This easy keto cranberry sauce is a fantastic side for your holiday table with just 4g net carbs. With this healthy cranberry sauce, you don't have to worry about derailing your keto diet during the Thanksgiving holiday celebration!
❤️ Why you'll love it
Cranberry sauce is an essential part of any holiday meal, but unfortunately, most of the homemade or canned cranberry sauce recipes are loaded with sugar! That's not suitable for a low carb diet and will kick you out of ketosis. Fortunately, this homemade cranberry sauce with no added sugar is a deliciously sweet alternative!
This keto cranberry sauce recipe is sweet and tart from the cranberries, which are actually considered a superfood. They are loaded with antioxidants and have been shown to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
🥘 Equipment Used
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To make this homemade keto cranberry sauce, you'll need a medium saucepan and a large spoon. It can also help to have a colander to rinse the berries before cooking them.
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries work best for this recipe, but you can also use a frozen bag of cranberries instead. You can easily get them from a grocery store or farmer's market.
- Keto-friendly sweetener: I like monk fruit powdered sweetener or swerve confectioners for a low carb natural sweetener. Other favorites are allulose or powdered erythritol.
- Lemon juice: You only need a very small quantity of lemon juice.
- Cinnamon: Either cinnamon powder or a cinnamon stick will work fine.
- Orange extract (optional): A little orange extract adds that classic citrus flavor without the carbs. You can also substitute with orange zest.
🔪 How To Make Keto Cranberry Sauce
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil on high heat, then simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst. Watch it carefully to make sure it does not burn.
- Taste and add more sweetener if you wish.
- Your delicious low carb cranberry sauce is ready to eat!
🥫 Storing And Reheating
Store leftover cranberry sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days.
To freeze this sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe, let it cool down completely, then place it in a resealable bag. Seal it well and freeze for a few months.
Let it thaw overnight to defrost. Cranberry sauce is best served cold, so there is no reheating required.
💭 Tips and Variations
- You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for this keto version of traditional cranberry sauce.
- Some optional add-ins include orange zest, vanilla extract, or lemon zest.
- You can use your favorite sugar-free sweetener of choice but make sure you use the powdered version, so it dissolves completely.
- If you can tolerate a slightly higher carb count, replace the lemon juice with orange juice.
- For a floral note, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, you can blend it with an immersion blender after it begins to thicken up.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
This homemade sugar-free cranberry sauce is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner. Eat it with your Thanksgiving turkey and other dishes this holiday season.
Some of my favorite keto holiday recipes are:
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
Are cranberries keto-friendly?
Yes, cranberries are suitable for a keto lifestyle, when eaten in moderation. One cup of cranberries contains just 12.2 grams of carbs and 4.6 grams of fiber, which brings it to 7.6 net carbs. With this keto cranberry sauce, you can enjoy your holiday dinner without all the excess carbs. It is the perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving table while on a keto diet!
Will cranberry sauce thicken without sugar?
Yes, homemade cranberry sauce will thicken without sugar. Fresh cranberries are high in pectin, which causes it to thicken quickly and easily. This sugar free cranberry sauce uses a sugar substitute for sweetness, not to thicken it up! Also, make sure you don't use excess water when making this healthy cranberry sauce, so it does not become watery.
How do you thicken low-carb cranberry sauce?
The great thing about working with cranberries, especially on a keto diet, is that they're naturally low in sugar, high in fiber, and they are also high in pectin!
Pectin helps thicken sauces and jellies as they cook. To release the pectin in cranberries, you just need to heat the berries. They'll first look runny as the berries release their moisture, but then you'll notice it thickening up.
If your cranberry sauce looks thin, let it keep cooking. You want to see the sauce coat the back of the spoon instead of just running off. Also, the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools too! It doesn't need to be perfectly firm in the pan, and if it is, it's likely overcooked.
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📖 Recipe
Keto Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz cranberries
- ¾ cup monkfruit powdered sweetener
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange extract optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.12 oz cranberries, ¾ cup monkfruit powdered sweetener, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon orange extract
- Bring the ingredients to a boil on high heat, then simmer on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst. Watch it carefully to make sure it does not burn.
- Taste and add more sweetener if you wish.
- Your delicious low carb cranberry sauce is ready to eat!
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe.
- Some optional add-ins include orange zest, vanilla extract, lemon zest, or a little orange extract.
- You can use your favorite sweetener of choice but make sure you use the powdered version, so it dissolves completely.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
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