Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest
Make this classic, sweet and tart homemade cranberry sauce in 15 minutes. This simple recipe uses fresh cranberries and orange zest to complement your holiday turkey or ham.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 20 min
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop Simmering
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Rinse the fresh cranberries under cold water and pick out any soft berries.
- Combine the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely. This creates the simple syrup.
- Add the rinsed cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest to the saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the ground cinnamon.
- Allow the sauce to cool for at least 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a serving dish. You can serve it warm or chilled.
Notes
- You can make this cranberry sauce up to one week ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator.
- For a thicker sauce, simmer for an extra 2 to 3 minutes. For a thinner sauce, add a tablespoon of water while simmering.
- This recipe yields a sauce that balances sweet and tart flavors, similar to recipes praised for holiday meals.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 0.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg