Easy Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

This delicious whole berry easy orange cinnamon cranberry sauce recipe uses maple syrup instead of sugar and takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

Some folks are serious about their cranberry sauce. I forgot to serve it for Thanksgiving one year and, based on my sister’s reaction, you’d think I’d committed a mortal sin. I now dutifully supply cranberry sauce each holiday, whether I’m the one cooking or not.

Here’s another confession; I usually grab the canned stuff. Then the only real challenge is choosing between jellied and whole berry. Some folks have strong opinions about this too. I say let the hostess decide. Since I’m cooking this year, we’ll be having this easy orange cinnamon cranberry sauce.

Yes, I’m foregoing the can in favor of this healthier whole berry recipe. And truth be told, homemade cranberry sauce is REALLY EASY.

5 Simple Ingredients

This recipe calls for 5 simple ingredients:

• Cranberries
• Water
• Maple syrup
• Grated orange rind
• Cinnamon

All you do is bring the water and syrup to a boil, add the cranberries, simmer for a bit, stir in the spices, cool and voila – you have cranberry sauce. It doesn’t get much easier.

Options

The great thing about making your own sauce is you can experiment with different spices and flavors. I love the combo of zesty flavors in this easy orange cinnamon cranberry sauce.

You could also try adding apples, raisins or even a pinch of cayenne pepper!

Tip

I use this microplane zester/grater for the grated orange rind. It makes grating citrus rinds, ginger and more a snap!

📖 Recipe

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Easy Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce

This delicious whole berry recipe uses maple syrup instead of sugar and takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries rinsed and drained (thaw if using frozen)
• ¾ cup water
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. grated orange rind
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Add water and maple syrup to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Add cranberries, reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 5 minutes. (Cranberries should be softened and begin to split open.)
• Remove from heat and stir in orange rind and ground cinnamon.
• Transfer sauce to a bowl, cover and cool at room temperature. (Sauce will thicken as it cools.)
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce. Serving size is ¼ cup.

Nutrition information is a rough estimate per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg