Roasted Cranberries

Our roasted cranberries recipe is a simple, sophisticated side dish. It is perfect for your holiday table but easy enough for every day. Flavored with bourbon and orange, this recipe is paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. Our recipe directions allow you to serve this as a cranberry sauce, a savory side dish or as a cranberry dessert!

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We have been posting quite a few holiday/ everyday recipes lately.  Holidays foods often feel heavy and come with an extra helping of guilt. But holiday recipes don’t have to be that way. We also firmly believe that it is possible to get healthier fruits and vegetables into your holiday menus without sacrificing traditions or taste.

We got such a great response to our Sweet Potato Crunch I thought we should share our roasted cranberries recipe with you. This is a Mr. Peel original recipe! We used to eat this as a dessert for Christmas but it has migrated to our Thanksgiving cranberry sauce favorite. And we make it as a side dish the rest of the year.

As you know, I love a recipe that can be easily modified into something new. I have found learning new recipes that can be molded into different dishes makes cooking at home less overwhelming so I am more likely to stick with it.

How to Make Roasted Cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the whole cranberries, orange juice & zest, bourbon, honey, and spices into an ovenproof dish. Stir to combine. Bake for 45 minutes until cranberries are soft and the liquid is reduced by two-thirds.

If you are avoiding alcohol you can substitute water, apple juice or additional orange juice for the bourbon.

Yep, that is it! How easy are these roasted cranberries?  Good food does not have to be complicated to make. To serve we just add some additional orange zest and dig in. (Side note: We recommend this Microplane tool for zesting citrus- durable and useful!).

But what if you want to make these roasted cranberries into a sauce?

How to Make Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the whole cranberries, orange juice & zest, bourbon, ¼ cup of water, honey and spices into an ovenproof dish. Stir to combine. Bake for 45 minutes until cranberries are soft and the liquid is reduced by one- third.

Use an immersion blender to break up about half the cranberries. The cranberry sauce should be chunky but saucy.

How to Make Roasted Cranberry Dessert

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the whole cranberries, orange juice & zest, bourbon, ¼ honey (warmed) and spices into a bowl. Stir to combine.  Divide the mixture into four ramekins. Bake for 35-45 minutes until cranberries are soft and the liquid is reduced by two-thirds. Top with whipped cream or dairy-free paleo whipped topping. Garnish with orange zest and chopped nuts.

Be sure to check out more of our holiday recipes. If you are looking for an everyday way to use up leftover cranberries check out our sheet pan dinner of pork chops with acorn squash and cranberries. It is an easy one pot Fall dinner!

Also, let us know in the comments how you will be making your roasted cranberries.  Side dish, sauce, or dessert?

If you try this recipe, be sure to post a photo on Instagram with #peelwithzeal! Follow Peel with Zeal on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest recipes and posts.

Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Roasted Cranberries

Roasted cranberries, a classic healthy holiday dish that is easy enough for every day. Flavored with bourbon and orange this recipe does triple duty as a side dish, a sauce, and a dessert. 

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, British, Christmas, Healthy, Holiday, Thanksgiving

Keyword: bourbon cranberry sauce, cranberry dessert, cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce with orange, homemade cranberry sauce, roasted cranberries

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 small orange, juiced & zested set aside 1/2 the zest, for garnish
• 2 Tbsp bourbon or apple juice
• 2 Tbsp honey or coconut sugar for vegan
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
  
• Combine all ingredients in a 9-inch baking dish. Stir until well combined.
  
• Bake for 45 minutes or until cranberries are soft and liquid has reduced by two-thirds.
  
• Serve as desired.
  

Notes

• To serve as a side dish- top with orange zest and serve.
• To serve as a sauce- add 3 to 4 tbsp of water before baking. Reduce liquid by 1/3 and pulse with an immersion blender to barely break up the cranberries. It should still be chunky. 
• To serve as a dessert- double honey before baking. Top with whipped cream and orange zest when serving.