Cranberry Sauce with Mandarin Oranges

Impress your guests with this cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges. It’s the prettiest (and tastiest!) cranberry sauce around.

I’m bringing back a recipe I first shared here years ago — and since then, I’ve tweaked it to make it even better. This is, without a doubt, the prettiest cranberry sauce I’ve ever made. Those bright mini mandarins floating in a pool of glossy cranberries look like little bow-topped gifts under the tree, and they steal the show on any Thanksgiving or Christmas table.

The original inspiration came from Bon Appétit’s Candied Mandarin Oranges with Cranberries.
I’ve simplified the method to make it easier to prepare and to eat at a holiday meal. The combination of honey-sweetened cranberries and juicy mandarin segments is not only beautiful, but genuinely delicious — the kind of cranberry sauce people actually go back for.

How far in advance can I make cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges?

This mandarin orange cranberry sauce will keep well in your fridge for at least a week, making it the perfect Thanksgiving meal-prep recipe!

Can cranberry sauce be frozen?

Yes! Leftovers can be frozen for 3 months.

Tap stars to rate!

4.66 stars (23 ratings)

Cranberry Sauce with Mandarin Oranges Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Rate Recipe Print

• Pin

SaveSaved!

Add us as a preferred source

Impress your guests with this cranberry sauce with mandarin oranges. It's the prettiest (and tastiest) cranberry sauce around!

3

Ingredients

• ▢ 10 mini mandarin oranges
• ▢ 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• ▢ 1 cup honey (can sub sugar – see notes)
• ▢ ¼ cup bourbon (see notes)

Instructions 

• Begin by peeling the mandarin oranges. Set 6 oranges aside whole. Separate the remaining oranges into segments. 
  10 mini mandarin oranges
• Add the cranberries, honey, and bourbon to a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook the cranberries for 5 minutes. 
  12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 cup honey, ¼ cup bourbon
• Add the whole mandarin and segments to the pot and carefully stir them in. Simmer for 5 minutes more then remove the pot from the heat. Let the cranberry sauce cool slightly before transferring it to a jar. 

Notes

Maple syrup is another option for a sweetener, but it will give a different flavor to the cranberry sauce. 

If you don’t have or don’t want to use bourbon, simply sub water.

Not all the mandarins will remain whole after you cook them. Some will come apart into segments, but you should have a few left to place on top when you serve it. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ cup, Calories: 129kcal (6%), Carbohydrates: 32g (11%), Protein: 1g (2%), Fat: 1g (2%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 3mg, Potassium: 143mg (4%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 28g (31%), Vitamin A: 443IU (9%), Vitamin C: 20mg (24%), Calcium: 27mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

Popular Thanksgiving recipes

1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Pretty Sweet Potato Casserole with Peppery Pecan Topping

35 minutes mins

Maple Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Pecans

20 minutes mins

Brandy Mulled Wine Recipe

1 hour hr

Vegan Green Bean Casserole

All Thanksgiving recipes