Keto Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce (Paleo) - Make Healthy Recipes (2024)

Both tart and sweet, this Keto Cranberry Sauce is so easy to whip up! Bursting with seasonal flavors like orange and clove, this holiday sauce will go perfectly with your Christmas holiday table or Thanksgiving dinner. With just 6 ingredients and less than 5g net carbs, this sugar-freecranberry sauce with stevia will keep the big day merry and bright for paleo, vegan, and low-carb dieters!

This post was originally published on October 13th, 2021.

I have loved taking my favorite holiday recipes and keto-fying or paleo-fying them over the last 12 years. I didn’t make a sugar-free version of Cranberry Sauce until last Christmas because…someone else always made it! But finally, we were unable to travel for Christmas and I was able to not only conjure up my own sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe but also made a Roasted Turkey along with Gluten-Free Gravy. Delicious!

Traditional cranberry sauce recipes tend to be packed full of sugar and really just don’t fit into a healthy diet or lifestyle. This is the BEST cranberry sauce when you’re on a keto or paleo diet!

❤️Why you will love this Low Carb Cranberry Sauce Recipe

• It’s keto, vegan, and paleo-friendly. This paleo cranberry sauce is all natural with only 5 ingredients and less than 5 g net carbs per serving. Perfect for celebrating the holiday season on a low carb diet.
• The taste of Christmas? Yes, please! Cranberries are laced with ground cloves and freshly squeezed orange juice to give the ultimate cranberry sauce flavor. It is much better than store-bought cranberry sauce, and perfect for any holiday meal.
• It’s easy: Essentially you put everything minus the thickener in a pot for 10 minutes, and then thicken at the end. There’s really not much to this healthy cranberry sauce.
• It’s adaptable: Need it to be sweeter? Go ahead, add another 50g of your favorite sugar-free sweetener.
• It freezes well: Make a double batch to take care of Thanksgiving and Christmas in one go!

🗝️Key ingredients

• Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen cranberries in this homemade cranberry sauce recipe. I used thawed frozen cranberries. Raw cranberries have a small amount of natural sugar in them, but like other berries, you can eat them on the keto diet in moderation.
• Sugar substitute: Stevia is (currently) my favorite zero-calorie sweetener as it’s easy to buy in the UK, but you can use what you have on hand: monk fruit, erythritol, etc. Feel free to add more low-carb sweetener to your own taste preference! I like the tartness of the cranberries.
• Orange juice: Freshly pressed orange juice is best, otherwise check the label of what you’re buying for extra ingredients like added sugar. If you want to boost the orange flavor, grate in some orange zest or drop in a little orange extract.
• Ground Cloves: This brings warmth and spice to this fresh cranberry sauce recipe.
• Xanthan gum: Sometimes the sauce will thicken up on its own (especially if it goes into the fridge before serving) but if it’s not thick enough I use xanthan gum to thicken up the low sugar cranberry sauce at the end. You can also use 1 tbsp tapioca starch instead if you’re on a paleo diet, but this will increase the carb count.

🥣How to make Keto Cranberry Sauce

1. OJ & stevia: Add the stevia and orange juice to the pot or medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until dissolved.

2. Spice and Cranberries: Add the ground cloves, vanilla extract, and cranberries.

3. Simmer: Place the lid in the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Make the thickener: (optional – if the sauce doesn’t thicken on its own) After simmering, remove 4 tbsp of the liquid from the pot. Whisk it with the xanthan gum a little at a time and then return the mixture to the pot, whisking continuously.

5. Whisk: Simmer for 5 more minutes, whisking constantly.

6. Serve immediately with turkey or your preferred holiday dinner.

🫙Storage and Reheating Instructions

• Store: Allow the low-carb cranberry sauce to cool to room temperature and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheat in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it is piping hot.
• Freeze in an airtight container for up to 4 months. I usually make a large batch to cover both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thaw completely before reheating.

❓Are Cranberries Keto Friendly?

Yes! 100g of fresh cranberries has 7.6g net carbs making it perfectly acceptable as a food on the keto diet in moderation. For any store-bought, pre-packaged cranberries or cranberry products, check the nutrition label for added sugar.

🤔Is Cranberry Sauce high in carbs?

Regular cranberry sauce is loaded with real sugar making it very high carb, almost like a jam. Substituting sugar for a natural sweetener reduces the carb count significantly making it keto-friendly.

🤷‍♀️Will Cranberry Sauce thicken without sugar?

It could, but it may take a long time if it does. I used xanthan gum to thicken it instead as it’s low carb and paleo-friendly.

😋More Holiday Recipes you will love

• Easy Keto Apple Crisp
• Keto Sausage Stuffing
• Keto Green Bean Casserole
• The Best Baked Camembert
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

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