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This Healthy Cranberry Sauce is easy to make, uses fresh cranberries, fresh orange juice, and honey for the perfect combination of sweet and tart.
I feel like cranberry sauce doesn't get enough love. This homemade cranberry sauce blows canned cranberry sauce out of the water! Once November hits I get super excited for Thanksgiving food. Cranberry sauce and this gluten free cornbread stuffing are my two favorite Thanksgiving dishes. This cranberry sauce brings such a beautiful pop of color to what is usually a fairly beige holiday spread.
What I love about this recipe is it doesn't use refined sugars and is naturally sweetened with orange juice and honey. It only takes 4 simple ingredients and about 10 minutes to make. Since it is so easy to make this is the perfect dish to sign up to bring to a Friendsgiving!
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Ingredients
Substitutions
Honey- You can substitute the honey for maple syrup or coconut sugar. You can make this recipe vegan by using maple syrup or coconut sugar.
Cranberries- You can use frozen cranberries but you will need to let them simmer for a little longer, about 2 minutes longer, since they will release more liquid while cooking
Step by step
- Add the honey and orange juice to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until the honey has dissolved
- Add the fresh cranberries and orange zest to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat
- Lower heat to medium-low and occasionally stir until most of the cranberries have popped
- Let cool for 20-30 minutes then serve
Add ins
There are so many things you can add to this recipe to really take it to the next level and impress all your holiday guests. Here are some great add in's you can try.
- Cinnamon
- A splash of either bourbon, brandy, whiskey, scotch, or amaretto
Freaquently asked questions
To make cranberry sauce less sweet just cut the amount of sugar in the recipe. This recipe isn't overly sweet, but you can use less honey if you would like
Most canned cranberry sauce and homemade cranberry sauce are filled with refined sugar making them not the healthiest. This recipe is naturally sweetened with honey and orange juice making it a lot healthier than the traditional recipes.
Yes! As the cranberry sauce cools it will thicken to a nice jelly like consistency.
Tips
- One of the best things about this cranberry sauce recipe is that you can prepare it a day or two before your holiday get together making it one less thing you have to do the day of
- The best/easiest way to zest the orange is with a microplane
- You can buy your fresh cranberries early and keep them in your fridge for up to four weeks. You can also freeze them for up to a year
Leftovers
If you have leftover cranberry sauce and don't know what to do with it, here are some awesome leftover ideas for you.
- Add to yogurt and top with granola
- Spread onto toast, biscuits, bagels, or English muffins
- Add to oatmeal or overnight oats
- Add a small cube of brie and a dollop of cranberry sauce to the inside of crescent rolls and bake according to the package directions
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Recipe
Healthy Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ cup honey
- zest from one orange
Instructions
- Add orange juice and honey to a medium-low saucepan and cook on low till honey has dissolved
- Once the honey has dissolved, add the cranberries and orange zest
- Bring to a boil then turn the heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes (or until most of the cranberries have burst) stirring occasionally
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