A quick and easy stovetop keto cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving that adds a touch of orange zest and a cinnamon stick and tastes so much better than any canned cranberry sauce recipe. Plus, it cooks in just 15 minutes! It's a WHOLE LOTTA YUM!
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Are Cranberries Keto?
First things first, can you have cranberries on a keto diet being that most fruits seem to be too high in carbs to be considered keto-friendly? You'll be happy to learn that cranberries can be eaten on a keto diet in small quantities.
Per cup of fresh cranberries, they have a total of 12 carbs and 4 grams of fiber, which means fresh cranberries have 8 net carbs per cup. For this recipe, each serving is ¼ cup, which only has 2 net carbs from the berries per serving!
Low Carb Cranberry Sauce
Is your Thanksgiving table ever complete if you don't have cranberry sauce on the table? Interestingly enough, canned cranberry sauce ranks up there as one of the least liked holiday dishes. The reason? The canned variety doesn't have much flavor and honestly isn't sweetened right.
You'll LOVE this keto cranberry sauce that's a simple homemade recipe on the stovetop that everyone will actually enjoy eating this year! Bonus? No one will know it's a healthy diet sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe.
Not only is this healthy cranberry sauce keto friendly, but it's also gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and low carb.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The keto cranberry sauce is quick and easy and cooks in just 15 minutes.
- No one will ever know this is a low carb cranberry sauce recipe since it tastes just like the traditional version with sugar.
- The touch of orange zest gives you wonderful orange kick without the carbs.
- It stores for a couple of weeks, which makes it a great recipe to cook in advance.
- Easy to customize if you want to use white wine instead of water, want to add brown sugar substitute in place of some of the granulated sweetener, or you can mix in a pinch of cinnamon instead of using a cinnamon stick.
We also have a boozy crock-pot cranberry sauce recipe you could make low carb if you want to check that one out too!
Looking for more keto holiday recipes? Be sure to check out our keto crustless pumpkin pie, Keto broccoli salad, or Brussel sprouts au gratin with bacon.
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredient Notes
You'll never buy store-bought cranberry sauce again once you realize how easy it is to make a keto friendly cranberry sauce recipe!
- fresh cranberries
- monk fruit or erythritol powdered sweetener
- cinnamon stick
- grated orange zest
- water
Step by Step Instructions
Making the homemade cranberry sauce keto recipe is seriously the easiest thing ever! Other than washing the fruit, you just simmer all ingredients together, and then chill it until cool.
Prep Ingredients
Wash the cranberries and the orange you're getting the orange zest from.
Simmer
In a medium-size saucepan, combine the fresh cranberries, powdered sweetener, orange zest, and water.
Bring the cranberry sauce ingredients to a boil, give the ingredients a stir, and put the lid on. Turn the pot down to low to simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries start to pop and the sauce thickens.
Stir the mixture periodically while it's cooking. If desired, the cranberries can get mashed with a potato masher, or you can skip that and leave them as whole berries like we did.
Chill
Let the sauce cool in the fridge for a few hours to set up. It can be served warm or cold.
Makes 2 cups of keto cranberry sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Do not use granulated sweetener, it must be powdered or the cranberry sauce will be gritty once it cools down.
- If you're eating sugar-free but not necessarily low carb/keto, you can also use coconut sugar or maple syrup to sweeten, or mix in one orange cut into pieces.
- After cooking, the cranberry sauce can be mashed with a potato masher or you can leave them in whole form, which is what we did.
- Add a splash of liquor to the pot before cooking if desired.
- To make this in a crock-pot, combine all ingredients and then cook on high for 5-7 hours.
Common Questions
What to serve with low carb cranberry sauce?
Serve the keto cranberry sauce recipe with Air Fryer Herb Turkey Breast, baked cauliflower mac n cheese, Cheesy roasted green beans, and Instant pot Spaghetti squash with garlic parm sauce.
How long does it keep?
Up to 2 weeks in the fridge. It makes a perfect dish to make in advance before a holiday.
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
Yes! The keto cranberry sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months in the freezer.
What if the sauce isn't sweet enough?
Taste the sauce after cooking and if you'd prefer it to be sweeter, add more keto-friendly sweetener to taste and simmer for 5 more minutes.
More Keto Holiday Recipes
- Brussel sprouts au gratin with bacon
- Keto broccoli salad
- oven roasted radishes
- Cheesy roasted green beans
- Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing
- keto crustless pumpkin pie
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Keto Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
An easy low carb and keto cranberry sauce recipe that's perfect for Thanksgiving and it's sugar free. With cinnamon and a touch of orange zest, no one will know this is a keto friendly cranberry sauce recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup monk fruit or erythritol powdered sweetener
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- In a medium-size saucepan, combine the fresh cranberries, sweetener, orange zest, and water.
- Bring the cranberry sauce ingredients to a boil, give the ingredients a stir, and put the lid on the pot. Turn the stove down to low to simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries start to pop and the sauce thickens. Stir the mixture periodically while it's cooking.
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Let the sauce cool in the fridge for a few hours to set up. It can be served warm or cold. The cranberry sauce keeps in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
- Makes 2 cups of sauce, serves 8.
Notes
Do not swap granulated sweetener for the powdered, the granulated turns gritty once the sauce cools.
Add a touch more powdered sweetener at the end if it isn't sweet enough for your tastes. Mix it in to taste and simmer for a few more minutes.
Or add a splash of liquor for a fun touch.
If you're eating sugar-free but not necessarily low carb/keto, you can also use coconut sugar or maple syrup to sweeten, or mix in one orange cut into pieces.
The cranberry sauce keeps for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, which makes this a terrific make-ahead holiday dish. It freezes well too for up to 3 months.
Did you make this recipe?
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