Best Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice (No Refined Sugar)
Year after year, the memory of standing by an oven stirring this cranberry sauce with orange juice gets deeper and deeper into my brain.
Holiday season means many things to many people, and to most of us (very much me) there is a distinct association of this time of year with delicious food. Savory turkeys and hams, rich, flavorful stuffing and creamy mashed potatoes. And what can absolutely make or break a good meal is the sauce.
Enter cranberry sauce with orange juice.
Though some like to keep things traditional (no orange), I don’t see anything wrong in amplifying flavor and adding a little fun to the classics.
Cranberry sauce is tasty almost no matter what. Tart, sweet. From the stove or from a can. Made with fresh berries, made with frozen berries.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a cranberry sauce where I thought “Ugh, that was terrible.”
So I think it’s an okay sauce to play around with. Some might even call it forgiving. Not a science, but an art. And that’s my favorite way to cook.
What is Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Cranberry sauce with orange juice is exactly what it sounds like: making regular cranberry sauce but adding some orange juice.
The OJ acts a little like a sweetener, too. But mostly, it just adds a nice complexity and depth of flavor.
Cranberry Sauce With Less Sugar
To make cranberry sauce with less sugar, I actually eliminate refined sugar altogether.
There are several ways to replace sugar in cranberry sauce: honey, maple syrup, or (the most “whole” way) dates.
I make a date paste for this recipe by blending 15-20 dates in a food processor (pre-soaking in hot water helps).
Using date paste is no different from using any other type of sweetener. Simply add it when you add everything else to the pot.
As mentioned above, orange juice adds a touch of sweetness, too – depending on how sweet your orange is (or store-bought juice, which is fine, too).
The other alternative, which is admittedly much easier if you don’t have date paste already made, is to use maple syrup. I’m a big fan of maple syrup, as it’s still a whole food ingredient, and it’s easy to just grab from the fridge.
Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
To make cranberry sauce with orange juice, you will need:
- 12oz cranberries
- 1 ripe orange (or ½ cup store-bought orange juice)
- 2 cups date paste OR ½ cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Cranberries?
The easy answer to fresh or frozen cranberries is… either! It doesn’t matter. Both fresh and frozen cranberries taste the same after a few minutes of boiling on the stovetop.
Health Benefits of Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Cranberries: Fresh or dried, cranberries provide your recommended dose of vitamin C in one serving! They are known for their bladder-healing capabilities, as anyone who has had a UTI can attest to. Don’t forget, they also provide dietary fiber.
Oranges: Natural compounds in citrus fruit known as liminoids have been proven to protect against a variety of cancers. Known for their immune-boosting vitamin C content, oranges are also high in flavonoids that lower inflammation and blood pressure.
Dates: High in copper, iron and vitamin B6 (the mood stabilizing vitamin), dates are a delicious natural sweetener and a hefty source of fiber. Dates also have one of the highest levels of antioxidants compared to other dried fruit. As anyone who has been pregnant knows, dates are commonly suggested to induce natural and easy labor, and are also recommended for postpartum healing.
OR
Maple Syrup: Surprisingly high in calcium, potassium and magnesium, maple syrup also has antioxidants to keep you looking and feeling young. Though it is comparable in sugar to other sweeteners, being in its natural form it provides way more nutrition than processed refined sugar.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
NOTE: You can make this recipe faster and easier by skipping the date paste entirely and just using maple syrup.
To make cranberry sauce with orange juice is ridiculously easy. Once you’ve made your date paste (double the recipe or use maple syrup), simply add all the ingredients to a pot.
Cranberries, orange juice, date paste (or maple syrup) and zest can all go in together.
Turn the heat to high until everything is boiling. Turn down the heat as soon as it’s bubbling to a low simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries begin popping.
Feel free to mash as many as you’d like to thicken the sauce!
How Many Servings Are In This Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice?
The amount of servings in this recipe depends on how much cranberry sauce people serve themselves.
When all said and done, you’ll have about 3 cups. If each person has about 1/4 cup, that serves 12.
Though serving size varies from person to person, this amount fits a good-sized dinner bowl and looks like the perfect amount when placed on a table.
Feeling Saucy? If you’re looking for more sauce ideas, try these:
- 3 Ingredient Mushroom Alfredo Sauce
- Healthy, Homemade Marinara Pasta Sauce
- Grown-Up Apple Sauce (Weirdly Good With So Many Dishes)
- Creamy, Dreamy Tzadziki
- Homemade Hummus (To Top Just About Anything!)
- Pickled Red Onion (For Literally Anything)
Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice Goes Amazingly With…
This mouthwatering roasted lamb and potatoes! No need to stay traditional, we often swap a turkey for a leg of lamb around the holidays, and there’s never a complaint in the house!
Hunting for Holiday Classics?
This cozy butternut squash soup is the perfect starter for any holiday dinner. Packed with flavors and spices, this soup brings warmth and sweetness to every table.
Don’t Forget Dessert!
Whether you’re dairy-free or not, your guests will never guess this absolutely delicious pumpkin pie is made with indulgent coconut milk instead of cream. It’s a must for all the festivities.
Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice
Ingredients
- 12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 cups date paste or 1/2 cup maple syrup
- juice of 1 orange
- 1 tsp orange zest optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a pot and turn the stove on high. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- When cranberries start popping, you can mash some of them with your spoon to thicken the sauce.
- If the sauce is too tart/not sweet enough for your taste, add more maple syrup or date paste to sweeten as necessary. As noted in the post, the sweeter/riper your orange/orange juice is, the more sweetness that will add or subtract, as well.