It’s not Thanksgiving without the cranberry sauce! This homemade version is tangy and bright thanks to fresh squeezed OJ, warm spices, and just a bit of maple syrup.

Not a fan of the jellied cranberry sauce? Us either! Not only is it one-note and too sweet, it’s often filled with high fructose corn syrup.

Fortunately, all you need is six ingredients and only about five minutes of hands-on time to make your own homemade cranberry sauce. Best of all, you can (and should) prep it a day or so in advance, so you can spend the holiday focused on other dishes!

It’s really easy to prep this homemade cranberry sauce. Start with fresh cranberries, and give them a good rinse. Be sure to remove any mushy ones before adding to a small lidded pot along with fresh squeezed orange juice, ginger, nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick. Pro tip: No cinnamon stick? Just add in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon instead.

Cover the pot and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the cranberries start to burst and get a little saucy. At this point, you can add the maple syrup and cook until the sauce thickens a bit.

Let your homemade cranberry sauce cool thoroughly, then remove the cinnamon stick and store in the fridge until it’s time to serve. Enjoy alongside turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas, or keep some on hand to stir into Paleo yogurt, slather over Paleo pancakes, or even freeze it into ice cubes for a holiday punch!