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Glossy homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest in a glass jar on a marble counter

Easy Cranberry Sauce With Orange That Thickens Perfectly

A tart, glossy cranberry sauce with whole berries, fresh orange juice, and orange zest. It cooks in 15 minutes and sets as it cools.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 103
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries one standard bag, about 3 1/2 cups, rinsed, or frozen cranberries straight from the freezer
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar or 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar for a deeper, caramel note
  • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice from 2 to 3 medium oranges; bottled juice works, or use water for a classic version
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest from one of those oranges; 1 teaspoon lemon zest works in a pinch
  • 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt use 1/16 teaspoon table salt if that is what you have

Equipment

  • Heavy 3-quart saucepan
  • Rubber spatula
  • Microplane zester
  • 1-quart glass jar with a lid
  • Potato masher (optional)

Method
 

  1. Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture reaches a boil and no sugar crystals remain on the bottom of the pan.
  2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Pops start after about 5 minutes, and most of the berries should have burst with the liquid looking glossy.
  3. Press 6 to 8 berries against the side of the pan with the back of a spoon, then stir them in. The surface should look thick and jammy, with a mix of whole and broken berries.
  4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the orange zest. The sauce should drip slowly from a spoon and look thinner than the final result.
  5. Let the sauce cool in the pan on the counter for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway. The sauce should look noticeably thicker, and the pan should feel barely warm.
  6. Spoon the sauce into the jar, cover it, and refrigerate at 40°F or below for at least 2 hours. A spoon dragged across the surface should leave a trail that fills in slowly.

Notes

Frozen cranberries go in straight from the freezer and may burst a couple of minutes later than fresh ones.
The sauce thickens as it cools, so judge the texture after chilling, not while it is hot.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 10 days at 40°F or below, or freeze up to 3 months.