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    Home / Recipes / Sauces & Condiments / Homemade Keto Cranberry Sauce

    Homemade Keto Cranberry Sauce

    October 10, 2023 by Keto Cooking Christian 34 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, see Disclosure.
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    Homemade cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes! This Keto friendly version of cranberry sauce is every bit as good as the traditional version!

    closeup of cranberry sauce in white bowl with spoonful
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    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You'll Love this Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce
    • 🛒 What's in Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
    • 🔪 How to Make Keto Cranberry Sauce
    • Will Cranberry Sauce Thicken Without Sugar?
    • How Do You Reduce the Sweetness of Cranberry Sauce?
    • Does Cranberry Sauce Have a lot of Carbs? Are Carbs Cranberries Keto Friendly?
    • How Many Net Carbs are in Cranberry Sauce?
    • Can I Freeze Cranberry Sauce?
    • ☑️ Storage Instructions
    • 🍴 Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce
    • 🍽️ More Keto Thanksgiving Side Dishes
    • More Keto and Low Carb Sauces

    ❤️ Why You'll Love this Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce

    • Fresh cranberries made into a sugar-free cranberry sauce
    • Perfect balance of sweet and tartness
    • Made with just a few healthy ingredients
    • Takes only 15 minutes to make
    • Vegan, gluten-free and family friendly

    When I first transitioned to Keto I was afraid I would have to miss out on one of my favorite holiday side dishes.

    But with a few substitutions, this homemade Keto-fied cranberry sauce came to the rescue and you know what? You'll never be able to tell it's sugar free! Trust me, it's that good!

    If you have leftovers, don't worry because I've included some great recipes you can put that leftover cranberry sauce to good use with below. In fact, they're so good, I always make a double batch, just to be sure I have some left over.

    You can also spread some over pancakes or waffles, use in a protein shake or even make a Cranberry Vinaigrette with it! Ah, go ahead and a double batch! With all the recipe possibilities, you're going to need it.

    🛒 What's in Low Carb Cranberry Sauce

    • Cranberries
    • Water
    • Orange
    • Lemon juice
    • Allulose (or equivalent)

    *Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

    🥣 Recommended Tools

    • Saucepan

    🔪 How to Make Keto Cranberry Sauce

    Add the water, orange zest and sweetener to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

    water, sweetener and orange zest inn saucepan

    Add in the cranberries and lemon juice, then simmer on low for 12-15 minutes or until the cranberries burst open. Be sure to stir occasionally.

    cranberries in saucepan

    If you want your sauce a little chunky, cook closer to 12 minutes, if you want a smoother sauce, cook closer to 15 minutes.

    Keto Cranberry Sauce in saucepan partially cooked

    The longer it cooks, the more the cranberries will break down.

    Keto Cranberry Sauce in saucepan with spoonful held over

    Remove from the stovetop, transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

    And it's that easy! With 5 ingredients and a just a few minutes and you can enjoy your favorite Keto Thanksgiving recipe to accompany your turkey, Keto Gravy and Keto Stuffing without the worry of blowing your macros!

    Will Cranberry Sauce Thicken Without Sugar?

    Sugar is not needed to thicken cranberry sauce. The pectin in the lemon juice helps to achieve that. If you're wondering, "Can you eat cranberries without sugar?" You can, but because fresh cranberries are rather tart, so most likely you'll want to use some sort of sugar substitutes.

    I recommended Allulose Powdered. If you can't find allulose, you can use Swerve confectioners, Monk Fruit, Erythritol, or a combination of them. You'll want to use the powdered forms of which ever type sweetener you choose. I prefer allulose because it has no cooling after effect. See recipe card for substitution amounts.

    How Do You Reduce the Sweetness of Cranberry Sauce?

    If you got a little heavy handed with the sweetener and you're needing to tone it down, you can add little more lemon juice. Add a little at a time until you get it just the way you like it.

    cranberries in white bowl

    Does Cranberry Sauce Have a lot of Carbs? Are Carbs Cranberries Keto Friendly?

    The holidays were approaching when I first began my low carb journey. One of the first things I had to find out was, " Is cranberry sauce good for weight loss? Can I eat cranberry on Keto?" I was so happy to find out that in moderation cranberries are perfectly fine on Keto or any low carb diet.

    Since you're not likely to sit down and eat a whole bowl of cranberry sauce, though it's SO good you may be tempted, a serving along side your turkey will have minimal impact on your carb allowance.

    If you are worried about using the orange zest, you can always just substitute it with a little orange extract. But truly, the orange zest doesn't change the carb count enough to worry about.

    How Many Net Carbs are in Cranberry Sauce?

    This recipe makes 6 servings. Cranberry sauce has so much flavor, a little bit goes a long way. And with only 4 net carbs per generous serving size in this sugar free cranberry sauce you can enjoy it guilt-free.

    Can I Freeze Cranberry Sauce?

    Absolutely. All you have to do is take it from the fridge, place it in an air tight container and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the sauce before closing the lid on the container. It will keep for about a month in the freezer.

    To thaw it, just place it in the fridge over night then set it out on the counter for about 30 minutes prior to serving it.

    ☑️ Storage Instructions

    Store leftover cranberry sauce in an airtight container for 4-5 days or freeze.

    🍴 Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce

    If you happen to have some leftover cranberry sauce, you can put it to good use with any number of these recipes:

    • Cranberry Vinaigrette: Serve this sweet and tangy dressing over your favorite salads or use as a marinade before grilling chicken, steak or seafood.
    • Baked Brie with Cranberry: Brie cheese baked until melted and gooey and topped with cranberry sauce makes the perfect party appetizer.
    • Cranberry Smoothie: Quick and easy to make, this smoothie is cool and refreshing! Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder and make it a Keto meal replacement shake.
    • Cranberry Sauce and Walnut Muffins: Serve these warm and fluffy muffins for breakfast, brunch or enjoy as an afternoon snack.
    • Cranberry Walnut Crumble Bars: Baked buttery shortbread-like crust with sweet cranberry filling and topped with a cinnamon streusel topping, these bars are an absolutely delicious Keto sweet treat!

    🍽️ More Keto Thanksgiving Side Dishes

    • Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
    • Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Cauliflower
    • Easy Creamed Spinach
    • Cheesy Roasted Asparagus with Crispy Prosciutto
    • Jalapeño Popper Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese
    • Easy Sautéed Mushrooms
    • Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Casserole
    • Herb Sausage Stuffing
    Keto Cranberry Sauce in white square bowl with sliced oranges and cranberries in background

    More Keto and Low Carb Sauces

    • Raspberry Sauce
    • 5 Minute Lemon Curd
    • Strawberry Sauce
    • Sugar-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
    • Easy Salted Caramel Sauce
    • Blueberry Sauce
    closeup of cranberry sauce in white dish with spoon holding some up
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    cranberry sauce in white bowl with spoonful

    Homemade Keto Cranberry Sauce

    Homemade cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make and only takes about 15 minutes! This Keto friendly version of cranberry sauce is every bit as good as the traditional version!
    5 from 53 votes
    Author: Julianne
    Servings 6
    Print Pin
    Save RecipeSaved!
    COOK 15 minutes mins
    TOTAL 15 minutes mins

    RECIPE VIDEO

    Ingredients
     

    • 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
    • 1 cup allulose, (or ¾ cup Swerve, monk fruit, erythritol)
    • ⅔ cup water
    • zest of ½ an orange
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

    Instructions
     

    • Add the water, orange zest and sweetener to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Add in the cranberries and lemon juice, then simmer on low for 12-15 minutes or until the cranberries burst open. Be sure to stir occasionally. 
    •  If you want your sauce a little more chunky, cook closer to 12 minutes, if you want a smoother sauce, cook closer to 15 minutes. The longer it cooks, the more the cranberries will break down. Mine took exactly 14 minutes, which was perfect for me.
    • Remove from the stovetop, transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Store leftovers in an airtight jar for 5-6 days.

    Recipe Notes

    *Makes about 2 cups
    This recipe uses allulose, because it doesn't have the cooling after effect.  If you can't find allulose, you can substitute with ¾ cup of Swerve confectioners, monk fruit, erythritol or any combination of them.  

    *Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.

    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Calories 26kcal
    Nutrition Facts
    Homemade Keto Cranberry Sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    26
    % Daily Value*
    Carbohydrates
     
    7
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    2
    g
    2
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    *Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.

    © Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.

    Rate this Recipe

    *Originally published on November 20, 2018, updated on October 10, 2023 with improvements to the recipe, photos, new recipe information and helpful tips.

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    Filed Under: 30 Minutes or Less, Posts, Recipes, Sauces & Condiments, Sides, Sweet Sauces Tagged With: best keto recipes, best low carb recipes, easy keto recipes, easy low carb recipes, gluten free recipes, homemade cranberry sauce, keto, keto cranberry sauce, keto diet, keto recipes, keto thanksgiving recipes, ketogenic diet, low carb cranberry sauce, low carb recipes, low carb thanksgiving recipes, thanksgiving recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 53 votes (44 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tammie

      December 14, 2024 at 8:42 pm

      Have you ever served the cranberry sauce warm? I am going to use your recipe & possibly mix in Ray's No Sugar Added bbq sauce to go over keto meatballs.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        December 16, 2024 at 9:42 am

        I haven’t served it warm, but that sounds like a great idea, especially with the BBQ sauce over meatballs. I’d love to hear how it turns out!

        Reply
    2. Linda T Richer

      December 12, 2024 at 7:50 am

      I loved the cranberry recipe it was just so easy and versatile. I definitely recommend it.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        December 16, 2024 at 9:41 am

        Thank you so much! I’m glad you found the cranberry sauce so easy and versatile. It’s definitely a favorite around here too!

        Reply
    3. Anne

      October 16, 2023 at 11:05 am

      what is meant by the "cooling after effect" you referred to regarding the use of allulose as opposed to other sweetners. "I PREFER ALLULOSE BECAUSE IT HAS NO COOLING AFTER EFFECT."

      thank you!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        October 17, 2023 at 12:27 pm

        Some sugar substitutes have a cooling effect in your mouth, sort of like a mint.

        Reply
    4. Marlene

      November 24, 2022 at 12:15 am

      5 stars
      I made this today for a cranberry jello salad I make every year. Normally I use a can of cranberry sauce but this year I wanted to try a keto version. Oh wow! Not only was it extremely easy to make, but it tasted WAY better than the canned version. And you know what’s going in it, with no chemicals. I did not have straight Allulose so I used the Besti brand of Allulose with monk fruit. It worked perfectly in my jello salad (well, we’ll know for sure tomorrow). I cannot thank you enough for this!!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 24, 2022 at 9:01 am

        It really does taste way better than the canned stuff! I am glad you enjoyed it. Save leftovers because I have several recipes on the site that will put them to good use. Happy Thanksgiving!

        Reply
    5. Sandra

      November 21, 2022 at 10:11 am

      5 stars
      This was amazing! My whole family loved it; even my husband who doesn't typically eat cranberry sauce had 2 servings.
      I doubled the recipe so I could try your muffins next. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        March 27, 2023 at 11:37 am

        How great! It's always a win/win when other family members enjoy them.

        Reply
    6. Renecha R

      November 20, 2021 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      I’m excited to make this again! I have a question about sweeteners. I got a great deal on liquid Allulose and thought this would be a good recipe to try it. Do you have any suggestions? I assume I’d omit the water and otherwise follow the recipe. Thanks for any feedback.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 21, 2021 at 1:41 pm

        I have to be honest, I have not tried this recipe with liquid sweetener. I think you're right about omitting or at least reducing the water. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.

        Reply
        • Renecha R

          November 22, 2021 at 11:25 pm

          Thank you for replying. I tried omitting the water and used the same amount of the liquid Allulose as the sweetener the recipe called for (I had adjusted the recipe for 32 ounces cranberries). Because I was almost tripling the recipe, it took longer to cook. I think I overcooked it slightly, but otherwise it worked well.
          I added Serrano peppers to part of it to add to cream cheese for a sweet/spicy/tart dip for the holidays. So many possibilities! Thank you for another great recipe!

    7. Vera

      November 08, 2021 at 6:15 pm

      5 stars
      Perfection! Who knew sugar free cranberry sauce could taste even better than the sugary kind. So good.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 09, 2021 at 9:10 am

        I agree! It really is better than traditional cranberry sauce and I feel a lot less guilty eating it since it is sugar free.

        Reply
    8. Moira

      November 30, 2020 at 6:06 pm

      I look forward to fresh cranberry sauce every year, and with keto, I thought I would have to miss out. Thanks for this recipe! It was great!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        December 08, 2020 at 12:32 pm

        Glad you liked it!

        Reply
    9. Cookie Monster

      November 30, 2019 at 4:24 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks amazing! What are the main vitamins in cranberries?

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 30, 2019 at 4:29 pm

        You're welcome! The main vitamins in cranberries are C, E, K1 Manganese and Copper, but you can read more about the health benefits of cranberries in this article!

        Reply
    10. Lynn Bradley

      November 30, 2019 at 4:20 pm

      5 stars
      Made the keto cramberry sauce it was great. Well be making it again

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 30, 2019 at 4:21 pm

        That's great, thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    11. Stacy

      November 27, 2019 at 10:00 pm

      I followed the recipe above and it seems a little tart to me. What can I do to sweeten it up after it is made?

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 27, 2019 at 10:03 pm

        Hmm, were the cranberries not fully ripe yet? You can add more sweetener on the stovetop and cook just a few more minutes and it should be good to go 🙂

        Reply
    12. Laurie

      November 27, 2019 at 6:22 pm

      First of all, thank you for this recipe and the hard work I am sure went in to creating it. However, I have a question: what do you mean by net carbs if you're not listing the alcohol sugars? Those need to subtracted as well if you want a true net carb count. Are you saying you subtracted the net alcohol sugars ahead of time so that the true net carb count is correct (at 4 carbs per serving - which is kind of high for keto). Or are you saying we need to subtract sugar alcohols on our own, making the net carbs something south of 4 carbs per serving)?

      Thanks, looking forward to hearing you from you soon (tomorrow's the day!).

      L. Stevens.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 28, 2019 at 9:14 am

        The sugar alcohol used in this recipe has has already been accounted for in the net carbs. So each (generous) serving is 4 net carbs.

        Reply
    13. Majestic

      November 27, 2019 at 11:03 am

      5 stars
      I'm going to make this for tomorrow so TYVM for this recipe!!! I see there's a total of 6 servings, but I'd like to know how much sauce is one serving?

      Reply
    14. Kitty

      November 24, 2019 at 8:45 pm

      I'm so excited. I was thinking I wouldn't be able to have cranberry sauce ever again because of the sugar. May I ask, would Splenda work well in this recipe? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 24, 2019 at 10:20 pm

        I've honestly never used Splenda, so I can't say for sure. I'd recommend using either Swerve Confectioners or Monk Fruit/Erythritol Blend.

        Reply
    15. Rebecva

      November 20, 2019 at 8:34 am

      Wondering if you could make ahead and freeze this?

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        November 20, 2019 at 8:18 pm

        I've actually never tried freezing it, so I can't say for sure. I imagine it would work though, because I've frozen my Cranberry Walnut Crumble Bars, which has a layer of cranberry sauce in the center and they thawed out just fine.

        Reply
    16. Donna Herring

      June 04, 2019 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      What if I want no chunks at all in it? Would it be okay to puree it or would that make it more soupy? Perhaps some grass fed gelatin in it? What do you recommend? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        June 07, 2019 at 9:00 pm

        Hi Donna,
        You can puree it and it shouldn't make it soupy, if anything it should thicken it up a little more. It honestly doesn't need any gelatin at all. Funny you mention that because I initially wrote the recipe to include some. But once I made it, I realized the citrus really helped thicken it perfectly, so no thickener was needed.

        Reply
    17. Darcie F

      January 10, 2019 at 5:06 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect for Thanksgiving. Tastes better than the can stuff at the supermarket.

      Reply
      • Keto Cooking Christian

        January 10, 2019 at 5:31 pm

        Thanks Darcie! I'm addicted to the stuff, I've already written a couple of other recipes to use it in! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply

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    Julianne Walser KCC

    I'm Julianne, welcome! I offer tasty and indulgent Keto and Low Carb recipes that will never leave you feeling deprived!

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