Condiment

Orange-Cinnamon Cranberry Compote

Let the cranberries soften in orange juice with enough brown sugar to suit their tartness. Butter gives this small-batch compote a rounded finish.

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Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French-inspired

Bring it to the table

Adjust the sweetness at the end

Start with the smaller amount of sugar, then taste once the berries are cooked. You can add more from the stated range if needed.

At the table

Serve warm or chilled alongside roast meat, cheese or a simple dessert.

Before you start

Gather your ingredients.

Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.

See the ingredient checklist

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tbsp brown sugar — use up to 4 tablespoons for the base batch, to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 orange — zest and juice; cut zest into fine strips or grate finely
1 cinnamon stick

A few useful notes.

The sugar range for the base batch is 2–4 tablespoons.

Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

The cooking plan

How to make Orange-Cinnamon Cranberry Compote.

Melt the butter and measured brown sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring.
Add orange juice, orange zest and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer, then add the cranberries.
Reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the berries soften and the juices thicken to your liking. Taste and add more sugar from the stated range if needed.
Remove the cinnamon stick. Serve warm, or cool promptly and refrigerate in a covered container for chilled serving.

Let’s cook

The full recipe.

Check off ingredients as you get them ready.

Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.

The Broken Scale