Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce with Triple Sec

This gourmet homemade Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce is 100 times better than the canned variety and so easy to make. This post includes ideas for using leftover cranberry sauce, too! 

This Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce with Triple Sec is our family's favourite sauce to serve with turkey or roast chicken.  It's lightly flavoured with orange juice, cinnamon and cloves and (optionally) spiked with Triple Sec.

It's a gourmet homemade cranberry sauce for your holiday dinners that may just become your family's new favourite, too. Once you make it, you'll wonder why you ever bought it in a can.

Ingredients for Triple Sec Cranberry Orange Sauce

• cranberries:  fresh or frozen
• granulated sugar
• brown sugar
• orange juice
• orange zest
• cinnamon
• cloves
• orange liqueur: like Triple Sec or Gran Marnier

How to make Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce

1. Combine the cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a medium pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until the cranberries pop. Remove from the heat.
3. Stir in the finely grated orange zest, cinnamon and cloves. Add a tablespoon or two of Triple Sec for extra orange flavour.
4. It may look thin, but cranberries contain a lot of natural pectin, so the sauce will thicken as it cools.
5. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Can I make this Cranberry Sauce ahead of time?

Yes, absolutely. It will last up to a week tightly covered in the fridge. You can also freeze any leftover sauce.

Cranberry sauce is something that we only make a few times a year. This recipe is one I've used for years, but since I don't make it often, I haven't committed it to memory. My original reason for posting it here was simply to have it at my fingertips here on my blog when I need it! But it's just so good that I wanted to share it with you, too.

What to do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Don't despair if you have leftover cranberry sauce! It's good for more than simply adding to your turkey sandwiches!

I make several batches of this Cranberry Orange sauce at holiday times so I can use it to make these spicy Cranberry Glazed Chili Chicken Wings, Cranberry Jalapeño Whipped Feta Dip and Cranberry Brie Jalapeño Crostini. I even have it for breakfast in this Cranberry Orange Breakfast Parfait.

No time to make anything with leftover cranberry sauce right now? Freeze it for another time, then thaw it in the refrigerator and use it in a recipe.

Or if you have leftover whole cranberries, try these recipes, too!

Cranberries are a good source of vitamins (especially Vitamin C) and fiber. They're considered to be a superfood. You can read more about their antioxidant properties and their nutritional value in this article:  Cranberries 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits.

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Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce with Triple Sec

This Spiced Cranberry Orange Sauce is our family's favourite. It's lightly flavoured with orange juice, cinnamon and cloves and (optionally) spiked with Triple Sec. 

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Course: Sides

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 16 people

Calories: 89kcal

Author: Flavour & Savour

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup orange juice
• zest from one organic orange
• pinch of cinnamon
• ½ pinch ground cloves
• 1 - 2 tbsp Triple Sec or other orange liqueur optional

Instructions

• Combine the cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a medium pot.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer until cranberries pop. Remove from heat.
• Stir in zest, cinnamon and cloves. Add Triple Sec, if desired.
• Cranberries contain lots of natural pectin so this sauce will thicken as it cools.
• This sauce can be made up to a week in advance. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Notes

This recipe makes 2 cups of cranberry sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 7.2mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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*This post was originally published in 2016. I have updated the instructions and added nutrition information.

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