KETO CRANBERRY SAUCE makes the perfect addition to your holiday dinner. Made with fresh cranberries and natural sweeteners, this low carb cranberry sauce is ready in minutes.
I’m curious…did you grow up in a ‘homemade cranberry sauce’ house or a ‘can of cranberry jelly sliced into rounds’ house?
We were the sliced jelly rounds house when I was a kid. I literally never even tasted cranberry sauce until I was an adult, becuase…no. Those oddly jiggly rounds of jelly just were not appetizing to me as a kid.
But now? I looooove cranberry sauce and when I started eating low carb, I was happy to see how easy it is to make keto cranberry sauce.
Anyone else planning on making a leftover turkey sandwich on a chaffle? I like to add cranberry sauce to mine!
Ingredients for low carb cranberry sauce:
This post contains affiliate links.
- Fresh cranberries
- Water
- Powdered Monkfruit Sweetener
- Orange zest
- Cinnamon
I use and love Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener…it’s a blend of monkfruit and erythritol and it leaves no aftertaste and has no affect on blood sugar.
I love Lakanto so much that I asked them for a discount code for my readers. Use code THATLOWCARBLIFE at to get 20% off your order!
Method:
- Add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
- Simmer until berries pop open.
- Refrigerate to thicken sauce before serving.
Tips and Tricks:
Be sure to use the powdered sweetener to prevent your sauce from crystallizing.
Traditional cranberry sauce is made with orange juice instead of water. By swapping in water and adding orange zest, you still get that citrus flavor without all of the sugar. Feel free to swap in a bit of orange juice for the water, if you don’t mind the extra carbs.
The cinnamon is optional, but we love the warm, cozy vibes it gives the cranberry sauce.
More low carb Thanksgiving recipes:
- Cauliflower Stuffing
- Spinach Casserole
- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Keto Stuffing
- Broccoli Cheese Casserole
- Keto Green Bean Casserole
- Cauliflower Casserole
Keto Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 cup powdered sweetener such as Lakanto
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have popped. Mash berries to reach desired chunkiness. Sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or until ready to serve.
Rita says
I have been making homemade, sugar-free cranberry sauce for the last two decades and everyone loves it. The only difference between your recipe and mine is that instead of adding cinnamon, I add clove powder. It adds an extra kick and flavor surprise to the taste buds!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious!
Linda Holland says
I use it as a jam on my toast. It’s fantastic.
Karly Campbell says
Delicious!
Terri says
Have you tried freezing this?
Leigh Clendenen says
Omg! This is amazing!! I live it more than regular cranberry sauce!!! I used King Arthur’s baking sugar alternative. So good! My new recipe from now on!!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Leigh!
Kim Hallock says
I have made this. Its delicious!!!!
Peggy Seager says
This is how i make mine, too! Love this recipe, but i also add lime zest & chile powder
Karly Campbell says
Oh, interesting! I’ll have to try that sometime.
Kathy says
Can stevia be used instead of powdered Monkfruit?
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure how stevia measures or cooks as I don’t enjoy the flavor of it so never use it. If it measures 1:1 for sugar and cooks like sugar, then it should be fine.
Barbara says
I grew up like you did. That stuff from the can just looked gross to me. I started making real cranberry sauce at some point. Apparently I was the only one who would eat it. Usually forgot to put it out and found it when putting away the leftovers. Sigh. I live alone so I made some last year and froze individual portions. Will have to try your recipe with the cinnamon.
Karly Campbell says
Oh, try your leftovers on cheesecake! We do these mini cranberry cheesecakes – so fun and perfect for using it up!
theresa kovatch says
it freezes great . i use an ice cube tray then pop all the cubes into a freezer bag when they are hard and then i can pull out a single serving whenever i want .GREAT for an impromptu turkey dinner or a turkey pot pie .
Terri says
Thanks for the freezing info!
GirlFriday says
Been doing Keto for about 1.5 years and haven’t had cornbread at all on Keto. I decided to make cornbread dressing this year for Thanksgiving (found a great low carb keto cornbread recipe made with baby corn!), so I needed a cranberry sauce recipe to go with it. This cranberry recipe was great! All my life, I was a “jellied-cranberries-shaped-like-the can” girl, so I’ve never made fresh cranberry sauce. I’m now a convert! The only thing I didn’t like was the powdered Lakanto that I used did crystalize, but it just gave it a little extra crunch! Made Thanksgiving perfect again, even though it wasn’t shaped like the can. ๐
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and had a great Thanksgiving! ๐
Ashley says
I really want to try this cranberry sauce recipe. I’m curious if this will freeze well as I’m the only person in the house who likes cranberry sauce.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Ashley! I’m not sure how this would freeze – I know some of the sweeteners crystalize or get funky when freezing but I think the monkfruit/erythritol blend will do okay. I can’t say for sure though.
theresa kovatch says
it freezes great . i use an ice cube tray then pop all the cubes into a freezer bag when they are hard and then i can pull out a single serving whenever i want .GREAT for an impromptu turkey dinner or a turkey pot pie .
Kathleen says
Just made it tonight to try it before Thanksgiving dinner. It’s amazing!!! I could seriously it this like a bowl of soup!!
Karly Campbell says
Haha! Hope you save some for the big day! ๐
viena Yee says
Thanks Karly, tried the cheesecake and loved it. My daughter has asked me to make some for her xmas party. Will try the sauce today with blackberries but confused as your cranberry sauce has water but none added to the strawberry sauce?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Viena! The strawberries should cook down and release their own liquid. Cranberries have a lot of pectin in them, which is what causes the sauce to thicken. Strawberries don’t have much, so I wouldn’t add water or the sauce will be runny. ๐
Teresa says
How long would this last in the refrigerator?
Karly Campbell says
10-14 days. ๐
Sheryl says
I just made this a few minutes ago, and it’s pretty good. I used truvia though, because that’s what I already had on hand. I think it would probably be better if I had used the monk fruit sweetener, but I’m still really pleased with it.
Ree says
Last time I made low carb cranberry sauce it was crunchy because of the sweetener. It wasnโt Lankanto but it was powdered. Does it matter what brand of sweetener I use so it doesnโt get crunchy again. Or is it something else? Thanks.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Ree! Erythritol does have a tendency to crystalize. I find that using the powdered version in this helps keep that from happening. I’ve also heard (but haven’t tested) that adding in a tablespoon or two of Bochasweet can help prevent it from crystallizing.
Vanessa Ali says
Hi – Do you mean using Bochasweet as a replacement to the powdered sweetener in your recipe or ADDING it to it?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried it, but I think either would work.
Gwen says
Yeah a low carb option!!! Thanks for sharing!! Going to try next week
John Goodman says
Could I add a little xantham gum to thicken the sauce like the canned jellied cranberry sauce I grew up with?
Karly Campbell says
Hi John! I’ve never tried, but I think that would help thicken it a bit.
Tara says
Could you add a packet of unflavored gelatin to the cranberries once theyโre cooked and mashed? I like the gelled cranberry sauce. I just made this recipe for the first time today (Thanksgiving 2020) and it tasted AMAZING! I just would have liked it to have a more gelled consistency.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Tara! I’ve never tried, but it’s an interesting idea!
Viena Yee says
Hi Karly I am in Australia and wondering if I can substitute another fruit for cranberries?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Viena! You could make a strawberry sauce. I’d do a pound of sliced strawberries, 1/3 cup of sweetener, and a squeeze of lemon juice over medium heat. Mash the strawberries a bit as they cook to release juice and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. It should thicken up a bit as it cools.
Linda says
How many carbs per ounce?
Karly Campbell says
I didn’t measure this by ounce.
Dianne Craven says
Delish and so easy to make the low carb cranberry sauce, love it!
Darci Fred says
I LOVE jellied cranberry sauce, but now that I’m diabetic, I may have my mom try this recipe this Thanksgiving. I’ve never been a fan of homemade cranberry sauce, mainly due to the orange juice overwhelming the cranberries, but this might be better with the zest instead.
Ruth Turner says
I grew up in a Avoid Cranberry At All Costs household. My father despises cranberries and my mother was Filipino, so she didn’t see the appeal of cranberries. Like my mother before me I married a Texan and he likes cranberries. I can’t wait to try it.
Karly Campbell says
Hope he loves it!