Honey Cranberry Sauce
If you have been following my blog for a while, you have probably noticed that I prefer to sweeten recipes more naturally. I try to use honey or maple syrup as opposed to processed sugar. So naturally, I wanted to try to make honey sweetened cranberries for Thanksgiving this week. This honey cranberry sauce recipe is sweetened with only honey, and naturally sweet fresh-squeezed orange juice. This recipe takes only minutes to make, and is far and away better than any cranberries you can get in a can.

Why you’ll love this wholeberry cranberry sauce
- It’s so much easier to make than you think! Don’t be afraid to dive in and make your own.
- It’s delightfully sweet, and won’t spike that blood sugar like refined sugar recipes would.
- The recipe is so fresh, you will never have another holiday without homemade cranberry sauce.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it
- Sauce Pan
- Spatula
That’s it!
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Ingredients & substitutions
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick

How to make these cranberries sweetened with honey
Step 1. Rinse the cranberries well and drain off excess water. Pick through the cranberries and discard any that aren’t firm.
Step 2. To a medium saucepan, add cranberries, honey, water and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened to your liking. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the orange zest and juice. Give it a try, and if it’s too tart, add more honey. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Step 4. The sauce will thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.




FAQs about cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. Some people prefer to serve it at room temperature because it’s easy to put out. Others like to chill it in the fridge to firm it up and make it ahead.
Homemade cranberry sauce will last up to two months in the refrigerator.

More dairy free Thanksgiving sides:

Honey Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries well and drain off excess water. Pick through the cranberries and discard any that aren’t firm.
- To a medium saucepan, add cranberries, honey and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened to your liking. This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the orange zest. If you’d like to add cinnamon or orange juice, add it now. Give it a try, and if it’s too tart, add more honey.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.