Name: Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 12 oz. cranberries (- washed); 1/2 cup pure maple syrup; 1/2 cup orange juice; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; orange zest (- for garnishI)

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Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce combines fresh cranberries, maple syrup, orange juice, and vanilla. This simple, four-ingredient sauce should be an addition to your holiday table for sure!

Are y’all ready for the biggest meal of the year? Whoop! Then get ready to make all the things, like Make Ahead Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble, and a Fall Harvest Salad with Balsamic Dressing. Let’s EAT!

Overhead view of a bowl of cranberry sauce with orange zest.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Let’s take a poll. Are you in the cranberry sauce camp or nah? I’m in the let’s try it camp. You only live once, and we all need to eat all the things.

Since Thanksgiving is a pretty heavy eating holiday, it’s nice to have lighter options. THIS cranberry sauce is it. No refined sugars added, and it goes great with a plate full of food. Mix a little in with your potatoes, add a smear to your dinner roll, and then take bites in between.

Healthy? At Thanksgiving? Normally, I just go all in. I basically eat what I want on this day. But when it’s easy to make something light, I do it, especially when it involves using less sugar. Next time you go to the grocery store, look at the label on canned cranberries and then decide if it’s worth it.

Buy those fresh cranberries and make THIS recipe!

Side view of some naturally sweetened cranberries.

How to make Easy Cranberry Sauce:

Step 1
Gather ingredients. Gather your four simple ingredients – the cranberries, orange juice, pure maple syrup, and vanilla.

Step 2
Combine in a sauce pan. Wash cranberries and add to pan. Then add in the orange juice and pure maple syrup. Don’t add vanilla just yet.

A tray of the cranberry sauce ingredients.

A sauce pan of the ingredients for the sauce.

Step 3
Cook. Cook cranberries over medium heat. You’ll hear the berries pop as they start to open up. Just keep stirring and cooking until they turn into a sauce, about 15-20 minutes or so.

Step 4
Cool. Remove cranberry sauce, and add the vanilla. Stir well, and transfer to a serving bowl. Cool at room temperature for awhile and then place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

A pan of the sauce as it starts to cook.

Side shot of the partially cooked sauce.

Step 5
Serve. Serve cranberries with some orange zest, if desired.

Don’t know what to do with leftovers? Make these Puff Pastry Cranberry Brie Bites!

Why This Recipe Works:

You can make it ahead. Definitely prep ahead and make this sauce a day or two before your big event. It will be fined stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator until it’s go time.
It is simple. This sauce is just four ingredients, plus some orange zest for garnish (optional of course). It’s also ready in 15-20 minutes!
This traditional side is delicious. If you like anything cranberry, then you’ll enjoy cranberry sauce. Homemade is best, so just make it!
No refined sugar. Yup, this recipe uses no refined sugar. Just pure maple syrup is used to sweeten those tart cranberries!

Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, a big salad, homemade bread, cranberries, and all the desserts! Let’s gooooo!! 😀

Closeup on some cranberry sauce with a spoon.

xoxo ~Sue