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This simple recipe for homemade cranberry sauce uses a handful of fresh ingredients to put an elevated spin on a classic holiday recipe. Fresh rosemary and tangy orange juice add a depth of flavor to the sweet and tart cranberry sauce, creating a beautiful whole berry sauce even the most steadfast lovers of jellied cranberry sauce will enjoy.
How many cranberry sauces do you have on the table during your Thanksgiving dinner? Every year, we end up with a can-shaped blob of the processed stuff and, my favorite, the fresh, whole berry sauce. I’ve heard some families stock three varieties or more! Who would believe that cranberry sauce divides people more quickly than turkeys, stuffing, or even sweet potatoes?
Then again, there was a near riot when I announced I’d be making a sweet potato purée with bacon and homemade marshmallow topping at my [first family] Thanksgiving this year. Apparently only the bagged Jet puffed pillows will do.. Alas.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
I’ve developed this total obsession with rosemary this year, and for good reason. It adds this subtle herbed quality–wintry, yet tamed. It works perfectly in this homemade cranberry sauce, infusing the tart berries with a depth that you’ve never otherwise had. The use of fresh orange juice and zest balances the tartness with a sweet acidity, and I promise you..
you’ll never go back. You will ban can-shaped varietals from your table. You’ll make Aunt Susan cry–cry, I tell you–and it will be her fault. Why?!
Because how dare she insult your cranberried perfection with that Ocean Spray 3-for-$5 junk–you spit a little when you enunciate the end of this sentence, like you’re ridding your palette of a terrible taste. Oh … you are.
I started this post calmly and ended it in rosemary cranberry sauce evangelism, but you’ll understand when you make it. You really will.
You probably already have cranberries and oranges on your Thanksgiving shopping list, so toss a packet of fresh rosemary in your cart and thank me later. Or thank me in advance. I’m pretty confident about this one, you see..
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Rosemary Cranberry Sauce with Orange
Equipment
- cheesecloth
- kitchen twine
- medium saucepan with lid
- Large wooden spoon
- large bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover, optional
Ingredients
For the Rosemary Cranberry Sauce with Orange
- 3 1-inch long sprigs fresh rosemary
- 12 ounces fresh whole cranberries rinsed well
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup pulp-free 100% orange juice or juice of one orange with enough water added to make ½ cup
- ½ teaspoon fine orange zest
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary to garnish
Instructions
- Wrap 3 1-inch long sprigs fresh rosemary in cheesecloth and tie bundle with kitchen twine, leaving ends of twine long enough to hang out of saucepan for easy removal.
- Add 12 ounces fresh whole cranberries, 1 cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup pulp-free 100% orange juice to medium saucepan. Stir to incorporate ingredients, then add wrapped rosemary, submerging rosemary completely.
- Place saucepan on stovetop over medium-high heat. Stir constantly while bringing mixture to gentle boil.
- Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat under saucepan to low. Simmer mixture 1 minute (for more whole berries), up to 5 minutes (for fewer whole berries). Note: cranberries will burst while simmering. To speed up process, when some cranberries begin to burst, press remaining cranberries against side of saucepan with back of wooden spoon.
- When desired number of cranberries have burst, remove saucepan from heat. Add ½ teaspoon fine orange zest and stir to incorporate, then cover saucepan with lid and set aside. Let cranberry sauce rest, covered, 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove lid from saucepan. Press rosemary bundle against side of saucepan with back of wooden spoon to extract as much flavor as possible, then remove bundle from saucepan and discard.
- Transfer cranberry sauce to serving bowl. Let sauce cool to room temperature, then garnish with 1 sprig fresh rosemary if desired and serve immediately. Alternately, let sauce cool to room temperature, then cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place bowl in refrigerator. Chill cranberry sauce until 30 minutes prior to serving. Let sauce come to room temperature then garnish with 1 sprig fresh rosemary and serve.
- Cranberry sauce will thicken upon standing.
- Make Ahead: Prepare cranberry sauce as written. Let sauce cool completely, then transfer sauce to airtight container and refrigerate up to 7 days. Remove sauce from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to serving and serve at room temperature.
- Freezer Option: Prepare cranberry sauce as written. Let sauce cool completely, then transfer sauce to airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Before serving, move sauce to refrigerator and let sauce defrost overnight. Remove sauce from refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to serving and serve at room temperature.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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I made this last year and everyone loved it. I want to make food in advance and freeze so I don’t have so much to do the day of. Have you frozen this and, if so, does it freeze well and defrost and reheat well for the day you want to use it?
Hi, Debbie! I’m so happy you’re all a fan of this sauce! We didn’t try freezing it so we can’t speak to how well it might freeze, defrost, or reheat, unfortunately. It should be fine, though! Let it cool completely, then freeze it in an airtight container with as much air removed as possible. Defrost it in the fridge overnight, then let it come to room temperature before serving.
Do you have to use a cheesecloth?
You could put the rosemary in a tea strainer if you’d rather. It needs to be contained so you can extract the flavor from it without ending up with pieces of rosemary throughout the sauce.
This Cranberry Orange Rosemary Sauce was a huge hit !!! It was absolutely delicious !!! It tastes like a side dish you would get at a five star Restaurant on Thanksgiving Day !!! Nothing can beat this recipe in my opinion ! I’m making this every Thanksgiving from now on !!! Thank you for this fabulous recipe !!!
So happy to hear that, Lisa! Glad it’s holiday staple now! Thanks so much for the review!
Made a double batch tonight. It is SO good.
Woohoo! Load ‘er up! I’m so glad you love it as much as I do 😀
What a great idea of adding rosemary to the cranberry sauce. Sounds so delicious!
Thanks! It really adds something special
Really does sound amazing!
I wish I could offer taste tests through the screen so I could prove it! 😀