Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce, Easy Recipe

Cranberry sauce is a must-have for Thanksgiving dinner, but did you know only one serving has about 20 grams of sugar?

What if I told you cranberry sauce is still delicious if you make it at home, without sugar, in only 20 minutes?

This sugar-free, orange-flavored cranberry sauce is festive and vibrant and will help you stay healthy even during the holidays.

A healthier sauce for the holidays

One serving of canned cranberry sauce has about 20 grams of sugar. That’s more than the total daily recommended amount of sugar for an adult.

Can you imagine how it adds up with all the other festive dishes? If you want to avoid a sugar hangover and keep your immune system strong, choose healthier versions of these holiday classics.

There are 9 grams of net carbs per serving (1/4 cup) of this low-carb cranberry sauce compared to about 28 grams of net carbs in a serving (1/4 cup) of classic, canned cranberry sauce, which you find in a grocery store.

This sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe is:

• Sugar-free, keto-friendly, and only has a small amount of natural, zero-calorie sweetener
• It’s lectin-free, sugar-free, and compatible with most diets
• Easy to make, ready in 20 minutes
• Easy to store for up to one week
• Versatile: works with both savory and sweet treats like muffins
• It has only 5.6g of naturally occurring sugars per serving (and 3.3g of fiber), compared to over 20 grams of refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup in canned sauces.
• It is rich in vitamin C
• It’s delicious and festive looking

What do you need to make homemade cranberry sauce?

This quantity makes a little more than 1 cup of sauce (4-6 servings).

• 250 grams of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 tablespoon natural sugar-free sweetener (like Erythritol with Stevia, Monk Fruit, or Allulose), adjust to your taste and depending on the power of your sweetener. The sweetener I used has a 1:2 conversion to sugar. If yours is a 1:1, then use 2 tablespoons. Taste and adjust to your liking.
• Juice of 1 orange
• Zest of 2 oranges (make sure they are organic and the skin is edible)
• Pinch of salt
• Optional, but recommended: a pinch of allspice, a pinch of licorice powder
• Optional: a cinnamon stick

How to make sugar-free cranberry sauce?

One of the reasons you should make cranberry sauce at home is that it’s very easy.

Add the cranberries, water, orange juice, and sweetener to a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until all the cranberries pop and the sauce thickens. Add the salt, spices, and fresh orange zest, and that’s it!

Allow it to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate.

This cranberry sauce is healthy, delicious, easy, and fun to make.

How to serve this healthy cranberry sauce

This sugar-free cranberry sauce is perfect with roasted meat, pork, chicken, or turkey or with roasted vegetables. Use it as a sandwich spread if you have leftovers.

Try it with our Orange Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Cranberry Sauce.

While this sauce complements savory dishes, try it with our Breakfast Sweet Potatoe Muffins or Ginger Turmeric Sweet Potato Muffins. It’s delicious.

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