Sweet Orange Sauce has been a favorite part of our weekend breakfasts for as long as I can remember. My grandmother always served this sauce over her German Pancakes and over crepes.
Sweet Orange Sauce
Every time I make it, I remember times spent with my grandparents. We pour this sauce over pancakes, waffles, miniature German pancakes and just about any other sweet breakfast food.
This sauce is so delicious, that you’ll find yourself licking the spoon. Just try not to drink the sauce before you have the rest of breakfast ready.
These Cranberry Almond German Pancakes pair spectacularly with this sauce. They are loaded with seasonal flavors, making them one of my favorite holiday breakfasts.
Orange Sauce Ingredients
- water
- orange juice concentrate
- sugar
- cornstarch
- kosher salt
- butter
Orange Sauce Recipe
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and set them aside. Combine the water and the orange juice concentrate in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk them together and then add the dry ingredients.
- Cook the mixture, stirring frequently until the sauce is clear and thickened. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Serve warm.
I buy orange juice concentrate specifically to make this recipe. You can open the can of concentrate, remove what you need and transfer the remaining amount to a mason jar. Then simply place it back in the freezer until you need it again.
I’ve tried making this with regular orange juice, fresh orange juice, and even an orange juice reduction. The concentrate delivers the best results every time.
This sauce will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Sweet Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups water
- ⅓ cup orange juice concentrate *
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine the water and the orange juice concentrate in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk them together and then add the dry ingredients.
- Cook the mixture, stirring frequently until the sauce is clear and thickened. This should take about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
{originally published 12/12/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 8/18/22}
Jenn says
Oh my word, I bet that sauce is amazing!! Perfect for those pancakes… and so many other yummy things!!
Elaina Newton says
Mmm! This would taste lovely on french toast, pancakes or a belgian waffle! I never buy concentrate, but now that you'd shown how to keep the excess in the freezer, I think you've sold me. Might have to try this over the holidays when I'm in town with the family. 🙂
Pam says
What a delicious sounding sauce!
growgardengrow says
Yuuuuuuum! Have you ever tried making it with fresh juice or other citrus? Gorgeous photo, btw!
Mary says
I have a lemon sauce on my list to try, but I haven't played with it yet. The starch and the sugars would need to be adjusted for certain. If you do try that, let me know how it works out for you!
Mrry W. says
Corn starch doesn't do well when reheated. How do you get around that when using the remaining sauce during the week?
Mary says
I've noticed in some gravies and many cream sauces, cornstarch doesn't reheat nicely. I've never had an issue with it for this sauce though. Maybe the citrus helps it work (?) I really don't know why it works well, but it does!
Dawn says
I tried it with fresh squeezed orange juice but the orange isnt very intense. Adding the zest of 1 orange helps to make the flavor profile better.
Mary says
You are correct. If you’re using fresh orange juice instead of the concentrate in the recipe ingredients, you’ll definitely need to add the zest. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Can you use stevia or truvia in place of the sugar?
Mary says
I've never tried that myself, but it should work for the flavor. I don't know how it might affect the way it all thickens though. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Philomena Messina says
I didn’t think they sold concentrate anymore, never thought about it, I’ll have to check it out next time grocery shopping, sure sounds good
Mary Younkin says
Philomena – You are right it can be tricky to find. Try the frozen section near the frozen fruit or frozen smoothie ingredients.
Liz says
This sauce sounds yummy I definitely will be trying it!! But I do have a question…long time ago when I was in school I remember having bananas with orange sauce..it was chilled. All these years I’ve never found a recipe to make it let alone find anyone who even knows what I’m talking about. Do you think this sauce will be good over bananas chilled?
Mary Younkin says
Liz – I don’t know if it will be an exact match from your childhood but trying it sounds like a good idea.