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This homemade cranberry orange sauce is all natural and uses just 2 ingredients: fresh cranberries and orange juice concentrate. Withno added sugar, this stuffis actually good for you!
Yes, you’ve heard it right – it’s a cranberry sauce with NO ADDED SUGAR! And no artificial sweetener either :) Those artificial sweeteners are full of harmful chemicals that might be actually worse than the sugar, you know!
This amazing cranberry orange sauce is naturally sweetened with the orange juice concentrate. One can of the orange juice concentrate provides just the right amount of sweetness to sweeten the whole batch of this mouthwatering cranberry-orange goodness! And both cranberries and oranges are like powerhouses of nutrition!
I’m so proud to say that I actually invented this recipe! I used the make the cranberry-orange sauce the standard old way, using cranberries, water, orange juice and white sugar. Until one day it dawned on me – why am I putting both orange juice and sugar there when I can use the orange juice concentrate instead, since it’s naturally really sweet? I started searching online to see if anyone has done it and found NOTHING! Some people would sweeten their cranberry sauce with maple syrup or honey, some would use the artificial sweetener, but nobody used the orange juice concentrate! I Googled “cranberry sauce” and “orange juice concentrate” together and combed through the results, and nobody has done it. So if you ever see this recipe on another food blog, that means they are my copycat! :)
After I got the idea of using the orange juice concentrate, the next day I went to the store and got the supplies. When testing this new recipe, I got super lucky and got the quantities right on the first try! This cranberry orange sauce uses 1 bag (12 oz) of fresh cranberries and 1 can (also 12 oz) of frozen orange juice concentrate. One bag andone canis actually the correct ratio that yielded theperfect cranberry orange sauce with just the right amount of sweetness!
If you taste the sauce once it’s done and think you’d prefer it sweeter, feel free to stir ina little sugar to taste. I didn’t need to add any, but I could see how some people would like their cranberry sauce on a sweeter side. It’s totally completely up to you, and the one thing I do know – extra sugar or not, you are going to absolutely love this amazing cranberry-orange sauce – it’s truly delicious!
Cranberry and orange actually make an awesome combo – those foods are made for each other! This delicious sauce looks bright red like a regular cranberry sauce, but you can definitely taste the hint of orange in every spoon! The taste of this sauce is so complex and so delicious, it’s the best cranberry sauce you’ll ever have! You’ll never want to eat the cranberry sauce out of the can ever again!
This cranberry orange sauce is super easy to make. Just dump the cranberries and the orange juice concentrate in a pot, bring to boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Anyone can make this simple recipe! You’ll totally wow everyone with the fact that you made a cranberry sauce from scratch, and wait till you tell them that it’s all natural without any added sugar! Their jaws will drop and rightfully so :) This cranberry orange sauce is a true keeper and is an absolute must on your holiday menu!
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This healthy all-natural cranberry orange sauce has no added sugar! This mouthwatering sauce is using just two simple ingredients - fresh cranberries and orange juice concentrate! The orange juice concentrate gives this sauce a natural sweetness - genius!
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 bag 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 can 12 oz orange juice concentrate
Instructions
Put the cranberries and the orange juice concentrate in a pot. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat.
When the sauce starts boiling, reduce heat to simmer.
Simmer the cranberry orange sauce, stirring every few minutes, for 25 minutes.
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FAQs
The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!
What is the healthiest way to eat cranberries? ›
There are lots of ways to add this fruit to your diet. Some varieties, such as dried cranberries, cranberry juice, and canned cranberry sauce, are available year-round. The healthiest way to enjoy cranberries is to eat them fresh. Raw cranberries take about 16 months to fully mature and are gathered in early fall.
How healthy is canned cranberry sauce? ›
Health Benefits
Cranberries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as the metabolism-boosting mineral manganese. And yes, you reap all these benefits whether the cranberry sauce on your holiday table is homemade or canned, jellied or whole-berry.
How do you make cranberry sauce less sweet? ›
Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a balance of sweet and tart. The sauce acts as a cleansing port in a tumultuous storm of fat and salt, but the effect is lost if the sauce is too sweet. Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid.
Is cranberry sauce good for type 2 diabetes? ›
The Bottom Line. If you have diabetes, you can still enjoy cranberry sauce, but with a few considerations. First, most traditional cranberry sauces have lots of added sugar, so offer to make it yourself for the holiday gathering so you can control how much is added.
Is cranberry sauce good for high blood pressure? ›
According to a recent study, regularly consuming cranberry or cranberry juice reduces high blood pressure and improves blood circulation.
What illness can cranberries prevent? ›
Cranberry is best known for preventing urinary tract infections (UTIs), commonly caused by bacteria known as Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Can you eat cranberries without sugar? ›
Cooked fresh cranberries without sugar can be used in various ways. You can serve them as a side dish, make them into a sauce or relish for savory dishes, use them as a topping for desserts or yogurt, or incorporate them into baked goods such as muffins or bread.
What do cranberries do for your stomach? ›
Stomach health.
Antioxidants in cranberry juice, particularly A-type proanthocyanidins, can help prevent the growth of a bacteria called Helicobacter pylori that causes stomach ulcers. Drinking cranberry juice may help reduce infections of this bacteria.
Can you eat cranberry sauce everyday? ›
Cranberry sauce contains plenty of antioxidants that will help fight off free radicals that try to harm the body. Having regular servings of the stuff, not just on Thanksgiving, can help fight heart disease and worse.
While there are some editors who prefer homemade cranberry sauce, the canned variety also has quite a following. "There's something so beautifully perfect about the texture of canned cranberry sauce, and none of those homemade mess will ever compete," says Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland.
How to make sauce sweeter without sugar? ›
If the reason you're wanting to “sweeten” the sauce is because the tomato is too tart [highly acidic] then a pinch of baking soda should do the trick. Or if you really like your sauce sweet for the sake of sweetness, then add a carrot or bit of sweet potato while it's cooking.
What thickens cranberry sauce? ›
Sugar helps the thickening process, and while it's nice to try to keep your cranberry sauce from being too sugary sweet, you will need at least some sugar to make it work well (about 1/2 cup sugar per 12-ounce bag of cranberries).
Why does my homemade cranberry sauce taste bitter? ›
Dear Evelyn: I had the same problem when I first started making my own cranberry sauce. I found out that you should cook them just until they pop. Further cooking will make them bitter, and once that happens, you need to start again.
What does cranberry sauce do for your body? ›
Needed to protect the body from toxic substances, antioxidants found in healthy foods should be consumed regularly. Cranberry sauce contains plenty of antioxidants that will help fight off free radicals that try to harm the body.
Is homemade cranberry sauce better than canned? ›
Everyone found the biggest difference between the two to be texture; the homemade sauce had a distinct Jell-O springiness. The Health Nut: Store-bought. "The homemade's flavor is a little more mild and the texture more gelatinous, which isn't what I'm looking for in a cranberry sauce." The Foodie: Store-bought.
Is fresh cranberry sauce better than canned? ›
Americans are divided over whether to have fresh or canned cranberry sauce at their Thanksgiving table, according to data from Instacart. By the numbers: Fresh cranberry sauce has a slight edge, winning 26 states to canned cranberries' 24 states.
Is it worth making your own cranberry sauce? ›
Homemade cranberry sauce has bigger, bolder flavor. Canned cranberry sauce often has a fuzzy, muted taste from too much sugar. It doesn't capture the pure tartness of fresh cranberries. When you make it from scratch, you can control how much sugar you put in, or use other sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.
