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    Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

    Nov 11, 2017 · 26 Comments

    6.7K shares
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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce is an amazingly delicious Thanksgiving or Christmas dish! And you can quickly throw it together from fresh or frozen cranberries in less than 30 minutes! Sweet-tart flavor to complement your turkey!

    Cranberry Sauce Grand Marnier

    Traditional Cranberry Sauce?

    Are you tired of the traditional Cranberry sauce? This simple delicious sauce made from frozen cranberries will be a game changer for your Thanksgiving Dinner. Let’s turn the mundane classic into a different kind of the cranberry sauce this holiday season!

    I don’t know why we haven’t made it this way before. This year I made the most of what fall has to offer. Use frozen, fresh or canned cranberries to create tart and sweet flavors that complement each other beautifully! This cranberry sauce is truly a winner!

    I love tart cranberries so much I also made this Cranberry Pecan Dessert from fresh cranberries.

    Cranberry Sauce Grand Marnier

    Grand Marnier cranberry sauce

    I’m not sure about you, but in my family cranberry sauce has always been an afterthought kind of thing. Of course, we always had it on our holiday table. But we sort of jammed it onto our plates after they were already full with all the other good stuff.  As a result, the cranberry sauce was always more of a runner up to all the other dishes on the table. Now it’s the star of the show!

    In this Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce, you simmer fresh berries with orange juice and Grand Marnier. And within 15 minutes they become a jammy sauce full of tart, juicy berries. Just beautiful!

    Substitutions and variations that work

    Cranberry sauce can be so much fun! Because you can play around with adding various other flavors and nuances, besides Grand Marnier.

    Sweet: Remember that cranberries are very tart by nature, and need sugar to balance their tartness. You can always substitute the sugar with these sweeteners to balance cranberries’ tartness.

    • Honey
    • Blue agave syrup
    • Maple syrup

    But keep in mind that these sugar substitutes will produce slightly different flavors and textures in the final sauce.

    Non-sweet: If you like to add additional flavors to the tart/sweet combination, I would recommend to experiment with the following.

    • Cinnamon
    • Walnuts
    • Crystalized ginger

    Storing, making ahead and freezing

    Storing: For storage, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 months. That’s right! The sugar serves as a preservative and your cranberry sauce can be safely kept in the fridge just like a cranberry jam! It’s the same idea.

    Making ahead: You can make Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce up to three days ahead. I actually found that it tastes much better if I made it ahead. Especially if I allowed it to sit in the refrigerator for at least one day.

    Freezing: For longer storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw before serving.

    Cranberry Sauce

    You just made a cranberry cocktail cleverly disguised as a holiday table side dish! By the way, you will really like the taste of liquor in this sauce. You can definitely taste Grand Marnier and orange flavors against tartness of cranberries.

    More delicious dried cranberry recipes

    Mini Cranberry Pies

    White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

    Cranberry Walnut and Spinach Salad

    Almond Cranberry Cookies

    More holiday recipes

    Not only did I try a different cranberry sauce, but also a different kind of turkey. I made Garlic Butter Roasted Turkey Breast instead of the traditional turkey this year!

    I cooked a couple more amazing holiday recipes this year. All are delicious and easy to make.

    Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin

    Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Loin

    Brussels Sprouts Cranberry Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing.

    And if you like pinning, follow me on PINTEREST to get more recipe ideas!

    Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
    Print Recipe
    4.36 from 45 votes

    Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

    A new favorite side dish for your Holiday Table!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: cranberry sauce
    Servings: 4
    Author: Olya

    Ingredients

    • 2 bags cranberries, fresh or frozen, (12 oz each)
    • 1.5 cups cane sugar
    • ½ cup orange juice
    • 4 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cognac
    • 1 tablespoon zest of fresh orange

    Instructions

    • In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, and orange juice.
    • Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring often until syrupy, about 10 minutes.
    • Add 4 tablespoon Grand Mariner and orange zest. Continue to cook on low heat for 10 more minutes.
    • Remove from heat and serve with freshly grated orange zest.
    Nutrition Facts
    Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 352
    % Daily Value*
    Sodium 2mg0%
    Potassium 62mg2%
    Carbohydrates 83g28%
    Sugar 82g91%
    Vitamin A 60IU1%
    Vitamin C 17.6mg21%
    Calcium 3mg0%
    Iron 0.1mg1%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

    Notes

    Can be made up to 3 days ahead.
    Adding orange zest at the end is a decoration suggestion and is optional.
    « Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michele says

      November 22, 2022 at 3:31 pm

      Just pre made this for Thanksgiving. It turned out beautifully and bonus made the house smell great.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        November 22, 2022 at 9:17 pm

        Well prepared and enjoy, Michele!

        Reply
    2. bobbi jo says

      November 26, 2021 at 6:36 pm

      Many years ago I made a similar recipe that was cooked in the oven. This year for Friendsgiving, we had to use my oven for many other dishes. I was excited to find an even easier recipe for stovetop. This recipe is uncomplicated, scrumptious, and pulchritudinous for any setting. It pairs well with more than turkey- we did roasted chickens and stuffed pork tenderloin. The relish tasted delectable with both. It also complimented many other side dishes. If you are an adventurous eater with bold ideas, the pairings are endless. I received multiple compliments on this dish and made certain to share the recipe. Thank you for sharing this with us!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        November 27, 2021 at 12:26 am

        Being an adventurous eater is what I strive to be! Thank you for such a fabulous review and a 5-star rating, Bobbi!

        Reply
    3. Chaddwick says

      November 24, 2021 at 5:15 pm

      I am going to try this on fresh waterfowl (duck). I cook alot of waterfowl this time of year because we hunt them alot. This sounds amazing and i will let you know how it goes. Thank you for the recipe!!

      Reply
      • Olya says

        November 24, 2021 at 10:29 pm

        Wow! I am going to wait until you return and report how it tasted!

        Reply
    4. Kristina says

      October 21, 2020 at 4:03 pm

      Could you use Xylitol or Stevia instead of sugar? Trying to cut down on processed sugar this year.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 21, 2020 at 7:41 pm

        Yes! You could use that and in much lesser amounts than the recipe caLls for.

        Reply
        • Maryann Gerber says

          October 27, 2020 at 9:11 pm

          Could you freeze this? I know you could can it but not sure about the freezing

          Maryann

          Reply
          • Olya says

            October 31, 2020 at 1:41 pm

            Yes, you can freeze it.

            Reply
    5. Lorraine Hunt says

      October 13, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      Can this be canned?

      Reply
      • Olya says

        October 21, 2020 at 11:32 pm

        I would think yes, even though I have not canned it. But because it does have enough sugar, which will serve as a preservative – I believe it will work.

        Reply
    6. Kerry says

      December 24, 2019 at 10:13 am

      I also add chopped walnuts to this, yummy

      Reply
      • Olga says

        December 25, 2019 at 11:18 am

        Sounds really good with chopped walnuts!

        Reply
    7. Erin says

      November 26, 2019 at 9:31 pm

      Just made this to put over brie tarts. It’s so easy and so delicious!! Hoping I can stop dipping into it so I leave enough for the tarts!!

      Reply
      • Olga says

        November 26, 2019 at 11:25 pm

        Haha! Poor tarts.

        Reply
    8. Terry says

      November 15, 2018 at 10:43 pm

      Is this served hot or cold?

      Reply
      • Olga says

        November 16, 2018 at 7:50 am

        Cold.

        Reply
    9. lorenza morra says

      November 18, 2017 at 5:43 pm

      hello this looks amazing and I am definitely going to make it for Christmas. what is the longest it can stay in refridgerator if we dont use it all Christmas dinner. could it stay a week? thank you

      Reply
      • Olya at Whatsinthepan says

        November 18, 2017 at 7:25 pm

        Lorenza, it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks in the air tight container. It can even be frozen for 1-2 months. Just make sure to put it in the fridge within an hour (don’t let it sit on the table at room temperature for more than an hour – to keep it fresher longer).

        Reply
    10. Stine Mari says

      November 13, 2017 at 8:53 am

      This sounds amazing! I’d love to give this one a go.

      Reply
      • Olya says

        November 14, 2017 at 10:32 am

        Thanks Stine Mari – I hope you will enjoy it.

        Reply
        • Pauline says

          November 14, 2017 at 1:21 pm

          Can you freeze it?

          Reply
          • Olya says

            November 14, 2017 at 2:03 pm

            Hi Pauline. Yes, homemade cranberry sauce can definitely be frozen! Just make sure to use it within a month.

            Reply
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