Carrageenan Free Fresh Orange Cranberry Sauce
Bright, tangy, and just sweet enough, this cranberry sauce comes together with nothing but fresh fruit, real orange juice, zest, and a little sugar — exactly the kind of clean ingredient list that makes it easy to feel good about what's on the table. Store-bought cranberry sauces and jellies are a surprisingly common hiding spot for carrageenan, a seaweed-derived thickener used to achieve that smooth, gelled texture — so making your own is genuinely the smartest move. Here, the sauce thickens naturally as the cranberries burst and the sugars concentrate, no additives needed. The orange juice and zest bring a sunny citrus lift that balances the tartness of the cranberries beautifully, and a pinch of cinnamon adds just a whisper of warmth if you're feeling it. It's the kind of sauce that makes people hover near the stove asking when it'll be ready. Equally at home spooned over a holiday roast or stirred into yogurt the next morning, it's endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to mess up.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 bag (12 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh orange juice (from about 1 large orange)
- 1 tbsp orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and orange zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- 2
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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