Name: Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 2.5 cup fresh cranberries; 1/4 cup water; 1/2 orange juiced (zest the entire orange); 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger; 3 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

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Orange ginger cranberry sauce is ready in about 7 minutes and is naturally sweetened. This healthy homemade orange cranberry sauce is vegan, gluten free, paleo and incredibly flavorful! The perfect side dish to your holiday meal.

Orange ginger homemade cranberry sauce piled high in a bowl

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Why you will love this recipe

Easy to make – this ginger orange cranberry sauce cooks up quickly on the stove and is so easy to make. No special equipment needed.
Healthy ingredients – unlike the canned cranberry sauce you will find in most grocery stores, this healthy homemade cranberry sauce is naturally sweetened with orange juice and maple syrup. It’s easy to find all the ingredients you need to make this in your local grocery store.
Perfect for holiday meals – serve this along side your favorite Thanksgiving or Christmas recipes. This orange ginger cranberry sauce goes so well with traditional holiday casseroles, stuffing and turkey or ham.
Great make ahead recipe – save time during your holiday meal and make this vegan cranberry sauce in advance the day before.

Ingredients

Fresh cranberries – you can find fresh cranberries in local grocery stores during the months of October – January. They are naturally very tart.
Water – water helps give the sauce the right consistency as it cooks on the stove.
Zest and juice of an orange – the zest of an orange helps to give the dish a deep orange flavor. The orange juice helps to sweeten the cranberry sauce and also impart orange flavor.
Fresh grated ginger – freshly grated ginger gives this healthy cranberry sauce recipe a punch of flavor. Ginger pairs really well with orange and cranberry flavors so it’s a wonderful match.
Maple syrup – maple syrup naturally sweetens this cranberry sauce recipe. You may decide to use up to 1/3 cup of maple syrup depending on how sweet you want your cranberry sauce. Start with 3 tablespoons then add more maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired sweetness level.
Cinnamon – ground cinnamon helps to balance out the flavors and gives the cranberry sauce a deep flavor.

How to make homemade orange ginger cranberry sauce

Add the cranberries and water to a medium sized sauce pan and cover. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the cranberries start to burst.
Zest the orange into the cranberry mixture then add the juice of half the orange along with the fresh grated ginger, 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and the cinnamon. Stir well.
Cook 2-3 more minutes, uncovered stirring occasionally to help break up the cranberries.
Allow to cool slightly before tasting for sweetness. Add more maple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired level of sweetness.

Top tips

You can make this vegan cranberry sauce up to 3 days in advance. It’s a great recipe to make a few days before the holiday meal so that you can cross things off your list and not be overwhelmed the day of the holiday.
This recipe travels well too, so it’s a great recipe to volunteer to make as a guest to your holiday meals.
You can also freeze leftover orange ginger cranberry sauce if you want to make it even further in advance or find yourself with leftover fresh cranberries.

What I love the most about this orange ginger cranberry sauce is the hints of orange and ginger. The orange helps sweeten and brighten the cranberry sauce and the ginger makes it pop! If you are like me and really love ginger you could probably add another 1/2 tbs. to this recipe.

If you are looking for a very sweet cranberry sauce, you might want to add an additional tablespoon of maple syrup, as this recipe is still quite tart compared to the canned jelly version!

Storing leftovers

Fridge: Store leftover ginger orange cranberry sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freezer: Freeze extra cranberry sauce in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. You can freeze it in Soupercubes for easy storing (once frozen, transfer to a freezer safe bag).

Spoon full of orange ginger homemade cranberry sauce

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