Try this easy low carb cranberry sauce recipe for your next festive sugar free feast. Only 4 ingredients and ready in 10 minutes!
How did this happen? Is is really the first of December today? Guys, it seems like yesterday that I was sunbathing on a beach in Ibiza. And today my kids came home from school telling me ALL THEIR FRIENDS had advent calendars and THEY DID NOT.
The guilt!
Now, I’ve got no excuse apart from being, well, busy with other things and somewhat sidetracked regarding the Christmas thing. Even though I love Christmas. Especially Christmas food!
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.
Low carb cranberry sauce is SUPER TASTY and contains only the natural sugars occurring in the cranberries.
Shop-bought cranberry sauce does not only taste meh, it’s also packed with table sugar. You can make your own homemade 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.
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. 1o minutes later you’re good to go!
If you don’t like the idea of booze, you could replace it with some grated orange zest. 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.
A quick word about sweeteners – I find that powdered erythritol works best in this recipe.
This counts especially if you want to make the sauce ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days. Once the sauce cools down, granulated erythritol can re-crystallise. And we don’t want crunchy bits in our cranberry sauce, right? Therefore, if you only have granulated erythritol of xylitol at home, do try to grind it as much as possible prior to using. Stevia could work here as well, if it’s your kind of thing.
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. And you can even freeze it! So if you want to be SUPER ORGANISED, you could make your batch right now and just whip it out for your Christmas feast.
My low carb cranberry sauce is not going to last long. I have discovered it does not only tastes awesome with turkey, but also on yoghurt. We’re all set for breakfast tomorrow then – and I’ve already put in another order of frozen cranberries that’ll arrive in my next supermarket delivery.
You’ve got to be organised for some things, right?
Checking now if they have some advent calendars left, too….
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Low Carb Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Sugar Free)
Ingredients
- 300 g 10.5 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 90 g / 3/4 cup powdered erythritol
- 1 tbsp brandy optional
- 100 ml 3.5 ounces water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a pot. Bring to the boil and cook over a medium heat for ca 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Notes
Nutrition
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Norton Karp says
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 says
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.
Karen says
This sauce is ah-ma-zing! I made it with whiskey because I did not have brandy. Worked a treat!
Katrin says
That’s good to know that other booze works well in this recipe too 🙂
Janet B says
I only have stevia drops at home, which I use with my tea. Do you think I can use them for this recipe?
Katrin says
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 says
I did not realize it was so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce! Brilliant
Katrin says
And even better, it’s sugar free 🙂
Janina says
I’ve got my family coming over for Sunday lunch this weekend. I’ll serve your sauce then – it sounds great
Katrin says
That sounds great! What’s on the menu?
GennaH says
You’re getting me in the mood for Christmas! This sauce looks so yummy…
Katrin says
Thank you! It’s ready in no time at all.