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!
It's such a holiday classic, just like Scalloped Potatoes and Scalloped Sweet Potatoes.
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!
Alternative Cranberry Sauce Recipe
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 and orange combo so much I also made this Cranberry Orange Rolls and Cranberry Orange Bread from fresh cranberries.
How To Make Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
1. Add only ½ cup of orange juice, then empty 2 bags of fresh cranberries (12 ounce bags), top with sugar!
2. Add 4 tablespoons of Grand Marnier and continue simmering for 10 more minutes.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce Thicker
Looking for a cranberry sauce with more body? Just let your sauce simmer on the stovetop a bit longer after the berries burst-the longer it cooks, the thicker it will become as the liquid reduces. One helpful tip: cranberry sauce always looks runny when it's hot, but don't worry! Once it cools, it firms up beautifully for spreading or spooning over your holiday favorites.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce Sweeter with Less Sugar
- Replace part of the sugar with honey or maple syrup, which taste "sweeter" and add flavor complexity, allowing you to cut the total sweetener amount.
- Add ½ cup of sugar plus ½ cup of stevia or monk fruit to lower actual sugar grams while keeping the sauce sweet. Adjust "sugar level" by adding more of each until the desired sweetness level is achieved with a total lower amount of sugar. Win win!
Can You Make Cranberry Sauce Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! Homemade cranberry sauce is a holiday time-saver since it actually needs at least 2 hours in the fridge to set up and thicken properly. Even better, you can prepare this festive side up to a week in advance-just keep it in an airtight container. The flavor develops as it sits, so making it early means an even tastier sauce on the big day.
Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
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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.
Notes
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.
Alcohol: Use Triple Sec or Whiskey in place of 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.
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.
Mouthwatering Cranberry Desserts
- Mini Cranberry Pies
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Cranberry Walnut and Spinach Salad
- Almond Cranberry Cookies
Serving Suggestions
Not only it's fun to try a different cranberry sauce, but also a different kind of turkey: Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast, Roasted Boneless Turkey Breast and Herb and Citrus Roasted Turkey.
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.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Ultimate Green Bean Casserole in a Skillet
- Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin
- Spicy Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Green Beans in a Skillet
- Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Skillet
Thanksgiving Casseroles
- Broccoli Cheese Rice Casserole
- Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Skillet
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Cinnamon Streusel
- Asiago Cheese Chicken, Ham and Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows and Cinnamon Streusel
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Betty says
Made a batch for Thanksgiving - everyone loved it. I also like my cranberry sauce tart so I didnt' use as much sugar. Next time will use sugar free molasses.
Gretchen says
Hi Olya. Made this cranberry sauce last week for Thanksgiving - super amazing . Thank you for the recipe and the instructions.
Annmarie Miano says
Ive been making this recipe for the past 7 years! The BEST!!
Olya Shepard says
Thank you Annmarie! Love boozy cranberry sauce.
Jeanie Marie says
found this recipe years ago, and it's the only cranberry sauce I will eat. It is hands down my favorite.
Olya Shepard says
Thank you so much Jeanie! I love that you love it!
Jessica says
Delicious cranberry sauce! Will make this year again.
Donna says
I always cook cranberries from frozen and add whiskey on top of grand mariner to them.
Daniella says
Not overly sweet which I like.
Nellie says
I used whiskey because that's what I had on hand and lemon zest and juice - will make this again and again! Thank you
Mary says
I used 4 oz of PORT instead of Grand Marnier.
Added 1/4 tsp cloves and a stick of cinnamon with the sugar water, then removed to add the cranberries.
Zest and juice of 1 orange and reduced the water by the same amount.
Used self sealing mason jars .
Gina says
I really like to make things different this year than before. And I love booze!!!