Try this easy low carb keto cranberry sauce recipe for your next festive sugar free feast. Only 4 ingredients and ready in 10 minutes!
Table of contents
There is something wonderfully comforting about festive food. I love the ritual of eating the same trusted and tested meals during December. Our Christmas menu is set in stone - a mix of German, British and Caribbean representing the origins and heritage of our family. Then there are the highlights leading up to the big feast - such as gingerbread cupcakes, this uber chocolatey spiced chocolate torte or my famous German cinnamon stars.
Since I've begun eating sugar free and low carb, I have altered some items in my Christmas repertoire. Friends, my carb-loving children don't even know this has happened.
Like this gluten free keto cranberry sauce! It is SUPER TASTY and contains only the natural sugars occurring in the cranberries. I'm serving it every year with my Low Carb Keto Turkey. I also use a variety of this sauce in my Keto Cranberry Streusel Bars.
Shop-bought cranberry sauce does not only taste meh, it's also packed with table sugar. You can make your own homemade cranberry sauce with only 4 ingredients (one of which is water, so that might now even count). In fact, homemade low carb cranberry sauce is SO SIMPLE I'm kind of embarrassed to call it a recipe.
How to make keto cranberry sauce
All you need to do is boil some fresh or frozen cranberries with powdered erythritol and water (and my secret ingredient - a tablespoon of brandy).
The pectin in the fruit helps the sauce thicken all on its own. You stir it a bit this way and a bit that way, until some of the berries begin to pop. 10 minutes later you're done!
Do bear in mind that the sauce thickens further once it cools down, so don't worry it it looks a tad runny when you take it off the stove.
Recipe variations
If you don't like the idea of booze, you could replace it with some grated orange zest plus a squeeze of lemon juice and make an orange cranberry sauce. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and a tiny pinch of cloves would also work well here.
If you really, really like the idea of booze, you can also use 100ml of white wine instead of water. This would up the carb count slightly, but not much. 100 ml of Sauvignon Blanc, for example, only has 2 net carbs, which would be divided across 6 portions.
Which sweetener is best
I used powdered erythritol for my sugar free cranberry sauce. An erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend or a blend with stevia will also work well - as long as it is powdered. Erythritol crystallises as it cools, that's why a granulated variety will not work as well. We don't want any crunchy bits in our sauce, right?
Xylitol, allulose and Bocha Sweet dissolve better and will work as well.
How to store sugar free cranberry sauce
Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.
Keto Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes
Here's a selection of low carb recipes to serve at Thanksgiving:
EASY Sugar Free Keto Pecan Pie Recipe
Low Carb Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
The Ultimate Low Carb Keto Turkey Recipe (tastes like a dream with fresh cranberry sauce!)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Parmesan
Keto Pecan Pie Frangipane Bars
More keto cranberry recipes
Below are more easy Keto Recipes using cranberry as an ingredient.
My keto cranberry bars always hit the spot.
These keto mince pies contain dried cranberries.
Sugar free dried cranberries are a delicious snack.
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Keto Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Sugar Free)
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 300 g / 10.5 oz cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 90 g / ¾ cup powdered erythritol
- 1 tablespoon brandy optional
- 100 ml / 3.5 oz water scant ½ cup
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a medium heat and cook for circa 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Notes
Nutrition
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First published in December 2017. Updated in November 2021.
Attila
Hello,
Does the 10-minute cooking time apply to frozen or fresh? Or is it the same for both?
Do I need to defrost the frozen berries first?
Thanks.
Katrin Nürnberger
You don't need to defrost the berries. Frozen berries will need a couple minutes longer. Although it should also depend on the size of the berries. Simply cook until it's nice and thick.
Attila
Thanks!
I made it from frozen berries and roughly a good 10-11 minutes after boiling were enough. The taste is nice and it is really sweet. I think with this I'm ready for pancake day 😀
Alison Tuohey
Hi, I can only get dried cranberries. Can I use these? Thanks
Katrin Nürnberger
In theory you could, because all you'd need is to add water again. But first of all, most dried cranberries contain sugar. And also, you may not be able to get a properly juicy sauce using dried cranberries. I'd see if you can find frozen fresh cranberries somewhere. They are normally for sale all year round.
Alison Tuohey
I'm in Spain and just can't get them. I'll have a bash with dried and keep you posted. Many thanks 🙂
Autumn02
Excellent !!!!
Philippa
I made 2 batches, one with stevia and another with ground up erythitol. Threw the stevia version away - didn’t like the aftertaste, but the other was amazing .... I’ll be having that with yoghurt, cheese, Turkey, ham ......
Catherine
Yum! Made my first batch with orange zest. It's delicious! And perfectly sweetened, without the overload of sugar from the canned stuff. Next time, I'll make it plain. My husband is a purist! Can't wait to try this on yogurt in the morning. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Norton Karp
The recipe sounds interesting. And I have a question; My local market doesn't carry powdered erythritol and I'm not a fan of Stevia. Can I use any other artificial sweetener like Sweet 'n Low, or Equal?
And also, how would it taste on ice cream? I've never seen cranberry flavored ice cream and I was wondering if the combination might be conflicting and cause it to be bitter. What has your experience been?
Thank you for the recipe and I look forward to making it for Thanksgiving.
Katrin
Hello, I would not recommend artificial sweeteners such as sweet'n'low or Equal. I think they're ok as a one-off, but not good for regular use. Erythritol or xylitol are sugar alternatives of natural origin and are not harmful for our bodies. If you can, get hold of erythritol, even if it's in granulated form. You can always grind it down in a food processor or with a pestle and mortar. You can order it from Amazon if you can't get it in your supermarket, or from Lakanto.
I think using it on ice cream is a GREAT idea. I have never tried it, but can imagine it would be delicious. You could make your life really simple and use a vanilla ice cream and put a cranberry swirl through it.
Lisa woods
Erythritol granular can be made in powdered by putting it into a bullet type blend
Karen
This sauce is ah-ma-zing! I made it with whiskey because I did not have brandy. Worked a treat!
Katrin
That's good to know that other booze works well in this recipe too 🙂
Janet B
I only have stevia drops at home, which I use with my tea. Do you think I can use them for this recipe?
Katrin
You can give it a try, though I do find that erythritol has the least amount of aftertaste. If I use stevia in recipes, I tend to mix both stevia and erythritol. My stevia drops equal 4 drops = 1 tsp of sugar. Start with 16-20 drops and take it from there?
Marisa
I did not realize it was so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce! Brilliant
Katrin
And even better, it's sugar free 🙂
Janina
I've got my family coming over for Sunday lunch this weekend. I'll serve your sauce then - it sounds great
Katrin
That sounds great! What's on the menu?
GennaH
You're getting me in the mood for Christmas! This sauce looks so yummy...
Katrin
Thank you! It's ready in no time at all.