This homemade, naturally gluten-free, cranberry sauce is one of the most requested dishes at our holiday table. Fresh plump cranberries, lots of orange zest and the perfect balance of sweet and tart. We've been serving it for 20 years and it is always a huge fan favorite!
New! I’ve added a cooking video so you can see how easy it is to make our favorite Cranberry Sauce!
As with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.
Hope you love it!
Original post…
No Thanksgiving feast is complete without Cranberry Sauce!
And this homemade, naturally gluten-free, version with lots of orange zest will be a hit at your Thanksgiving table, even among people who think they don’t like cranberry sauce.
I’ve been bringing this to Thanksgiving for 20 years.
True story— I grew up on the canned cranberry sauce and one year, my mom and I decided we should “just to try something new”.
My mom got this recipe from her friend Molly and asked me to make it.
It was such a hit, I owned it from then on!
Now, I’m not sure I’d be allowed at the table if I were to show up without it.
It is THAT good.
Fresh plump cranberries, chopped walnuts, lots of orange zest and the perfect balance of sweet & tart.
And it’s made with just 7 ingredients:
fresh cranberries
orange juice,
cranberry juice
sugar
chopped walnuts
raisins
and orange zest.
I’d like to say it’s some sort of magic that makes it so good, but it is really the easiest recipe ever.
All you do it bring the juices and sugar to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
Add in cranberries and cook!
Within minutes they will start to “pop”.
Then you lower the heat, add in the walnuts, raisins and orange zest and let simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool. It will continue to thicken.
An easy and delicious make-ahead side dish that everyone will be raving about!
So go ahead and make- you’ll be a rockstar at Thanksgiving.
But be forewarned, you’ll be asked to make it again, year after year…
Lots of fresh, plump cranberries, lots of orange zest, and the perfect balance of sweet & tart. Recipe from a family friend, this has been a most requested side dish at our Thanksgiving table for years! Recipe doubles easily and freezes well.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Sides, Holidays
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Nut-Free optional, Vegan
Servings: 6-8 servings
Author: Healthy Gluten-free Family
Ingredients
4cupsfresh cranberries
1 1/2cupssugaroriginal recipe calls for 2 cups. You could cut back to 1 cup if you want it on the tarter side (NOTE: I've made it using 1/2 coconut sugar/ 1/2 cane sugar and it tastes good but the color is more brown, less bright)
1cuporange juice
1cupcranberry juice cocktail
1/2cupraisinsfeel free to use less if you want a tarter sauce or are not a fan or raisins
1/2cupchopped walnuts
1tablespoonorange rindor more to taste
Instructions
In a large saucepan, add orange and cranberry juices, and sugar. Dissolve sugar in juices while bringing to a boil.
Add cranberries and cook until the berries start popping (generally medium low flame, stir frequently)
Add raisins, nuts and orange rind
Continue heating on low for 20-30 minutes
The sauce will thicken while cooling.
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Extras freezes well too.
I just made this delicious and easy recipe for Thanksgiving. It’s been my go-to for several years now! One small variation this year: I subbed strawberry nectar for cranberry juice. It’s still as delicious as ever. ❤️😋
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...
I am never going to be able to go back to canned cranberry sauce. This was so simple and they were a good balance of sweet and tarte! Yum:)
haha love it! And love that you love this cranberry sauce as much as we do!
I just made this delicious and easy recipe for Thanksgiving. It’s been my go-to for several years now! One small variation this year: I subbed strawberry nectar for cranberry juice. It’s still as delicious as ever. ❤️😋