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Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Skip the canned cranberry sauce – this boozy side dish can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal!

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I’ve been making a stovetop version of this Bourbon Cranberry Sauce for several years now, and this year I decided to add even more flavor to it.

Hellooooo, orange.

This Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce is a boozy side dish that can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal! It's always on my Thanksgiving menu!

Citrus zest packs so much flavor, and since orange and cranberry work so well together (see these Cranberry Orange Trifles with Candied Walnuts for proof!), I knew it would be a natural fit.

I used some juice from my orange after zesting it, and it really added a nice flavor.

You know, in addition to all.that.bourbon.

Which does not get cooked out of the sauce, mind you. It gets stirred in at the end.

This Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce is a boozy side dish that can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal! It's always on my Thanksgiving menu!

This sauce was a huge hit this year! I doubled the amount I’m posting here for our small Thanksgiving dinner because I knew we’d be wanting plenty of leftovers. It holds up really well for an entire week in the fridge – if it lasts that long!

My husband used to love the can-o-cranberry sauce, but this stuff is a total (tipsy) game-changer.

Looking for more Thanksgiving favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:

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This Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce is a boozy side dish that can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal! It's always on my Thanksgiving menu!

Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce

  • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli (adapted from Bon Appétit)
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: About 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This boozy side dish can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup bourbon


Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, place cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice and cinnamon. Stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring every 10 minutes, until it reaches your desired consistency (about 35-35 minutes).
  2. Take pan off heat and stir in bourbon. Refrigerate until well chilled.

Notes

Recipe by Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli – adapted from Bon Appétit November 1991

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 149
  • Sugar: 35.1 g
  • Sodium: 1.1 mg
  • Fat: 0.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 38.2 g
  • Fiber: 1.4 g
  • Protein: 0.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: cranberry sauce, bourbon, cranberries, orage

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This Bourbon-Orange Cranberry Sauce is a boozy side dish that can be prepared several days in advance and is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal! It's always on my Thanksgiving menu!

Ashley Covelli is a food photographer, recipe developer, and culinary instructor based in Ossining, New York. She loves helping people become enthusiastic and adventurous in the kitchen so that they can build skills and confidence to cook for themselves and their loved ones. She can almost always be found with at least 3 different beverages within arm's reach.

18 Comments

  • Melville Nicoletta

    Cranberry and orange go so well together, you are right, and that addition of the bourbon…yes! This sauce looks so yummy, I would eat by the spoonful! 🙂

    • BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen

      It’s the perfect finishing touch for any Thanksgiving meal! This year I’m going to save a little on the side without the bourbon so my kindergartener can enjoy it without getting tipsy 😉

  • Dishes Delish

    Yum. Cranberries with orange and bourbon! Yes, this is my type of cranberry sauce. This looks so delicious and I can not wait to try your recipe!

  • Dominique Fasano

    This sounds sooo delicious! Why have I never thought to add bourbon to my cranberry sauce! I’m getting so many great ideas for Thanksgiving 🙂 🙂

  • Eileen Gray

    You had me at boozy side dish!! I’ve been into baking and cooking with bourbon lately and happen to have an extra bag of cranberries in the fridge. Can’t wait to try this!

  • veenaazmnaov

    Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite with roast turkey. In fact I make extra just so we can have left overs… This loooks so good. Love how thick this is.

  • veenaazmnaov

    I love how thick this sauce is. Cranberry sauce with my roast turkey is by far my favorite part of the thanksgiving dinner.

  • Christine

    Man, this recipe sounds amazing! My sister loves orange and cranberry together, so I’ll have to make this for her when we get together for the holidays 🙂

  • Amanda {Striped Spatula}

    Spiked cranberry sauce is the best cranberry sauce! I love that you’ve used bourbon. What a great flavor with the fruit and cinnamon. Pass me a spoon!

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