Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce will make you wonder why you ever ate store-bought. A fantastic condiment for Thanksgiving turkey and more! It’s easy to make a few days in advance and keep in the refrigerator until your big event. 
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I’ve probably hated cranberry sauce for 2/3 of my life. This is likely because every Thanksgiving, my mom would pull out a cut crystal serving dish, pop open a can of jellied cranberry sauce, and unceremoniously dump it on top. The SLURP-PLOP! sound it made was nauseating.
Then, she’d set it on the table with its own fancy serving knife so that everyone could cut slices off the can-shaped blob. Gah! HEINOUS.
“Why make it if you hate it?!” Why I just had to come up with Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce
Since I’m a food blogger living in Wisconsin—the cranberry capital of the world—it would be a crime indeed if I served a can-shaped blob at my Thanksgiving table. But people in my family DO like cranberry sauce, so…
Cranberry sauce in the making. No more can-shaped blobs!
A few years ago, I started playing with various cranberry sauce recipes. I came up with this flavor combination. Ginger and spice are the perfect foil to the tartness of the cranberries and orange. The sauce has been a hit ever since.
This recipe makes a thick, jelly-like cranberry sauce. Most of the berries are completely broken down. But, I like to save some to add near the end of the cooking time so that they retain some of their shape and texture. This also makes for a very pretty sauce, IMO. If you like yours smooth, buzz it with an immersion blender.
To serve, I put all of my Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce in a large serving bowl (preferably either clear, white, or in a contrasting color). I’ve also put individual servings in small ramekins. The latter is a really fun way to serve, but keep in mind that there’s a bit more work and a few more dishes involved.
Work-ahead
I always make my Orange-Ginger Spice Cranberry Sauce as much as three days ahead. It keeps very well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Are you a fan of work-ahead strategies for making a stress-free holiday dinner? Be sure to check out my Work-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner Meal Plan (which, of course, applies to ANY holiday dinner!)!
Amazingly, I do enjoy cranberry sauce now—at least the homemade species. I can imagine pairing Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce with duck or lamb in addition to turkey.
Leftover Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce is, of course, great with leftover meat. I’ve discovered that it’s also delicious over plain Greek yogurt (I sometimes drizzle just a bit of organic maple syrup over the top) or atop oatmeal with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
Stay tuned for more classic Thanksgiving recipes as we countdown to Turkey day here in the US!
Linkies
I am linking my Orange-Ginger-Spice Cranberry Sauce recipe up with:
- #CookBlogShare (awesome recipes from food bloggers all over the world),
- #CookOnceEatTwice (recipes that taste just as good left over as when you made them to begin with), and
- #BrillBlogPosts (Great reads on a variety of topics from international lifestyle bloggers).
- 2 tsp. mild-tasting vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries, 1 cup reserved
- 1 orange, zested (with a rasp) and juiced
- 1 tsp. Chinese 5-spice powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. cold water
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Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until soft, stirring frequently, ~5 minutes. Add the ginger and sauté for an additional minute.
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Mix in all but the reserved cranberries, along with the orange zest and juice, sugar, 5-spice powder, and 1/4 cup water. Stir to dissolve sugar.
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Mix the cornstarch and water. When the mixture reaches a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture.
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Reduce heat to low. Simmer until sauce thickens and berries have popped, 10 – 12 minutes. Stir in the reserved cup of berries. Cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the newly added berries are just starting to pop. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or chill in therefrigerator before serving.
This recipe makes a thick, jelly-like cranberry sauce. If you like a thinner consistency, simply add up to 1/4 cup of additional water.
We prefer to keep some of the cranberries to be added near the end of the cook time so that they retain their shape and texture. If you prefer a more uniform consistency, add all of the cranberries at once.
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I love homemade cranberry sauce! I never serve the canned stuff, either! I love this flavor combination! I’m going to try it this year!
Thank you, Beth! I hope you love it!
Great recipe Michelle, and even if we do not celebrate Thanksgiving the supermarket sells fresh cranberries around this time of the year. I will make it for Christmas.
Thank you, Laura! I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Oh I am so with you – I hate the ready made cranberry sauce, but love real deal! And your recipe just looks awesome – love the addition of ginger and orange – really wish I could reach into my computer screen with a spoon right now (yep, I have been know to just sit there and eat cranberry sauce all by itself!!) Eb x
Thanks so much, Eb! I ate it on oatmeal yesterday, but I think I’ll just try eating it straight. Great idea!
I do love cranberry sauce and started making my own couple of years ago and have been enjoying it even more since then. Love the addition of ginger in your recipe! Sounds really delicious and looks fantastic too! #CookBlogShare
Thank you, Jo! I do love the ginger in the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
This sounds delicious and very festive! The ginger, orange and 5 spice must go so well together with the cranberries.
Thank you, Corina! Festive is a great way to describe it!
I absolutely love cranberry anything, especially the sauce, and I really like the addition of the 5 spice powder in this recipe! Thank you for bringing your lovely recipe to #CookBlogShare:)
Thank you so much, Monika! Although I used to hate them, I love cranberries now! I hope you enjoy this version. 😉
I agree with homemade cranberry sauce. I made mine with oranges as well but I never tried adding ginger. It sounds like such a great idea. I will try it this time 🙂
Thank you, Edyta! I hope you enjoy it!
My mom loves cranberry sauce and I adore the addition of the Ginger!
I really hope your mom likes this version! Thank you!
Such a great idea to add ginger. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Thank you, Ellen! Have a wonderful holiday season!
I hear you about that “slurp, pop” Gross. My grandparents did that, but they weren’t from here and just did what was “customary” to regular Americans. I always appreciate a homemade cranberry sauce on the table. Tops!
Haha, thanks, Lisa! I think that a lot of Americans use the can-blob, but they know not what they do!
I just love home-made cranberry sauce. I’ll try your recipe this year for sure! It looks wonderful.
Thank you, Patty! I hope you love it!
Loving the addition of ginger!!
Thanks Felesha!