Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce: Easy & Delicious Thanksgiving Camp Meal Side Dish
It seems impossible that camping food with only 4 ordinary ingredients could cause a flavor explosion in your mouth … but this Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce makes it happen! Sweet … Tart … Smooth … Crunchy … this one has it all!
I know, flavor explosions conjure up visions of the Fourth of July but don’t let this blissful epicurean experience confuse you … it is Thanksgiving dinner at the campsite after all. This is one, super-easy, amazingly-tasty 4 ingredient recipe to be thankful for!

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Zesting Fresh Citrus Provides Loads Of Flavor
Camp Cooking Tip: One easy way to get a ton of flavor out of your camping meals without lots of ingredients is by using the zest and juice of fresh citrus.
Even though this recipe has only 4 ingredients, it is flavor packed because of the fresh orange … zest and juice.
I recommend keeping these gadgets in your camp kitchen utensil box: Citrus Zester, Flexible Cutting Mats and Orange Juicer.
How To Use A Citrus Zester
If you have not used a microplane citrus zester, don’t worry, it is really simple. Just hold the zester handle in one hand and rest the other end of the zester on a table with the sharp edge toward the fruit. Hold the citrus in your other hand and gently scrape the peel off of the orange with a back and forth motion.
You only want to remove the colored part of the peel. The underlying white flesh can be bitter so don’t go deep enough to remove that. It is the oil in the brightly colored peel that provides the flavor you want in your recipes.
CAUTION: Be careful and protect your fingers from the sharp zester blade when you use this gadget.
How To Make Easy Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce
Step 1. Into a medium saucepan, zest orange and squeeze juice from it.
Step 2. Mix In Remaining Ingredients: cranberries, sugar and walnuts.
Step 3. Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until cranberries start to pop and sauce is thickened. Should take about 10 minutes.
Step 4. Let cool and chill till set and ready to eat.
Make-Ahead Tips
Camp Cooking Tip: This goes for any big meal at the campsite but especially during the mother-of-all-feasts … Thanksgiving dinner … you don’t have the luxury of counter and refrigerator space like you do at home so do as much prep-ahead as possible.
For this Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce you actually want it to chill and set up before the big meal so prepare this side dish early in the day; cook it, let it cool and then store it in your refrigerator or cooler.
I like using Food Storage Containers that have tight-sealing lids so I’m not worrying about cleaning up spills. They are also great for storing leftovers after the meal. That is, if you have any! LOL
What To Serve With This Recipe
Most people think cranberry sauce is reserved for Thanksgiving dinner. Well, we certainly serve this on the side when we make our Grilled Thanksgiving Camping Turkey Recipe but that is not all.
It is also wonderful when paired with grilled chicken, beef and pork when charred over a charcoal grill or campfire and seasoned with a simple savory dry seasoning blend.
Print This Thanksgiving Camp Meal Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Thanksgiving Camp Meal Orange Scented Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 orange
- 2 cups fresh cranberries if you can’t find fresh you can substitute frozen/defrosted
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, zest 1/2 orange then juice the entire orange.
- Mix in cranberries, sugar and walnuts.
- Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until cranberries start to pop and sauce is thickened. Should take about 10 minutes.
- Let cool and chill till set and ready to eat.
Notes
Nutrition
Turkey & All The Trimmings Dinner
This is one of the recipes we make when we are camping on Thanksgiving. See our entire menu on our Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner At The Campsite post.
Time Your Meal Like A Pro: Tips On Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner At Camp
Get tips for cooking the big meal on our Thanksgiving Dinner At The Campsite With Camping For Foodies post.
Plan The Perfect Thanksgiving Camp Trip
Get trip planning help on our Easy Tips for a Thanksgiving Camping Trip post!
Master Dutch Oven Cooking
Check out our Dutch Oven Camp Cooking Tips post for more helpful info to cook like a pro with your camp Dutch oven!
More Camping Food Recipes
If you’re looking for awesome ideas for yummy camping food, you’re in the right place! Here’s our entire camping recipes list.
What do you think?
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