Every year around Thanksgiving, I make a new variation on cranberry sauce. This year’s version includes fresh cranberries, fragrant orange zest, and segmented orange flesh, and is sweetened with honey. You can see me demonstrating this recipe over on the Food in Jars Facebook page on Monday, November 11, 2018 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT.
Cranberry Orange Compote
Servings: 3 -4 half pints
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberries washed and picked over
- 2 navel oranges zested and segmented
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2/3 cup honey
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold 4 cups of product.
- In a medium pan, combine the cranberries, orange zest and segments, orange juice, and honey.
- Put a lid on the pan, place it on the stove over high heat, and bring the liquid in the pan to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high, remove the lid, and stirring occasionally, simmer until the cranberries pop and the liquid has reduced.
- When you like the consistency of the compote, funnel it into jars, wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process the closed jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- When the time is up, pull the pot off the heat, remove the lid, and let the jars cool gradually in the water for ten minutes.
- When that time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
Hello! Does this need to be canned to be eaten or can it be made and not canned? Looking for something to make for a potluck and if it doesn’t need to actually be canned that would be way easier :). I make the Homemade Cranberry Jelly every year and it is always a huge hit!
You don’t need to can it. That’s just to make it shelf stable.
Sarah,
I would love the Cranberry jelly recipe!
I love your recipes and have all of your books. I don’t like the flavor of honey nor maple. Can I substitute agave in the recipes, like this one that calls for these two ingredients?
You are welcome to use agave in this recipe in place of the honey (they can be used interchangeably). As far as replacing maple, I find that cane sugar is a better substitute.
sounds delish
I’m going to make this weekend- just in time for thanksgiving and christmas gifts.
thanks for sharing.
Hi Marisa,
What is the headspace for the jars?
Anywhere between 1/2 and 1/4 inch is good for this recipe. That’s the default for sweet spreads and jams.
I made a bath of this yesterday and it turned out great! I’ll make a few more batches to put away before the cranberry season is over. Thank you for another easy recipe.
I’m so glad to hear that you like it!
If I had to make this with sugar instead of honey, would I just use 2/3 cup, or maybe more? thanks!
When converting from honey to sugar, you want to increase by about 1/3. So for this recipe, I’d go with a full cup of sugar to have a similar level of sweetness.
Hi Marissa,
Can i use dried cranberries in place of the fresh ones for this recipe?
If yes, how many cups of dried cranberries will it require?
And since dried cranberries are already sweetened, do i still need to add sugar?
Thank you..
This recipe will not work with dried cranberries. They are an entirely different animal from fresh cranberries.
Late to the post, but excited to make this to use up the extra cranberries and oranges I have from Thanksgiving. One question… when you say segment the oranges, do you mean supreme them… cut out just the meat leaving the membranes behind… or do you use the whole orange segment, membranes and all?
Segmenting and supreming are the same thing. You want to cut away the membranes and only take the orange flesh. Here’s a video in which I demonstrated this recipe. https://www.facebook.com/FoodinJars/videos/258702228126566/
Hi Marissa,
Can i use dried cranberries in place of the fresh one for this recipe? If yes, what will the measurement be?
And also since dried cranberries are already sweetened, how many cups of sugar is needed here?
Thank you!
Apologies, didnt notice the response
Thank.you Marisaa
Hi, I have been using your recipes and cookbooks for years, & am revisiting this one. Can I substitute apple cider or concentrate for the orange juice? I have extra from the apples I am just finishing up. Thank you!
I’m curious if maple syrup can be subbed for the honey and still can it. I happen to have more of that sweetener on hand
This is a very high acid recipe, so using maple syrup instead of honey should not present a safety issue.
Hi. Excited to make this as gifts for the holidays. Can this recipe be doubled and still safe for jarring? Thanks.
Doubling doesn’t impact safety, so it’s fine that you do that. Just make sure to use a big enough pot, stir often, and know that the cooking time might be a bit longer than the recipe indicates because of the larger volume.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes.
Ooh, this will be my 2023 Xmas hostess gift! 🎄
Question, can I use pint size jars without any safety issues?
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!
So glad you like the looks of it! You can safely move between pints, half pints, and quarter pints with no change in processing time.
Marisa,
I made this today and I have to say it’s so bright and not too sweet. I’m so excited to serve this Thanksgiving! Came out to a perfect 4 cup jars. Just hope these jars seal now:)
Mary
I’m so glad it turned out so well for you!
Absolutely loved the ease and flavor of this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear it! Thank you!