Honey Free Fresh Orange Cranberry Sauce
Bright, tangy, and just sweet enough, this cranberry sauce lets fresh citrus do the heavy lifting. Many store-bought versions sneak in honey or honey-derived sweeteners as a natural alternative to refined sugar, which makes label-reading a frustrating holiday chore. Here, plain granulated sugar is all you need to balance the tartness of the cranberries, so there's zero guesswork about what's actually in the jar. Fresh orange juice and orange zest bring a sunny, aromatic lift that makes this sauce taste far more complex than its short ingredient list suggests. A whisper of cinnamon rounds everything out with just enough warmth to feel festive. The sauce thickens beautifully as it cools, making it just as good spooned straight from the fridge the next day as it is fresh off the stove.
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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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