Recipe: Herbal Cranberry Sauce with Rose Hips, Cinnamon & Orange

Danielle Caster
Nov 23, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Nov 15

There's something comforting about the sound of cranberries popping on the stove and the the warm scent of cinnamon drifting through the house this time of year. When I make cranberry sauce, I love adding little herbal touches that bring more depth and nourishment to a classic holiday dish.

This version blends tart cranberries, sweet citrus, and vitamin rich rose hips into a vibrant, deeply flavorful sauce that feels both familiar and a little magical. It's simple, beautiful, and one of my favorite ways to bring more color and nourishment to the holiday table.

Why I love these Ingredients

Cranberries

Cranberries are high in fiber, potassium and vitamin C. They also contain other nutrients like calcium, folate, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Cranberries are also high in antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. So needless to say, adding cranberry sauce to your holiday table can give you that extra boost of vitamins and minerals you might need being around large groups of friends and family during the holidays.

Rose Hips

Rose hips, if you aren’t familiar, are the fruit of the rose plant. These little fruits are also very rich in vitamin c and antioxidants. Which is why I love adding rose hips to my cranberry sauce giving this traditional holiday side a medicinal boost.

Cinnamon

This warming spice is considered a carminative herb. Carminatives help support healthy digestion which can be a welcome benefit after indulging in large holiday meals.

Orange

Most of us have heard that oranges contain vitamin C. Adding orange to this recipe helps bring a sweet citrus flavor to the tart cranberries but also just boosts that vitamin C level even more.

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) of bag fresh cranberries
½ cup of dried rose hips
4 cinnamon sticks
⅓ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of brown sugar
2 medium/large oranges
About 1 cup of water

Note: If making this recipe for a holiday party, you can double or triple the recipe to meet your needs.

Instructions

Rinse cranberries, discarding any that look soft or bruised.
Wash and dry the oranges. Peel one orange and cut the fruit up into small chunks making sure to remove any seeds.
Zest the peel of the second orange, placing zest in a small bowl and set aside.
Using that same orange, juice the orange into a measuring cup. Add water to the measuring cup with the orange juice until you have one cup of liquid total. Set aside.
Combine all of the ingredients in a medium size saucepan and turn the heat to medium/high.
Stir and bring to a gentle boil, let boil for a minute or two and then reduce heat to medium/low and simmer. The cranberries will begin to pop and combine.
Continue simmering on a medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once cranberries have popped and the sauce looks combined, remove from heat.
Allow to cool, then remove cinnamon sticks.
Transfer into an airtight glass container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Enjoy!

Note: The sauce will thicken the longer it chills.

Hi, I'm Danielle, a Clinical Herbalist passionate about supporting women in feeling nourished, finding balance and reclaiming their health with confidence and care.

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