Ginger Spiced Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange

This homemade cranberry sauce recipe is a holiday favorite. It’s SUPER easy to make this cranberry sauce with orange juice & ginger for a zingy side dish.

Even if you’re a fan of the canned cranberry jelly that graces so many of our holiday tables, try serving this recipe alongside the jellied version. You might just like both!

homemade cranberry sauce in a scalloped glass bowl

We have a holiday tradition at our house. Each family member is asked to “bring” a dish. This way, even if it’s just my immediate family in the house, I don’t end up doing all the cooking.

That just makes sense, right? Four or five years ago, my eldest son (a non-cook, if ever there was one) took it upon himself to figure out how to make his favorite dish — cranberry sauce — from scratch.

fresh cranberries in a metal measuring cup

Ginger orange cranberry sauce 

He created a lower sugar version of a recipe passed along years ago by my friend Rene. It was stellar. He was pleased with himself. And so it became his signature holiday dish. We all love it.

Cranberries are far from local for us — duly noted. But if given the choice between a canned, BPA-laden tradition, or one homemade from the heart, we’ll take this one every time. This homemade cranberry sauce with orange juice and ginger graces our table at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This is truly one of the easiest recipes you can make for your holiday table, and it can be made a few days ahead. It’s a sanity saver, too!

Chunky vs. jellied cranberry sauce

It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about the texture of their cranberry sauce. This recipe starts with fresh, whole cranberries. As they cook, the berries pop and break down, but chunks of berry remain in the sauce. 

If the flavor of a ginger orange cranberry sauce sounds delicious (it is!) but you don’t like the chunks, simply press the cooked sauce through a sieve. 

Related: Christmas Dinner Ideas: Supermarket Products You Can Make at Home

homemade cranberry sauce in a scalloped glass bowl from above

★ Did you make this homemade cranberry sauce recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★

homemade cranberry sauce in a scalloped glass bowl

Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice and Ginger

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This cranberry sauce with orange juice and ginger will rock your holiday table! It's easy to make with just four ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh cranberries, (1-12 ounce bags)
  • 1 cup  granulated organic cane sugar
  • 1 cups orange juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons finely minced ginger

Instructions

  1. Measure all ingredients together into a medium sized saucepan.
  2. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool to room temperature.
  3. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for several days.

Notes

You can make this homemade cranberry sauce recipe a few days before serving it. Allow it to cool before storing in the fridge. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 157Unsaturated Fat: 0gCarbohydrates: 40gSugar: 40g

Did you make this recipe?

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3 half pint jars of cranberry sauce

This cranberry sauce tests with a pH of 3.0 and can be safely canned in a water bath to make a shelf stable product. [How to instructions coming soon!)

This post was originally published in November 2015; it has been updated.

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About the author: Kris Bordessa is an award-winning National Geographic author and a certified Master Food Preserver. Read more about Kris and how she got started with this site here. If you want to send Kris a quick message, you can get in touch here.

2 comments… add one
  • Cindy Fullmer Nov 22, 2018 @ 10:35

    Very good and easy. For a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, I used 3/4 Cups of water, 1/4 Cup of fresh orange juice, 1 Tbs grated orange rind, 1 Cup white sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 thinly slices ginger root and 1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. Combine ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil for 20 minute or until the cranberries have popped. Transfer to a bowl until room temperature. Remove ginger slices. I served it in a glass serving bowl and arranged the cinnamon sticks into a star. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Serves 6-8.

  • Michelle Mar 24, 2018 @ 19:22

    Delicious recipe and simple to make.

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