Easy Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
This delicious, whole-berry 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 berries. Some folks have strong opinions about this, too. I say let the hostess decide. Since I’m cooking this year, we’ll have 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 five simple ingredients:
- Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 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. See the recipe below for details.
Recipe Variations
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!
Easy Orange Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
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
Nutrition
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