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    Home » Simple Vegan Recipes

    Easy Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce - a family recipe!

    Published: Feb 1, 2013 · Modified: Mar 15, 2019 by Becky Striepe · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Recipe Video Print

    Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce was always a staple at holiday meals when I was a kid. We've been making it exactly like this for decades.

    Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce was always a staple at holiday meals when I was a kid. We've been making it exactly like this for decades.

    Orange Cranberry Sauce

    This orange cranberry sauce recipe isn't a fancy, from-scratch situation, so get your can opener ready! What it IS is quick, easy, and addictive.

    My mother-in-law, Lynn, was under-the-weather on Christmas. Since I'm pregnant, she stayed at the hotel rather than risk giving me a stomach bug. I was bummed that she couldn't make it, so we sent my father-in-law, Denis, back with lots of leftovers, including a big container of my family's Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce.

    We figured that at least she'd get a proper meal when she was feeling better.

    A person holding a bowl of orange cranberry sauce

    We saw both of them the next day. Lynn was feeling better, and Denis could not stop talking about the orange cranberry sauce! Apparently, his sick wife hardly got a bite, because he devoured the whole container that we sent home with him, and he plowed through most of the leftover sauce that evening.

    He asked for the recipe, and I thought that if Denis loved it this much, maybe some of you would like to try it, too!

    person dipping a spoon into a bowl of orange cranberry sauce

    Of course, this is yummy alongside traditional holiday food, but I stirred a couple of big spoonfuls of the leftovers into my morning yogurt instead of my usual mix-ins. Recommended! It's also lovely stirred into oatmeal or eaten straight out of the container. I won't judge!

    Orange Cranberry Yogurt

    How to Make Your Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce

    This sauce is very flexible, and I'm going to quickly walk you through variations, in case you want to mix things up.

    There are a couple of things that aren't optional. You definitely want to use whole canned cranberry sauce. Do NOT use the jellied kind of canned cranberry sauce, because this recipe is all about texture.

    If possible, find one sweetened with sugar, rather than corn syrup, because I find you get a better result. It's not the end of the world if you use corn syrup-sweetened sauce, though.

    Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

    You also can't skip the lemon juice or mandarin oranges. They are crucial to this recipe.

    The recipe calls for raisins, but you can use currants or any chopped dried fruit of your choice. I like using chopped dried apricots sometimes - yum!

    person dipping a spoon into a bowl of orange cranberry sauce

    If you don't do nuts or just don't like walnuts, you've got some options. You can skip the walnuts completely, and this recipe is still lovely, but I do like it best with a little bit of nutty crunch. Instead of walnuts, you can use pistachios almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds. Make sure you choose roasted nuts, because they won't soften as much (though you do want them to soften a bit, so their flavor incorporates into the sauce).

    📖 Recipe

    overhead photo of orange cranberry sauce on a table

    Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe

    Mandarin orange cranberry sauce was always a staple at holiday meals when I was a kid. We've been making it exactly like this for decades.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Holiday, Vegan
    Keyword: mandarin orange cranberry sauce, orange cranberry sauce
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Calories: 97kcal
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • 2 14 ounce cans whole cranberry sauce - NOT the jelly kind - you want whole berries in there
    • 1 15 ounce can mandarin oranges - drained
    • ¼ cup raisins
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice - OR triple sec
    • ¼ cup toasted walnuts - optional

    Instructions

    • Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl you’re going to use for serving, stirring gently so you don’t break up the orange pieces too much.
    • Chill for at least an hour, if you can, before serving, so the raisins can soak up the lemon juice and the juice from the sauce. You can make this a couple of days ahead if you like -- it keeps beautifully for up to a week.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Mandarin Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    97
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    1
    g
    2
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    0.1
    g
    1
    %
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    0.2
    g
    Sodium
     
    3
    mg
    0
    %
    Potassium
     
    25
    mg
    1
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    22
    g
    7
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    17
    g
    19
    %
    Protein
     
    1
    g
    2
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    22
    IU
    0
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    1
    mg
    1
    %
    Calcium
     
    4
    mg
    0
    %
    Iron
     
    0.3
    mg
    2
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe? Share your photo!Mention @GlueAndGlitter on Instagram or Twitter!

    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Peggy

      April 14, 2022 at 12:23 pm

      I add pineapple tidbits.
      My husband doesn't care for nuts so I omit them.

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        April 15, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        That sounds lovely, Peggy!

        Reply
    2. Jes

      February 01, 2013 at 4:49 pm

      Omg, cranberry sauce w/ Triple Sec? That's brilliant! (Even if you didn't do it this year.) That sauce sounds amazing any time of the year!

      Reply
      • Becky Striepe

        February 02, 2013 at 10:15 am

        It is so good. I definitely want to make some with the Triple Sec once this baby gets here and I can have a bit of booze again!

        Reply

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    About Me

    photo of Becky Striepe
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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