How To Make A Delicious, Simple 5 ingredient Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe for your Christmas dinner & desserts! A cranberry orange sauce blend to be enjoyed by all!
Christmas has certainly snuck up on me this year, and I still haven’t finished buying presents. At least I’m starting to plan and prepare my food recipes and plans. Homemade cranberry orange sauce recipe is an absolute staple for me at Christmas. This post shows you how to make cranberry sauce with just 5 ingredients as well as how to use leftover cranberry sauce.
Homemade cranberry sauce is a delicious addition to any Christmas meal and goes well as a side dish with your protein, in wellingtons, and as a general relish for the meal. It can also be used in lots of sweet recipes too.
In fact, this year I’m planning on making this Vegan stuffed butternut squash on Christmas day. Not only does it have cranberries inside it, but It also tastes delicious served with this cranberry sauce.
What to do with leftover cranberry sauce
If you’re looking for more inspiration, then I compiled a list of 15 ways to use leftover cranberry sauce:
- Let’s start with an obvious choice. You can use your leftover homemade cranberry sauce in Christmas ‘leftover sandwiches’.
- Use within a V/Ve Christmas parfait – simply layer leftover whipped cream or yogurt with crumbled shortbread biscuit & the cranberry-orange sauce. A simple, delicious dessert using leftover Christmas ingredients.
- This cranberry orange sauce can also be used within various cookie, cake and muffin recipes.
- Use this in place of any jam for baked goodies like thumbprint cookies or jam tarts.
- I made these cute ‘santa’ yogurt and cranberry sauce pots too using homemade coconut yogurt or homemade natural yogurt.
- This cranberry orange sauce would be amazing spooned over some cheesecake. It could also work well served alongside this Vegan black forest tart.
- Incorporate some into this Vegan Chocolate Tarte Soleil for a delicious Christmas pastry.
- Use it as a topping to these fluffy Gingerbread pancakes or for other pancake and crepe/french toast recipes. Tip * If you heat some up and add a little water or syrup then it will become a drizzle.
- Mix some into a smoothie recipe. Include some festive spices for added Christmas vibes.
- As part of a cheese platter/ with baked camembert or Vegan fondue style cheese.
- Stir into a bowl of yogurt or porridge and top with some homemade Christmas granola or homemade nut/seed butters.
- Stir into a vinaigrette for an exciting salad dressing.
- Use it as a spread for festive Christmas breakfast toast or even a bagel/scone.
- Use as a layer for granola bars or a cranberry version of cherry Bakewell slices. This would also work for these yogurt granola cups.
- Use in a festive bread pudding in place of currants.
- Finally, you can stir some into a homemade jelly. For example, with these candy cane jelly jars. It would also work well for a Christmas trifle.
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
If you don’t have the time to use up your leftover cranberry sauce, then you might be wondering if you can freeze it. Luckily, this cranberry orange sauce freezes very well. Store in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to two months. To use it simply defrost it in the fridge overnight.
The Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
This easy recipe can be made in just fifteen and minutes and stored in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
- Fresh Cranberries
- Brown Sugar (or normal sugar)
- Large Orange, Zest and juice
- Pomegranate, seeds or juice
- Cinnamon
The Method:
Begin by preparing your fruit. Deseed a pomegranate* and prepare the zest and juice of one large orange.
Tip* If you do this in a bowl of water, then it can be easier to pull out the seeds. I also have a detailed post on how to open a pomegranate.
To make, simply add all ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat ( Note* when using the whole seeds there will be a little bit of a crunch to your sauce. You can use the juice from the seeds only for a smoother consistency).
Bring to a boil stirring occasionally and then gently simmer in the pan for around 10 minutes. The cranberries will burst and the mixture will thicken and bubble. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Transfer to a glass jar and leave to cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge. You can also blend it in a blender or food processor to get a super-smooth texture. This cranberry sauce can be kept in the fridge for a week and can be used with your Christmas main or desserts. Enjoy!
As always, if you give this recipe a go then let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 oz Cranberries
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar or normal sugar
- 1 Large Orange Zest and juice
- 1 Pomegranate seeds or juice
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your fruit. To do this deseed a pomegranate and prepare the zest and juice of one large orange.
- To make this cranberry orange sauce, simply add all ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat*.
- Bring to a boil then simmer gently in the pan for around 10 minutes till cranberries have burst and mixture is thickening and bubbling. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Transfer to a glass jar and leave to cool before transferring to the fridge. This cranberry sauce can be kept in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. It can also be frozen for up to two months.
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