Ingredients For Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce
Turkey and cranberries are a match made in heaven. Just like chicken and lemon. This homemade low sugar sauce is basically a jam.
- Cranberries: 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Sweetener: Maple syrup, honey or agave nectar.
For sugar free cranberry sauce: Use equal amount of erythritol or monk fruit sweetener. Both are naturally derived and have virtually zero after taste . For vegan cranberry sauce: Remember to use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Orange juice: Fresh orange juice from a carton or freshly squeezed. It adds nice depth of flavor to tart cranberries, always.
- Optional: Vanilla extract and cinnamon.
Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce 4 Ways
The best sugar free cranberry sauce, with 4 delicious flavor options. Its the perfect keto side dish for all of your holiday celebrations and goes perfectly with turkey or ham.
I love the holidays and I have so many delicious Keto Thanksgiving Recipes. From keto stuffing to the best keto pecan pie, I devote huge amounts of time every year to creating recipes for a healthy and keto-friendly holiday.
And this keto cranberry sauce has been in my family for generations. No really! My stepmother taught me the secret to the best cranberry sauce ever years ago, and I am going to share it with you today. Secret family recipe. You ready?
It goes like this: Follow the directions on the back of the bag.
Now, over the years, Ive put my own little spin on it. Which really means just subbing keto friendly sweeteners for the sugar listed on the bags from every major cranberry producer out there.
Yes, my friends. That is all you need to do to make the best sugar free cranberry sauce. Its seriously as simple as that. But there are also plenty of delicious ways to flavor the basic cranberry sauce recipe, and Ive got several great ideas for you so read on.
Is Cranberry Sauce Good For Diabetics
While cranberry sauce, much like raw cranberry as it is made out of it, has many health benefits, that have already been stated in the article, so theres no use repeating them.
Eating too much cranberry sauce isnt advised for anyone, though. Just like overeating of anything isnt advised.
The extract made of fruit, especially fruit juices and sauces, are naturally high in carbohydrates. Therefore, they should not be the main beverage of a diabetic person since they can raise post-meal blood sugar levels.
The sweeter the cranberry sauce, the more carbohydrates it has. Make sure to try and consume the unsweetened cranberry sauce, especially if you have diabetes.
Furthermore, the GI scale is an important factor to look at when considering certain foods for people with diabetes. GI is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar .
Low-GI food has an index under 55, medium-GI food from 55-70, and high-GI food has an index above 70. Cranberries score between 50-60, depending on how theyre prepared, which positions them low to medium on the scale, and also makes them fairly safe for people with diabetes to consume.
But, more about cranberry sauce and blood sugar level relationship in the next couple of paragraphs.
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Can I Use Another Type Of Sweetener
No! The only important thing to remember is that you cannot substitute the confectioner sweetener for a granulated sweetener. Granulated sweeteners will crystalize as the mixture cools and add a very unwanted crunch to your cranberry sauce. Stick to the confectioner sweetener and this recipe is as easy as it gets!
Making Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce In Advance
You can actually serve cranberry sauce warm or cold, so making it in advance is a great idea. Simmer in a pot to warm up made ahead sauce or serve right away. Store cooked sauce in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I love to use glass mason jar with a lid as it preserves authentic fresh taste.
You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. Make sure you leave room inside the container for sauce to expand. When ready to serve, thaw cranberry sauce on a counter for a few hours. If you like sauce warm, simmer in a small pot on low heat.
This healthy cranberry sauce recipe is so forgiving, your guests wont know if it was frozen before or that is sugar free. So good!
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How Do You Make Cranberry Sauce Less Tart
When you add the Powdered Swerve it sweetens up your cranberries. Just the same way sugar sweetens canned cranberry sauce. Also, the orange zest adds a little sweetness to your low carb cranberry sauce.
If you taste it during the cooking process and you find that for your taste buds you like it a little sweeter then feel free while its still cooking to add a little more swerve.
It wont hurt your sauce at all to add more during the cooking process or even after its done. Just make sure that you blend it well.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce Without Sugar
This sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe is ridiculously easy. It takes just ten minutes. In fact, its so easy that it almost feels strange to call it a recipe.
But, I know that at this time of year many people want to know how to make cranberry sauce with no sugar. If you havent made a whole berry cranberry sauce before, youll never want to go back to the canned stuff.
Youll be happy to know that the process to make low carb cranberry sauce is actually the same as any other cranberry sauce from scratch. All you have to do is simmer together cranberries, water, sweetener, and orange zest. Then, stir in vanilla extract at the end.
The difference is in the sweetener. I prefer confectioners-style powdered erythritol as my sweetener of choice. It blends well into the sauce, keeps longer without crystallizing, has no aftertaste, and is a natural sweetener.
If youll be storing your sauce at all, I highly recommend the powdered version. That way, the sauce wont become crunchy. How long does cranberry sauce last? Id say at least a week in the fridge, as long as your sweetener is powdered or liquid.
If you plan to use your sugar-free cranberry sauce right away, regular granulated erythritol will work just fine, too. You can still use granulated if you think youll have leftovers, but the sauce will crystallize sooner in this case.
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Can You Make Cranberry Sauce Ahead Of Time
Whats nice about this sugar-free cranberry sauce is that you definitely can make it ahead of time and then serve it when youre ready. If youre going to be eating it within a few days of making it, you can keep it in your refrigerator.
If its going to be longer than that, no problem. Just make it when you have time, stick it in your freezer and then take it out a day or so before youre ready to serve it.
Is Canned Cranberry Sauce Healthy
Commercially made canned cranberry sauce is full of sugar, making it a pretty unhealthy choice.
Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce contains 28g of carbs in a ¼ cup serving, with 22g coming from sugar.
Not only that, two of the four ingredients are high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup! And while there is a lot of controversy over whether high fructose corn syrup is worse than table sugar, even the American Diabetes Association recommends eating less foods with added sugar.
The American Heart Association also recommends limiting added sugars, stating that: Its important to be aware of how much sugar you consume because our bodies dont need sugar to function properly. Added sugars contribute zero nutrients but many added calories that can lead to extra pounds or even obesity, thereby reducing heart health.
Thats why making your own low carb cranberry sauce is the perfect solution to that holiday cranberry craving!
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Homemade Cranberry Sauce Vs Canned
In contrast to a low carb, homemade one, canned cranberry sauce is much higher in carbs, 11 carbs per oz. which is much higher.
The jellied kind in a can is even worse, its 28 carbs in ¼ cup.
So you can see that the whole berry version is better than the jellied type but of course, learning to make your own is much lower in carbs and also much better tasting too.
Ingredients And Substitutions For Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
Make our no sugar cranberry sauce with a few simple ingredients for your Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas feast. Most ingredients you may already have in your pantry.
- Cranberries I used fresh cranberries but you can use frozen cranberries if you want. It works either way. However, be aware cranberry sauce made with frozen cranberries will contain more liquids and you may have to decrease the amount of water called in the recipe .
- Water It has no calories. If you prefer, you can use part water and part fresh orange juice or lemon juice. But be aware your keto cranberry sauce will have more carbs because orange juice contains carbs.
- Sweetener Use either powdered monk fruit or Swerve confectioner erythritol. This blends well into the sauce, keep longer without crystallizing, and has no aftertaste. Monk fruit is also a natural sweetener! Powdered sweeteners are better choices than granulated sweeteners for the reasons listed above. But if you will consume the sauce entirely and quite soon, you can use another type of sugar-free sweetener.
- Orange zest It will add extra flavor and a zing to your sauce. If you prefer, swap for ½ to 1 teaspoon of orange extract, lemon zest, or a squeeze of lemon.
- Spices I used ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves plus a cinnamon stick to flavor my sugar-free cranberry sauce.
- Flavorings I added two types to my cranberry sauce recipe: Vanilla extract and also a sprig of rosemary.
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How To Make Sugar
Its so easy to make.
Take one bag of cranberries, which is 12 oz, and put them in a saucepan.
Next, add 1 ¼ cup of powdered Swerve, sweetener. The powdered version is better than the granulated because it dissolves better and adds to the saucy texture.
Grate the outer rind of an orange, which is called orange zest, at least 2 heaping tablespoons. and add it to your mixture.
Pour in 1 cup of water.
Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring at the same time, and cook until the cranberries start to pop.
Turn heat to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until you reach the thickness that you want to achieve.
Some of the cranberries will cook down to mush and some will stay a little more whole. That gives it a good texture.
If you find it needs a little more sweetness, add a little more Swerve. If you want to taste a little more orange flavor, add another tablespoon of orange zest.
Take it off the burner and let cool.
An Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Youll never go back to store bought with such an easy recipe to hand! Only 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes cook time. Its not really even cooking!
Thanksgiving has you juggling all kinds of tasks, but just whip up a big batch of this delicious cranberry sauce and youll be sorted, no last-minute trips to the grocery store.
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Variations On Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
I love nuts in so many foods, so I had the idea of adding walnuts or pecans to this cranberry sauce recipe. The nuts and cranberries are such a good combination!
You could grind them up and make them into small chopped pieces. Either mix them into your low carb cranberry sauce or just garnish them on top and serve.
If you prefer the taste oflemon to orange, you can always substitute lemon zest for orange zest. Use the same portion size.
You could also add Vanilla extract or orange extract which gives it another shot of flavor!
Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce Recipe
If youre planning out all of your low carb Thanksgiving side dishes, but you cant think of a keto swap for the traditional canned shaped cranberry sauce, Ive got great news for you. Not only is this homemade cranberry sauce a sugar free version of the old favorite, but its way more flavorful, bursting with festive holiday colors, and the perfect addition to your keto holiday meal planning.
Gone are the days of congealed cranberry and corn syrup. This sugar free cranberry sauce will be a new seasonal favorite.
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Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
Lets talk about cranberry sauce! Its the neglected, afterthought condiment of Thanksgiving, but no holiday table is complete without it. Cranberry sauce adds a very necessary burst of sweet-tart flavor and ruby red color to an otherwise beige meal.
This naturally sweetened cranberry sauce recipe is much prettier than store-bought, not to mention extra delicious thanks to the honey or maple syrup.
Plus, this homemade cranberry sauce couldnt be easier to make. Its ready in about 10 minutes. If you need a quick and easy Friendsgiving option, sign up for the cranberry sauce!
Heres what youll need to make this cranberry sauce recipe:
- 1 bag of fresh cranberries
- Honey or maple syrup
- Zest from one orange, or orange juice
and a pot to cook it in. Thats it.
Uses For Leftover Cranberry Sauce
- Swirl leftover sauce into yogurt with granola.
- Dollop it into your oatmeal .
- Spread it onto toast topped with almond butter or goat cheese .
- Basically, treat it like jam.
Please let me know how this cranberry sauce turns out for you in the comments. If you have any other fun ways to use up your leftover sauce, Ill add them to the list.
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Is This Weight Watchers Cranberry Sauce Keto/ Low Carb
This gorgeous, delicious cranberry sauce is sure to be a hit this holiday season! It is super quick and easy cranberry sauce recipe to make and does not include any refined sugar.
Instead, it gets its sweetness naturally from ripe pears and a touch of maple syrup. Once you try this recipe, youll never look at store-bought cranberry sauce the same.
It makes it low carb but because it has pears and cranberries, both of which have carbs, it is slightly out of range to be a keto cranberry sauce.
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Making Your Own Keto Cranberry Jelly
Preparing your own keto cranberry jelly is easier than pie.
Honestly, all you need is fresh cranberries, water, sweetener, and unflavored gelatin.
It only takes about 25 minutes to prepare the jelly. The hardest part is letting it set up in the refrigerator. If youre like me, youll poke it with your finger every hour to see how jiggly it is.
As always, I used my favorite zero carb monkfruit sweetener to balance the tartness of the cranberries.
Youll start by bringing the berries to a boil in water. After a few minutes, youll hear some popping sounds. That is the cranberries opening up!
After a few more minutes, everything will cook down and youll notice a sauce forming and sticking to the back of your spoon.
Add in your sweetener, your gelatin, and let it all become one.
A note about gelatin: be sure to purchase unflavored gelatin. Personally, I like to use Further Food Gelatin because it is grass-fed and pasture raised . Each tablespoon of gelatin has 10gofcollagen too. Its great for hair, skin, nails, guts, and bones. Of course, if you want to buy the regular stuff off the shelf at the grocery, by all means, do. I just recommend Further Food whenever I get the chance!
Once the berries have reduced enough, youll strain, strain, straiiiiiiin, strain a foolsorry, I couldnt help myself.
Run it through a fine mesh sieve , cool, and refrigerate.
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Preparing Ahead And Storing
Although this homemade cranberry sauce is incredibly quick to make you can always prepare it in advance if you wish.
You can either store in the fridge in a jar up to 7 days. Reheat it on the stovetop when ready to serve.
Or if you have leftover cranberry sauce you can freeze it down for another day. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months and when ready to use, thaw it in the fridge the night before and then heat it up on the stovetop.
Since this homemade cranberry sauce doesnt contain a high amount of sugar or any preservatives, I would not can this for later.
Are you ready to try this Homemade Cranberry Sauce?! I am so excited to hear what you think.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star rating below and let me know how you get on. Hearing positive feedback is one of the best parts of creating recipes so please review it below and leave a comment!
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The Best Sweeteners For Keto Cranberry Sauce
A few tips depending on what sweeteners you plan to use. If you use all erythritol based sweeteners, your sauce may re-crystallize somewhat as it cools. To avoid this, I recommend using the powdered version and whisking it in only after you have cooked the cranberries and water.
If you prefer to use something like stevia extract, I recommend reducing the water by about half, so that you have a thicker sauce. Concentrated stevia and monk fruit extract have no bulk so they dont help thicken your sauce at all.
My personal preference is for a combination of Swerve and Bocha Sweet, since the Bocha Sweet helps keep the sauce from re-crystallizing. It also helps make it more syrupy and thus more like conventional cranberry sauce.
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