This low carb cranberry sauce is perfect for your festive celebrations! Keto and sugar free recipe.
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Is there anything better with a roast turkey than a wonderfully tangy cranberry sauce? But standard ingredients to this classic condiment are fresh cranberries, sugar, and orange juice. Cranberries themselves aren't too bad – one cup contains 7.4g net carbs, so they're actually lower in carbs than something like blueberries – but of course they're not so sweet!
By the way, dried sweetened cranberries are very high in carbs – so make sure you stay WELL away from them. Unsweetened are obviously much better – but here's a quick comparison chart for you:
| Fresh | Dried, Unsweetened | Dried, Sweetened | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 3g | 11g | 33g |
| Fiber | 1g | 3g | 2g |
| Net Carbohydrate | 2g | 8g | 31g |
| Data is per ¼ cup |
I realize that you're getting a lot more fruit after the cranberries have been dried when you measure by volume – but I think it's handy to know how they compare!
So what about store-bought cranberry sauce? Either the jellied or the whole berry kind in a can is about 25-28g net carbs for a quarter cup, which is WAY too high for us low carbers.
The answer, of course, is to make your own. We've ascertained that the fresh cranberries are OK, and we can substitute our sweetener of choice for the sugar. But what about the orange juice? The answer is a combination of water and orange extract. Simple, effective – but not very original – I also use it place of orange liqueur in my low carb margarita recipe!
How to Make Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
To make my version of cranberry sauce, add the fresh cranberries, water, low carb sweetener (I used Lakanto – get 20% off if you use coupon code SAFTC!), and orange extract to a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer until all the fruit has popped and a thick sauce has formed.
Let cool slightly, then test for sweetness. If more is required, add a few squirts of liquid stevia until it is to your liking.
This is going to be the perfect condiment to go with your festive meal!
Got leftover cranberry sauce? Try my Low Carb Cranberry Sauce Muffins or my Brie and Cranberry Bombs!
Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
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Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup Lakanto or similar sweetener
- ¼ tsp orange extract
- few drops liquid stevia optional
Instructions
- Place the cranberries in a saucepan and remove any that are soft and/or brown.
- Add the water, sweetener and orange extract. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce to a medium heat. The cranberries will start bursting and the sauce will form after about 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Add liquid stevia to taste, if required.
Notes
Nutrition
This cranberry sauce was originally published as part of this Cornish Hens recipe.
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Josie Mathis says
Are you kidding me! This is absolutely delicious!!! It was perfect. I didn’t need the liquid stevia, but I added a couple drops of vanilla. I’m gonna eat this cranberry sauce like a heathen…lol Thank you!
Georgina says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Carla says
Hi Georgina, will be making this next week. I have a question…. I’ve seen in several recipes (not just this one) that calls for a sweetner AND liquid stevia. Why both?? Just curious. Thank you for all the time you spend making all these wonderful recipes for us.
Georgina says
Great question! I think it’s because liquid stevia is so hard to measure accurately. So a granular sweetener is better for recipes (although there is still always the personal taste aspect!). So the granular sweetener is the starting point, and my suggested amount. However, if it isn’t sweet enough for you, adding liquid stevia is a much quicker way to adjust the sweetness, and you don’t have to wait for the sweetener to dissolve into the sauce. I hope that helps!
Jen says
What other berries would this work with? I’m in Aus and haven’t ever seen fresh cranberries.
Georgina says
I haven’t tried it with any other berries – but off the top of my head then I would imagine that blueberries would work well. You might also like to check out my Low Carb Berry Sauce!