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Cranberry Sauce with Mandarin Oranges and Walnuts

A bowl of whole berry cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges and walnuts.
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Easy cranberry sauce made from fresh or frozen cranberries, mandarin oranges, and walnuts. Essential for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed mandarin orange juice (from about 5 oranges)
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Instructions

  1. Toast the walnut pieces in a dry, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, stirring until fragrant. Roughly 2-3 minutes. Then, pour the walnut pieces into a small bowl and set them aside to cool to room temperature.  
  2. Wash and pick over the cranberries to remove any mushy ones.
  3. Add the cranberries, sugar, mandarin orange juice, and orange zest to a saucier or small pot. Bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. If all the cranberries don’t pop, you can smash them with the back of a spoon. Cook until the cranberries have broken down and the sauce is a jammy consistency.
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted walnut pieces.
  5. Cool at room temperature before serving.

Notes

Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Looking for ways to customize your cranberry sauce? 

  • Use navel oranges instead of mandarin oranges. 
  • Omit the oranges and walnuts and replace the orange juice with ½ cup of water.
  • Make it nut-free by leaving out the walnuts.
  • Add a splash of Grand Marnier in the beginning with the orange juice. 
  • Add a cinnamon stick with the cranberries and leave it in the mixture while it cooks. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mandiofthemountains.com/cranberry-sauce-oranges-walnut/