No Thanksgiving Dinner is complete without Cranberry Sauce and boy do I have a doozy of a recipe for you today. This easy, make-ahead, homemade cranberry sauce with oranges and apples is out of this world delicious and deserves a place of honor on your Thanksgiving table.
If you are like me and grew up with canned cranberry sauce, you might think that you don’t even like cranberry sauce. I know I wouldn’t touch the stuff for years, that is until I tasted real cranberry sauce full of plump juicy and slightly tart cranberries. And, it was a huge revelation to find out that fresh cranberry sauce is really, really easy to make and only takes a few minutes to prepare. I rocked on with the plain version for a few years, which was delicious to be sure, but then I began to think that I could add some additional fruit and it might make it even better.
Well fast forward to now, and I think I have perfected an amazing chunky cranberry sauce that is really more like a cranberry relish, filled with fresh orange and apple chunks, orange and lemon zest, and toasted pecans. After all, we are in the south and we love our pecans!
You might be wondering what the difference is in cranberry sauce, cranberry relish, cranberry conserve and cranberry compote? I know I did because I needed to figure out what to call this delicious cranberry concoction. Well, according to most experts, cranberry relish usually contains raw ingredients, but after that, the line blurs and it seems that cranberry sauce, compote and conserve all can contain ingredients other than cranberries and it is hard to tell one from the other. So, I decided to call this recipe cranberry sauce with orange and apple because I think most folks call it cranberry sauce.
Not only is this sauce delicious in its own right and goes perfectly with turkey and other side dishes, but it only takes 15 minutes to make and, the best part is, you can make it 10-14 days ahead of time. It keeps beautifully in the refrigerator; all you have to do is take it out on Thanksgiving and put it on the table.
Looking for even more options for easy and delicious Thanksgiving recipes? Check these out!
10 Amazing Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
12 Delicious Thanksgiving Dressing and Stuffing Recipes
15 Spectacular Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Recipes
27 Luscious Thanksgiving Dessert Recipes
12 Awesome Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes
How To Make Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Apple
The ingredients for cranberry sauce with orange and apple are fresh cranberries, sugar, a Granny Smith apple, an orange, a lemon and toasted pecans. That’s it! And, if you prefer just plain cranberry sauce, all you need are cranberries and sugar. I told you it was easy.
If you are ready to make this yummy cranberry sauce, gather your ingredients and add the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water to a medium-size saucepan set over medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the orange zest and chunks, apple pieces, lemon juice and zest and pecans and stir well to combine.
If making ahead, leave out the pecans and transfer the mixture to a dish with an air-tight lid and store in the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Add the pecans when you are ready to serve. If making the day of, put in the refrigerator to chill before serving.
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Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Apple
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Granny Smith apple unpeeled and chopped into cubes
- 1 orange zested and peeled, cut into small chunks
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, sugar and 1 cup of water to a medium-size saucepan set over medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the orange zest and chunks, apple pieces, lemon juice and zest and pecans and stir well to combine.
- If making ahead, leave out the pecans and transfer the mixture to a dish with an air-tight lid and store in the refrigerator for 10-14 days. Add the pecans when you are ready to serve.
- Cover the mixture and place in the refrigerator to chill before serving. Top with the pecans right before you serve it.
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