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Get It NowEveryone Asks Me For This Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce Recipe
I make this fresh, sugar free cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving every year. (In fact, it’s my oldest Thanksgiving recipe, from 2016.) And every single year, everyone at the table — including my extended family that isn’t even trying to eat healthy — eagerly gobbles it up. Here’s why everyone asks me for this no-one-will-ever-know keto cranberry sauce recipe:
- Tastes just like regular cranberry sauce – Your family and friends won’t be able to tell the difference! I don’t say this about many of my keto recipes (even when I love them), but with this one it really is true. My sugar free cranberry sauce recipe is just the right balance of sweet and tart, with no aftertaste.
- Customizable texture – You can make it runny, more jelly-like, or somewhere in between! Just see my tips below to adjust.
- 4 simple ingredients – Plus water, but who counts that? And you can whip it up in just 10 minutes.
- Healthy, sugar free, keto, and diabetic friendly – This sauce has just 4g net carbs and 27 calories per generous serving (1/4 cup). And no preservatives or processed stuff!
- Make it ahead – There’s enough to worry about around the holidays! My no sugar cranberry sauce stores beautifully and tastes fresh for a long time after you make it.
- Versatile for Thanksgiving and beyond – Yes, this is a must-have for roasted turkey, but don’t stop there. I also love this sauce over baked chicken breast and keto meatballs, and even stirred into Greek yogurt with my low carb granola or healthy granola.
If you’re looking for “something extra” that will surprise everyone at your Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering (and make them rave), this sugar free cranberry sauce is it. Make it with me this holiday season!
“I made this the day before Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit. Thought it would be better if it sat all night. Even the people in my family that do not do keto loved it. No one knew it had no added sugar until I told them. Will definitely make this again next year!”
-Kiki
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my sugar free cranberry sauce, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Cranberries – You can use fresh cranberries or frozen ones! Cranberries actually have a small amount of natural sugar, which helps the sauce thicken and gel a little, just like you’d expect from a traditional cranberry sauce. If you have extra cranberries left over, use them for my sugar free dried cranberries, stuffed acorn squash, or turkey roulade!
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – My favorite sweetener for sauces, because it tastes like sugar (no aftertaste), dissolves completely, and won’t crystallize! Most brands labeled “monk fruit”, “stevia”, or “erythritol” have trouble dissolving and will form crystals. If you’ll be enjoying your sugar free cranberry sauce right away, other powdered sugar substitutes can work (see my sweetener conversion chart for amounts), but Besti is the only one to use if you want to avoid your sauce becoming crunchy after storing — and it tastes the closest to real sugar.
- Water – Thins out the sauce and gives the berries something to simmer in.
- Orange Zest – Add as much or as little as you like. If you can’t get a fresh orange, then a little orange extract (to taste) is the next best option.
- Vanilla Extract – This brand is one of my faves.
How To Make Keto Cranberry Sauce
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Combine all the ingredients. Mix cranberries, water, powdered Besti, and orange zest in a medium saucepan.
- Simmer away. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Let your sugar free cranberry sauce simmer to thicken, until the cranberries pop and a sauce forms. (See my tips below on this!)
- Add the vanilla. Remove from heat, then add it in. Stir in the vanilla extract. You can serve this sauce warm, at room temperature, or chilled in the fridge.
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t use a wooden spoon like I did. 😉 Sugar free cranberry sauce will stain your spoon! Silicone cooking spoons work well and don’t stain as easily.
- You can change the consistency by adjusting the cook time. Cook the sauce for less time for a texture similar to preserves with some whole berries intact (as pictured), or cook it for longer to get a jelly-like sauce more similar to canned versions.
- The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Keep this in mind when deciding whether it’s thick enough for your liking.
- Prefer a smooth sauce? Puree it in a blender at the end. You could also try to strain it after the cranberries pop (before the sauce is too thick) and then return the liquid to the saucepan to simmer more. This version would need to be chilled to set.
- Adjust the sweetener to your taste. It will depend on your tastebuds and the tartness of your cranberries. I recommend starting with my keto cranberry sauce recipe as written, then stir in more at the end if needed. Besti will dissolve easily!
- Want a fresh (instead of cooked) version? Make my cranberry relish recipe, which requires zero cooking. Just blend and refrigerate!
Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce (4 Ingredients)
My healthy, keto, sugar free cranberry sauce needs just 4 ingredients + 10 minutes! It's sweet, tangy, and tastes better than store bought.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Combine the cranberries, water, Besti, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
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Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and a sauce forms that's thickened to your liking.
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Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers (this also helps me continue to provide free recipes on my site), or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Tips: See my recipe tips above to get the perfect consistency (thick or runny, smooth or chunky) and sweetness you like in this sauce!
- Variations: I’ve got a whole list of add-ins above if you want to change up the flavor a bit.
- Storage: Keep sugar free cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. (Fun fact: The allulose in powdered Besti is a natural preservative, so this keto cranberry sauce will keep for longer than regular versions!)
- Make ahead: I used to make this recipe with erythritol for years, and while it was good, I could never make it in advance because it developed this crunchy texture after a few hours. Now that I use powdered Besti (every year since 2020), I can make it in advance and not give it a second thought. Here’s to making the hectic holiday season a little easier!
- Freeze: Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Low Carb Holiday Cookbook, Healthy Holiday Cookbook, and Keto Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Sugar-Free Keto Cranberry Sauce
Flavor Variations
It’s super easy to change up the flavor of my basic sugar free cranberry sauce! Try these add-ins:
- Maple – Use 1/2 cup of my Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Maple Syrup instead of the sweetener.
- Brown Sugar – Swap the powdered Besti with my Besti Brown sweetener, which will give you a brown sugar flavor.
- Spices – You can add ground cinnamon, allspice, ground cloves, and/or ground ginger. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves. From there you can adjust to taste.
- Orange – I already add orange zest to my keto cranberry sauce, but double it if you want a stronger orange flavor.
- Spicy – Simmer the sauce with some minced jalapenos.
- Apple – Use 3/4 cup of unsweetened apple juice or 1 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of water. (This option makes a low sugar cranberry sauce, but it’s not keto friendly. You can use apple extract instead for a keto version.)
More Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes
With how quickly this sugar free cranberry sauce comes together, you’ll have plenty of time to make other holiday dishes. I recommend:
- Turkey – I love a juicy roasted Thanksgiving turkey (pictured above with this low carb cranberry sauce). But you can’t go wrong with spatchcock turkey for a faster option, or Crock Pot turkey breast or turkey legs for a smaller gathering. Don’t forget my keto gravy!
- Potatoes & Swaps – Choose from my healthy sweet potato casserole (uses real sweet potatoes, but no refined sugar), or my keto sweet potato casserole as a low carb swap. For something simpler, try my mashed cauliflower or mashed sweet potatoes.
- Classic Sides – Complete your Thanksgiving dinner with my cauliflower stuffing and keto green bean casserole. My family also really loves cauliflower mac and cheese, garlic roasted green beans (in my picture above), and butternut squash salad.
- Desserts – If you’re watching your carbs, you can still enjoy a slice of my keto pumpkin pie, sugar-free pecan pie, or keto pumpkin cheesecake. My healthy cheesecake is a more recent fave at my house.
460 Comments
Ed Schuetzle
0I forgot to add: The fresh cranberries available this time of year freeze very well. Rinse them, then spread them on a baking sheet in the freezer. When frozen put them in a freezer bag. You can keep them for more cranberry sauce or add them to smoothies throughout the year. Stock up while they are available.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks for sharing, Ed!
Edward Schuetzle
0With Thanksgiving and Christmas approaching I was just thinking about a low carb cranberry sauce. I usually made mine with a combination of orange juice and ginger ale but I am thinking water with a big squeeze of lemon and a bit of ginger this year. I am going on 5 months of eating keto. I will allow myself to go off diet on Thanksgiving, but everything I can do a low carb substitute for will help keep me from having too many carbs to recover from. A 24 hour fast will help me in recovery also. Turkey just isn’t the same without cranberry sauce!
Debra Breister
0Oh my gosh!!! Thank you for this recipe!!! I have been making cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving for years – I can’t wait to see your low carb sweet potato casserole recipe next! We host Thanksgiving for my husband’s family of more than 50 people at our home, and have been doing so for the last 20 years. There are certain foods that are MUST haves for me at Thanksgiving that my mother made when I was growing up. Cranberries and sweet potatoes are two of them, but having gone keto I didn’t think I would be able to enjoy them. Thank you Thank you, thank you, Maya!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Debra! You can find the low carb sweet potato casserole here. Have a great day!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I agree, Edward! You need cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving!
Regina
0Hah! Love this recipe. Was making it for my 84 yo keto mom, but she didnt have enough sweetener. She did have some diet cranberry juice, so I used that in place of the water, as well as a packet of stevia. It upped the carbs a skoche, but was PERFECT! I even used frozen cranberries. Plus, using the juice there was no artificial sugar problems (cooling effect, granulation) and totally ok to freeze!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy you liked it, Regina! Have a great day!
Nita Beach
0Oh YAY!
I’m looking forward to making this for thanksgiving. I had been making my own cranberry sauce for 20 years and was a little down because I thought there would be no cranberry sauce since we’ve gone Keto. But upon reading your recipe, I realized I can indeed make my recipe with a few tweaks. No candied ginger or orange juice but the orange peel will give me that tangy taste. I’ll also add cinnamon and ground clove.
Thank you for posting
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I am so happy to hear you liked the cranberry sauce, Nita! Thank you!
Tammy
0Could you put granny smith apples in it too?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Tammy, I haven’t tried that because that would make it too high in carbs and sugars for me but I’m sure it would work if you tried!
Rexx
0Hello Maya,
Have you ever made it or know anyone who has made it with Monk Fruit as a sweetener?
Thank you,
Rexx
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rexx, I haven’t but it should work just fine!
em smith
0Hi, can I use Splenda granular instead? Would I need to change the measurements?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Although I don’t advocate it because it’s artificial you definitely can. You would need less of it so I’d recommend starting at 2/3 cup and adding more as needed. Here’s my sweeteners guide for more information: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/natural-low-carb-sweeteners-guide-conversion-chart/
Darin
0Hi, The cranberry sauce sounds yummy and I am excited to try it. I like using Splenda though. Would you recommend it and if so, would the measurements be the same? Thanks.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Darin, I don’t use Splenda myself since I prefer natural sweeteners, but it will definitely work. The amount should be close to the same, maybe slightly less. I’d start with a slightly scant cup when measuring the Splenda and taste the sauce once it’s closer to done, then you can always add more sweetener if you like.
Linda Thurlow
0Can you use Splenda for this?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Linda, Yes, you can. I prefer not to since it’s artificial but it would work just fine.
Nancy
0Made cranberries this morning! I used confectioners Swerve. It turned out wonderful! How long can I store in fridge before it turns grainy? Thanks for this recipe!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Nancy! It’s good that you used confectioner’s because that takes longer to crystallize – usually a couple of days. It’s best the day-of, though.
Teresa
0Hi, My husband and I always ate the jellied cranberry sauce. Is there a way to make this jellied? Thank you.
Nita
0I press the cooked sweetened cranberries through a wire strainer with a spoon and that makes a great jellied cranberry just like the “canned”
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Teresa, Yes, you can! Just cook it on the longer side and it will get jellied. It will also gel more as it cools.
Cate Bennett
0I grew up eating the canned jelly cranberry. Is this like that or is there a way to make it jelly texture?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Cate, Yes, absolutely! This sauce will gel more the longer you cook it, and then also get more gelled as it cools down after cooking. You can see that it’s a little more cooked (jelly-like) in the pictures than in the video. Both ways are delicious.
Brentton
0I guess I am confused.
Your recipe calls for 1 cup of the Erythritol. The brand you linked has 3 carbs per tsp. There are 48 tsp. in one cup. That is 144 carbs that it adds off the bat. Per serving it works out to 34.6 carbs per serving. Am I missing something?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Brentton, The carbs in erythritol do not get absorbed, so they are not included in the carb count.
Deborah
0If using frozen cranberries, would you suggest decreasing the amount of water? So excited to try this! Love all your recipes, especially the cheesecakes.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Deborah! I haven’t tried it with frozen cranberries but I’m sure it would work. I would imagine you’d need the same amount of water, but am not 100% sure. Let me know if you try it!
LFL
0Is there a difference in flavor when you use granulated erythritol vs. powdered erythritol? Looking at the Amazon reviewers of the powdered erythritol, some reviewers there say it has an aftertaste and causes stomach problems and / or diarrhea. Is that an issue with the granulated erythritol as well?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0There is no difference in flavor, only texture. You can make the sauce with granulated erythritol, but it will crystallize faster. It’s fine if you’re eating it right away, but if you’re making it a few hours ahead or storing it, powdered is better. Stomach problems are relatively rare with erythritol (both powdered and granulated), compared to other sweeteners such as xylitol, but affect a small percentage of people. In reviews, it’s no surprise that the people that had issues would be the ones to comment. You can easily make the sauce with just stevia if you prefer that, but most people find that the taste with erythritol is better and tastes like regular cranberry sauce that has sugar.
Alice
0Have you ever tried freezing some of the cranberry sauce for later?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Alice, Yes, I have. It works okay but the only issue is the sweetener can crystallize. It does so less with powdered than granulated, though. You could also use liquid stevia (to taste) instead to avoid crystallization completely.
Diane
0I am wondering about making this and using honey or maple syrup for the sweetener. Do you think these would work? Would you have suggestions for the amounts I would need? Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Diane, Yes, you can use honey or maple syrup. It just wouldn’t be sugar-free. The amount would be about the same, and you can adjust to taste toward the end.
Kassie
0Would this work with liquid stevia? I wasn’t sure if it needed to be powdered for consistency.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kassie, Stevia should work fine. It may take just a little longer to thicken but will work.
Leza
0I would like to make this using turbinado sugar or agave. Do you have a recommendation on amounts to be used? How it would effect the carb counts?
Thanks looking forward to making this for the up coming holidays!
Leza
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Leza! This recipe is very forgiving in terms of sweetener type and amount. You can use the same amount as the stated erythritol, and adjust to taste as desired. However, both turbinado sugar and agave are not sugar-free, so the carb count would be significantly higher.
Doris Litman
0Hi. I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious. But the next day when I had some of the leftover sauce, it was crunchy. Like the erythritol had recrystalized. Is there something I should have done differently? How can I prevent this the next time I make it?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked the cranberry sauce! Unfortunately erythritol does tend to crystalize over time. If you’re going to be storing the sauce, you can try powdered erythritol next time which will delay the amount of time it takes before it will crystalize. Alternatively you can use the erythritol in combination with another sweetener, like stevia (which you’d need a lot less of due to its concentration – adjust to taste). But if you use it right away or within a few hours, just plain granular erythritol should work fine without crystalizing (as you found on Thanksgiving Day). Hope this helps!