Cranberry Cherry Sauce with Orange
Cranberry Cherry Sauce with Orange strikes a perfect balance between tart cranberries, bright citrus, luscious cherry preserves, and the natural sweetness of honey for a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving menu!
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Welp, the countdown is on to Turkey Day, friends! And that means that today's homemade cranberry sauce with a twist is just in time. Now everybody knows that homemade cranberry sauce is head-and-shoulders-above the gelatinous canned stuff, but this sweet-tart Cranberry Cherry Sauce with Orange is (wait for it!) THE BEST YET.
Growing up, we actually only ever had the canned stuff at Thanksgiving...you know, slid straight out of the can and onto a plate, so that the impressions of the rings were still intact as it jiggled and wobbled with every bump of the table. I actually never cared for that cranberry sauce myself, but to my brother, it was the utmost Thanksgiving treat, akin to getting dessert-with-dinner. He viewed it as a cousin of jello, reverently reserving it until it was the last thing on his plate and savoring every spoonful.
It wasn't until I was grown and married did I make homemade cranberry sauce for the first time and, wow...I kind of liked it. Over the years I've tweaked my recipe, and my family has finally settled on a favorite variation that incorporates cherry preserves along with fresh cranberries. So, much like my little brother in days of yore, my own children now treat their Cranberry Cherry Sauce like dessert...but they apparently don't have his same restraint because they tend to scarf it down first. 😉
Ingredients
I think the kiddos enjoy this cherry-infused version of cranberry sauce because it's not quite as tart and full-on CRANBERRY as its traditional predecessor.
- Fresh cranberries. Rinsed and drained.
- Cherry preserves. To add mellow out the tartness of the cranberries.
- Honey. For natural sweetness. Feel free to add extra honey if you prefer things a bit sweeter, particularly if your cherry preserves are unsweetened.
- Orange. To brighten the flavor. The orange will provide some fresh juice as well as a bit of orange zest.
- Salt. Just a pinch will make the other flavors pop.
How to Make Cranberry Cherry Sauce
Lest you've never made homemade cranberry sauce, the recipe is truly simple:
- Mix together the ingredients in a pot on the stove.
- Bring to a boil.
- Simmer for about 15 minutes until the cranberries have softened, popped, and thickened.
And that's it! The natural pectin released by the cranberries is the natural sauce-thickener, no jello required.
A quick word of warning, though: make sure you cook the sauce long enough to allow the berries to burst, but don't cook it too long or the pectin may start to break down and your sauce won't adequately thicken.
Make-Ahead Convenience
In addition to being pretty much effortless to whip up, this Cranberry Cherry Sauce can be prepared well ahead of Thanksgiving (up to two weeks in advance), freeing you up on the day-of to make, oh, just about everything else.
Just refrigerate the finished cherry cranberry sauce and bring to room temperature before serving. Transfer it into a pretty bowl and prepare to be met with the types of oooohs and ahhhhs that a molded can-o-sauce could never dream of eliciting.
And, shhhh...nobody has to know that this homemade beaut only took about 20 minutes to make from start to finish!
Now excuse me while I go call my brother. I need to make sure he's not still eating his Thanksgiving "jello" from a can...and if that's the case, I happen to know this fun little food blog where he can find a fabulous homemade recipe for Cranberry Cherry Sauce. 😉
More Thanksgiving Menu Planning Ideas
- Maple-Glazed Turkey with Bacon and Sage Butter
- Slow Cooker Creamy Cheesy Corn
- Holiday Honeycrisp Salad
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole
- Garlic & Herb Stuffing
- Classic Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
- The BEST Butter Pie Crust (Easy + Flaky!)
- Mini Pecan Pies
- Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
Cranberry Cherry Sauce with Orange
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 (8- to 10-ounce) jar cherry preserves
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, stir together cranberries, cherry preserves, honey, orange juice, orange zest, and salt. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until cranberries have softened, burst, and started to thicken. Cool to room temperature and serve, or store in refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Additional honey may be added, to taste. If using unsweetened cherry preserves, more honey may be necessary.
- This recipe will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator, so it can be made well in advance or leftovers can be enjoyed for that long.
Nutrition
Post originally published on November 17, 2015, and updated on October 25, 2020, and November 7, 2024.
Going to try this. Just have a question. So, doesn’t it need some water for the cranberries?
Hi Jan! No water needed! The cherry preserves, honey, and orange juice provide enough liquid for the cranberries to cook in. 🙂
Getting ready to give this recipe a go but I don't have any orange juice. is it possible to substitute with lemon instead?
Hi Sabrina! I don't think I would sub with straight lemon juice...using that much might make your cranberry sauce too sour. If you have apple juice, that would work. Otherwise, you could just use water! 🙂
Perfect!!
A saver!!!!!!! company loved this..so did we!