This recipe for Maple Tangerine Cranberry Sauce is flavored with maple syrup and fresh tangerine juice. It’s a delicious twist on classic cranberry sauce.
You’ve probably had it before, and more than likely it’s typical Thanksgiving fare in your house. You know… the cranberry sauce that you pry open with a can opener and then attempt to nudge it out carefully so it slithers into the serving bowl in one large, cylindrical, gelatinous blob. I grew up with the stuff, and admittedly I loved it. Mom bought the jellied kind- the kind you can slice up and slide in easily next to the turkey and mashed potatoes. Our family went through at least a couple of cans of it during dinner. The next day, another can was always popped open to slice up and include on leftover turkey sandwiches.
When I left home for college, I continued to buy and eat the canned cranberry sauce creation. And when I got married and had a family to cook for, of course I included the canned stuff in my own Thanksgiving menu. It wasn’t until years later, when I became more interested in cooking, that I would attempt a homemade version. If you try homemade- and it’s one with flavors that really appeal to you- you’re going to have a tough time going back to the canned version. In fact, the canned version may very well begin to taste more like the can than cranberry sauce. This Maple Tangerine Cranberry Sauce is one that I tried out on my family for Thanksgiving one year, and it was a big hit. Everyone loved it!
Ingredients needed:
- tangerine zest
- tangerine juice
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- light brown sugar
- maple syrup
- cinnamon stick
- kosher salt
How to make Maple Tangerine Cranberry Sauce:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
You can make this maple tangerine cranberry sauce a couple of days before Thanksgiving, and it will be a-okay to serve fresh-as-can-be for your Thanksgiving dinner. And won’t your guests be impressed that you made it homemade? Enjoy!
The Best Cranberry Sauce Recipes:
- Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
- Cinnamon Kissed Cranberry Sauce
- Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce
- Easy Cranberry Sauce
- Sherry Triple Berry Cranberry Sauce
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Maple Tangerine Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups (from about 12 tangerines) strained fresh tangerine juice
- 3 cups (12 ounce bag) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon finely grated tangerine zest
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- In a 10-inch skillet, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Then, reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened somewhat and looks slightly syrupy, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and let the cranberry sauce cool in the pan. It will thicken a bit more as it cools. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- If preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use a brand of maple syrup that is known to be GF.
- 12 tangerines is an estimate (depends on the size of your tangerines and how juicy they are). You can also buy fresh squeezed tangerine juice and strain out the pulp. I use half tangerine juice and half orange juice and it turns out wonderful. You do need the zest from a tangerine, so be sure to use at least one fresh one.
- Be sure to remove the cinnamon stick when the sauce is done simmering. The cinnamon flavor will be plenty noticeable, but you don't want it to overpower.
- This sauce may be made up to a week ahead. Just cover and chill.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely amazing especially when still warm! OMG Im never going back to the basic cranberry/water/sugar recipe again. This was a game changer!
I recipe tested this one on Sunday prepping for Turkey Day and it is SO GOOD! I loved that it only used a 1/2 cup of sugar too. It’s a keeper and I’ll be making it again next month. THANK YOU~
excellent- thanks for sharing your success!
As the wife of a third generation Maple producer I feel compelled to make sure your readers understand that REAL, pure Maple Syrup is naturally gluten free. Real maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree. The sap is collected when the temperatures are just right in late winter – early spring and boiled down to make Maple Syrup. Nothing is added to it, making it naturally gluten free.
BTW – loved your cranberry sauce recipe! I tried several maple cranberry sauce recipes, but yours is by far the best. Thanks!
Glad you enjoy this one!
Wildly good! Made this a couple of times this season and everyone thought it the best. Will have to share the recipe with everyone. Many thanks for sharing.
I make my CRAN-SAUCE , by simply adding to a 12 oz bag of fresh berries, 1/2 cup each of water, brown sugar, white sugar & Smucker’s Marmalade. Add at the end, another 1/2 cup of water if too thick! Enjoy & thanks for the Recipes.