anything pumpkin (muffins, quick bread, overnight oats, and baked oatmeal are great places to start). We hope you LOVE this orange cranberry sauce! It’s:VibrantFruityNaturally sweetenedCitrusyQuick & easy& SO delicious! It’s begging to be served at your Thanksgiving table with mashed potatoes (Instant Pot or stovetop), Fluffy Vegan Spelt Rolls, 1-Pan Garlicky Green Beans with Slivered Almonds, Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad, Vegan Cornbread Stuffing, Vegan Lentil Nut “Meatloaf”, and Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken.