Mandarin orange cranberry sauce combines fresh or frozen cranberries, butter, fresh mandarin orange juice, and coconut sugar into a sweet-tart, jam-like sauce. Add mandarin slices and a splash of brandy for extra flavor, if desired. Serve it alongside Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's meals, or freeze a batch to enjoy throughout the year. Vegan and Paleo-friendly options included.
I make this cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges every fall and winter, when fresh bags of cranberries pop up everywhere. I don't just make it to fill up the holiday table. Just like my Rhubarb Compote, it has so many uses. If you have a soft spot for anything sweet and tart as I do, keep a jar or two in the fridge or freezer. And unless you're nostalgic about the canned stuff, I'd say homemade is better.
Planning a healthy holiday meal? Pair this sauce with my cast-iron roast chicken and creamiest mashed cauliflower.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Sweet and tart: Mandarin juice balances the tartness of the cranberries, and the sauce cooks down into a jam-like texture.
- One saucepan, 30 minutes: Everything cooks in a single pot on the stove.
- Make it ahead: Prepare it before the holiday rush. It keeps well in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months.
- Simple ingredients: Cranberries, mandarin orange juice, coconut sugar, and butter, plus optional brandy.
- More than a holiday side: Enjoy it on toast, pancakes, yogurt, desserts, sandwiches, and grazing boards.
Ingredients & Notes
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: Cranberry season is short, from October to January, and I try to buy them fresh during that time. You can also buy them in bulk at the end of the season, when they're on sale, and freeze them for later.
- Mandarin orange juice: It naturally balances the cranberries' tartness, reduces their bitter flavor, and helps the cranberries burst open on the stove.
- Coconut sugar: It adds a deep flavor and mild sweetness without overpowering the sauce.
- Unsalted butter or a dairy-free alternative: Butter, coconut oil, or coconut butter balances the sweet and tart flavors and adds creaminess to the sauce.
- Brandy (optional): A little brandy adds a fun complexity. The alcohol evaporates as it cooks.
- Extra mandarins (optional): Use one or two peeled mandarins, stirred in as slices at the end or used as a garnish.
How To Make Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce
Step 1 - Melt the Butter: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil over medium heat.
Step 2 - Add the Cranberries: Add the cranberries and stir to coat them in the melted butter.
Step 3 - Simmer Until They Pop: Simmer steadily for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cranberries pop open. Don't let the liquid come to a boil.
Step 4 - Add the Mandarin Juice: Reduce the heat to low and add the mandarin orange juice.
Step 5 - Add the Sugar and Brandy: Add the coconut or brown sugar. Add the brandy now, if using.
Step 6 - Return to a Simmer: Stir to combine and bring the mixture back to a gentle simmer.
Step 7 - Simmer Until Thickened: Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down and the sauce has somewhat thickened. Crush any unpopped cranberries with a wooden spoon as you stir.
Step 8 - Finish and Store: Taste and add more sugar, if needed. Stir in the fresh mandarin slices. Transfer to a serving bowl or an airtight container and refrigerate to set. It will thicken more as it cools.
Top Tips
- Use frozen cranberries straight from the freezer: Rinse them in cold water and use them just like fresh cranberries. There's no need to defrost them.
- Add more sweetener with brandy: If you plan to add brandy, use at least ½ cup of sweetener to balance out its stronger flavor.
- Don't over-reduce it: The sauce thickens naturally as most of the liquid cooks off, and it thickens further as it cools. Take it off the stove before it gets too thick.
- Listen to your cranberries: About 5 minutes in, they start to pop and burst open, almost like popping popcorn. You may need to mash some with a wooden spoon to help them along, unless you like a chunkier texture.
Variations & Substitutions
- Cranberries: Use frozen cranberries instead of fresh.
- Citrus juice: Use orange juice or clementine juice instead of mandarin juice. Clementines are a hybrid of mandarin and sweet oranges, and around the holidays they're easy to find in the produce section as a favorite winter citrus snack.
- Sweetener: No coconut sugar? Replace it with maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Vegan: Use coconut oil or coconut butter instead of butter.
- Liqueur: Instead of brandy, use cognac, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau, the French orange liqueur I use in my Instant Pot Apple Butter. Port also works if that's what you have on hand.
Storage
Store the sauce in mason jars with airtight lids or in airtight containers. Let it cool slightly before sealing, then refrigerate for up to two weeks.
To freeze, store it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before using.
Recipe FAQs
A lot more than serve it as a holiday side. A fresh cranberry sauce or spread works well in plenty of meals beyond the holiday table.
For breakfast: Serve it as a buttery fruit spread on toast or oat flour pancakes, or as a topping on chia seed puddings or yogurt with crunchy steel-cut oats granola.
For dessert: Spread it on a slice of yeast cake or my orange clove butter bread. Or add a couple of spoonfuls to these gluten-free brownies with some vanilla ice cream.
As an add-on: It's delicious spread between two buttery chocolate chip cookies, over a slice of cheesecake, or with this healthy apple crumble.
For sandwiches, meat dishes, and more: Turkey sandwiches aren't the only way to use it up. Make chocolate peanut butter and cranberry sandwiches, add it as a condiment on grazing boards, pair it with Juicy Turkey Burgers on the Stove, or serve it alongside mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
Yes. Fresh clementine juice or orange juice works in place of mandarin juice. You'll need about 1 cup, which is the juice of about 6 to 8 mandarins or clementines.
More Homemade Sauces & Spreads To Try Next
📖 Recipe
Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Mariska RamondinoEquipment
- 1 2-quart saucepan
- Mason jars or airtight containers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons organic butter or coconut oil (coconut oil to keep it vegan-friendly)
- 12 ounces organic fresh or frozen cranberries (340 grams)
- 1 cup fresh clementine or mandarin orange juice (the juice of about 6 to 8 mandarins or clementines; fresh orange juice also works)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar (35 grams) or up to ½ cup if you prefer it sweeter (brown sugar or maple syrup also work)
- 2 tablespoons brandy, optional up to ¼ cup based on preference (cognac, port, or Cointreau also work)
- 1 or two extra peeled mandarins for garnish
Instructions
- In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.2 tablespoons organic butter or coconut oil
- Add the cranberries and stir to coat.12 ounces organic fresh or frozen cranberries
- Bring to a steady simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the cranberries pop open. Do not boil.
- Note: you can hear them pop open, almost like popping popcorn.
- After 5 minutes, or when most of the cranberries have popped open and become mushy, reduce the heat to low.
- Stir in the mandarin orange juice and coconut sugar. Add the brandy, if using.1 cup fresh clementine or mandarin orange juice, ¼ cup coconut sugar (35 grams), 2 tablespoons brandy, optional
- Return to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down and the sauce has somewhat thickened.
- Crush any unpopped cranberries with a wooden spoon as you stir.
- Taste and add more sugar, if desired.
- Stir in the extra mandarin slices, if using.1 or two extra peeled mandarins for garnish
- Remove from the heat and let cool. Serve, or transfer to glass jars.
- Seal and refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Notes
Add your own private notes
Whenever you come back to this recipe, you'll be able to see your notes.
Nutrition (% Daily value)
Disclaimer: This nutritional data is calculated using third party tools and is only intended as a reference.
Leave a Reply