My
Shop Sugar-Free
Wholesome Yum
Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowThis post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)
I make this fresh, homemade low carb keto cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving every year. And every single year, everyone at the table — including the extended family that isn’t even trying to eat healthy — eagerly gobbles it up. That’s because this healthy sugar-free cranberry sauce tastes exactly like the traditional sugary version, so everyone at your Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering can enjoy it.
While cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving ordeal for most, who says roasted turkey gets to have all the fame? It’s surprisingly delicious on chicken breast or even meatballs, too.
So, what’s the difference between a sugar free cranberry sauce recipe and regular cranberry sauce? The sweetener! Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend is my top choice because it blends perfectly into the sauce, keeps longer without crystallizing, has no aftertaste, and contains 0g net carbs!
Why You’ll Love This Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Sweet & tart flavor
- Customizable texture – more runny, more jelly-like, or in between
- Only 4 ingredients and 2 steps
- Done in 10 minutes
- Just 4g net carbs and 32 calories per generous serving (1/4 cup)
- Naturally gluten-free and keto
Ingredients You’ll Need
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto jellied cranberry sauce, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Cranberries – Fresh cranberries taste best, but frozen cranberries will work as well. 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 to make sugar-free dried cranberries.
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – This works best because it dissolves completely and won’t crystallize. If you’ll be using your sugar-free cranberry sauce right away, powdered erythritol or 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 storage — and it tastes the closest to real sugar.
- Water – Helps to thin the sauce so everything blends evenly.
- Orange Zest – Add as much or as little as you like, depending on how much you like orange. If you can’t get a fresh orange, then a little orange extract (to taste) is the next best option.
- Vanilla Extract – Use a high quality vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How To Make Keto Cranberry Sauce Without Sugar
This section shows how to make low carb cranberry sauce, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Simmer. Mix cranberries, water, powdered Besti, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer, until the cranberries pop and a sauce forms.
- Finish. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. (Sugar-free cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.)
TIP: You can adjust 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.
Low Carb Cranberry Sauce Variations
If you’re looking for a healthier cranberry sauce with different flavors, there are plenty of options available. Check out some of these other delicious variations:
- Keto maple cranberry sauce – Use 1/2 cup keto maple syrup instead of the sweetener.
- Add warm spices – Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp salt to your healthy cranberry sauce before cooking on the stovetop.
- Orange ginger cranberry sauce – Add 1/8 tsp of grated ginger and double the orange zest.
- Hot and spicy cranberry sauce – Add jalapenos or chipotles in adobo before simmering.
- Apple cranberry sauce – Use 1 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of water. (This option is healthy but not keto friendly! You can use apple extract instead for a keto version.)
- Add red wine – Instead of using water to simmer the sauce, use 3/4 cup of red wine. Red wine adds a depth of flavor that’s irresistible. You could even add in some walnuts for a little crunch as well.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Sugar free jellied cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. To store, let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. (Fun fact: The allulose in Besti is a natural preservative, so this keto cranberry sauce will keep for longer than regular versions!)
- Freeze: If you want to keep this homemade sugar free cranberry sauce for a longer period of time, place it in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Healthy & Keto Thanksgiving Recipes
Fortunately, this healthy homemade cranberry sauce is quick and easy to whip up. It doesn’t take time or effort away from whatever other dishes I’m experimenting with. And, it means you can make it in just ten minutes, leaving you more time to focus on other Thanksgiving recipes:
- Turkey – My easy roasted Thanksgiving turkey is juicy and flavorful, but you can’t go wrong with a spatchcock turkey with juicy meat and crispy skin. If you want an easier way to make turkey for a smaller gathering, try slow cooker turkey breast or turkey legs instead. And, don’t forget to top your turkey with low carb keto gravy!
- Potato Swaps – If you’re looking for some low carb options to potatoes, make low carb sweet potato casserole or mashed cauliflower… or make conventional roasted potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes if you’re just reducing sugar but not carbs.
- Sides – Many Thanksgiving sides are packed with carbs, but not my cauliflower stuffing, cauliflower mac and cheese, keto green bean casserole, roasted green beans (shown in the photo!), or kale brussel sprout salad.
- Desserts – You can’t have Thanksgiving dinner without dessert! If you’re watching your carbs, you can still have a serving of low carb pumpkin pie, sugar-free pecan pie, low carb apple pie, or keto pumpkin cheesecake.
Tools To Make Healthy Cranberry Sauce
- Medium Saucepan – This is the cookware set I prefer to use. It is stainless steel and dishwasher safe.
- Utensil Set – High heat safe and BPA free, this cooking utensil set is the perfect choice when making this low carb cranberry sauce. Unlike wooden spoons, it won’t stain from the cranberries (which is what happened to the spoon in the pictures above!).
Sugar-Free Keto Cranberry Sauce
Sugar-Free Keto Cranberry Sauce (4 Ingredients!)
This healthy, keto, sugar-free cranberry sauce needs just 4 ingredients + 10 minutes! Made with fresh cranberries, it's sweet, delicious, and better than store bought.
Go Ad-FreeRecipe Video
Tap on the image below to watch the video.Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)
Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
-
Combine the cranberries, water, Besti, and orange zest in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries pop and a sauce forms.
-
Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Want to save this recipe?
Create a free account to save your favorite recipes!
Sign Up To Save Recipes© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
306 Comments
Rose
0This recipe looks amazing-THANK YOU.
Just want you to know, you can FREEZE cranberries and they stay GREAT THE ENTIRE YEAR!! I buy them now and use them the whole year. (Just used my last batch from 2019 and they were terrific!) seems you’re like me and LOVEEEE THEM!
Roxanne
0I only have Besti Monkfruit Allulose Powdered Blend – will this work?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Roxanne, Yes, but you will need less sweetener. Reduce the amount to 3/4 cup of Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend.
Carolyn
0I have Swerve powdered sweetener with erithritol. Is it the same? Will it work?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Carolyn, They are not exactly the same, as the blend you are wanting to use is sweeter than pure erythritol. You will need less in the recipe. Please reduce the amount of sweetener to 3/4 cup and it will work great!
Deb McKee
0If I make this early in the week can it be warmed up?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Deb, Yes that will work great!
Eileen Volke
0How can this cranberry sauce recipe have only 4 net carbs when a 1/4 cup of cranberries has 33 carbs?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Eileen, These numbers you referred to are for dried sweetened cranberries, not whole fresh. 1 cup of whole fresh cranberries contains 13 grams total carbs with 4 grams of fiber. I hope this helps!
Ruthann
0What about blending sauce when done to make it more smooth??
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ruthann, Sure! Follow step 1 as written. Let the cranberries cool slightly, then blend until the desired consistency is reached. Return the cranberries to the stove and continue to simmer on low until thick enough for the cranberries to evenly coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Darcie
0Can your allulose sweetener be substituted for the erythritol? If so is the measurement the same?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Darcie, Yes and yes! Enjoy!
Hilary
0I did this using 1 1/3 cup of allulose and some packages of True Orange, which is dehydrated orange peel and juice (it comes in lemon and lime, too). Fantastic and easy.
Teresa
0I used a half cup of fresh squeezed oranges. and a small pinch of cloves spice and teaspoon of cinnamon. I use around 3 to 5 teaspoons of stevia! So good! I’ve been buying bags of cranberries and freezing them! I know it is so hard to find them after Xmas!!! Love the zest tip but love the juice of oranges!
meri jenkins
0Such a good idea on
the spices and freeing cranberries. Thanks for the tip Teresa.
Barbara
0I would like to make a large batch
If this can be okay in the freezer?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Barbara, If you store this cranberry sauce in a freezer-safe container, it will keep well in the freezer.
Pamela Yslas
0How do u make a sugar free orange glaze?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Pamela, There isn’t an orange glaze for this cranberry sauce recipe. Is there a different recipe you were asking about?
Lois
0Another one that turned out fabulous. I love the orange zest. Again, I just powered my granulated erythritol sweetner in the blender. I think everyone appreciated me doing healthy recipes for the holidays.
Kristine
0Hi Maya,
Can the cranberry sauce be frozen after making it and if, for how many months will it keep?
Thank you,
Kristine
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Kristine, If you store this cranberry sauce in a freezer safe container, it should keep for up to 3 months in the freezer. Just an FYI, it makes excellent jam on Keto English Muffins!
Beth
0I love jellied cranberry sauce. How can a make it for Keto? I do not like the hulls of the cranberry. It really doesn’t have to be jellied. Should I just strain it? It will be a hassle but I can do it…
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beth, Yes, if you don’t like the cranberry skins then straining it is your best option.
Syl
0No no noooooo to the vanilla! Vanilla is far too harsh and will clobber the taste of the cranberries. Try adding one or two star anise instead, it’s a game changer!
If paleo, sweetening with maple sugar is divine.
I am keto but I still use maple sugar to sweeten. I don’t use much of it and I see it as a holiday treat!
Renee J Guzzardo
0Made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! I didn’t tell my guests until after dinner that this was a sugarless Keto recipe. This cranberry sauce is also great on toast! I’m making another batch to use as a jam on toast! Thank you Maya!
JoAnne Pope
0I followed directions exactly. While it looked spectacular, the sweetener left a cloying sweet chemical taste that overpowered everything else. The erythritol then coated the inside of my mouth, and for about half an hour (until I gave up and brushed my teeth) everything I drank had the same horrifying taste.
So. Disappointing, to say the least.
I may try it again with a small amount of stevia, but the erythritol has already gone into the trash.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi JoAnne, Sorry to hear erythritol doesn’t mesh well with your taste buds. Most people do well with it but everyone is different. I recommend trying it with powdered allulose or powdered monk fruit instead, that doesn’t have any of the cooling effect that erythritol has.
Diane
0I love this so much, made it for Thanksgiving. I will definitely make it again.
Gina Rosato
0Maya…I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and there was one HUGE problem!
I didn’t make enough of it! LOL! So amazing! I am going to make a large amount and jar it up to have in the fridge!
Hope you and yours had an awesome holiday.
Thanks for the healthy recipes!
Best..Gina Rosato
White Bear Lake, MN
Heather
0I made this recipe with a couple small tweaks. My husband and I love the jellied cranberry sauce, so I strained out the solid bits and added gelatin to turn it into the tastiest jellied sauce. Now that I’ve had the real thing, I can never turn back!
Mary
0Hello, do I still add Vanilla extract if I add orange extract?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Mary, It’s up to you!
Claudine
0I just tried this today. Delicious. I did not have orange zest so I just put a few drops of orange extract which I had on hand. Very tasty, so glad I found this recipe.
Leanne
0I made this and my cranberries definitely popped but I noticed these thin “skins” that seemed to come from the outside of the cranberries. It’s the first time I’ve ever made homemade cranberries usually I buy the stuff out of the can that is filled with tons of sugar but I’ve never noticed anything resembling these skins before they are red and in my opinion totally ruined the dish because they had a mouth feel like plastic, absolutely terrible and there seem to be more of it then sauce, they were easily visible and I tried to pick out as many as I could but there was one for every cranberry so it would have been an impossible task. No one else has mentioned this that I noticed. I tried to strain it out but that didn’t work because nothing would go thru the strainer, I tried several strainers, I was determined not to throw it out because of the expense of ingredients so I still have it in the freezer waiting until I can come up with some solution for removing the skins? Anyone else with this problem?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Leanne, It sounds like your cranberries needed longer on the stove top to breakdown. They can still keep their shape (see images above for reference) but they should be very soft and easy to eat.
Leanne
0Hi Maya, no that was not the case with my peculiar results. The cranberries all had lost their shape during the cooking process they had all popped and the texture was very much jam like to the point that I was able to fill my chocolate chip molds because I thought I had come up with an ingenious idea on how to add the cranberries to an orange & cranberry shortbread recipe.(That had appeared to work I had placed the molds in the freezer and I had little froZen cranberry chips and I stored them in a ziploc bag with the orange shortbread logs that I had pre-made and put in the freezer so that I could pull them out when I wanted them and slice off a few cookies and just insert some of the cranberry chips….unfortunately someone pulled the frozen chips out of the freezer at the same time as the dough log and while I was waiting for it to soften the chips melted in the little bag. So instead I just took a spoon and sort of “iced” the top of the cookies before they went in the oven for the quick 10min cook time. It resulted in an interesting looking shortbread cookie and I think the chips idea would have worked if I had either added something like xanthan gum to them or maybe some more powdered erythritol? I’m not sure. They could have likely produced little flecks of red in the cookies if they had remained frozen and I had just inserted them into the cookies just before them going into the oven. when I really noticed all these skins was when I was spooning some of the melted cranberry mush on to the top of the shortbread giving it its icing look….the skins were very prominent and I picked out as many as I could when I was spreading it on top of the cookies. Actually in retrospect I’m wondering if these could have been some sort of ornamental cranberries sold in the freezer section for stringing together with popcorn?.!
Deb
0I just made this and subbed half the powdered sugar for Lakanto golden. I used dried orange peels because I have no self control with oranges and didn’t want to be tempted. I also added a splash of orange extract about 1/2 tsp. since I can’t use orange juice anymore. I also added a splash of lemon also about 1/2 tsp to enrich the flavors. I loved the simpleness of your recipe, but had to add just a few little touches to make it more like I used to make it. It is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I tasted it while transferring out of the pot and oh my, so so yummy. Hopefully it won’t crystallize with the golden sweetener. Thanks for bringing us so many great recipes.
Gary Finlayson
0Sorry, but this is the worst cranberry sauce I have ever experienced. Unlike what you said, the bitterness of the erythritol was so pronounced that no one in the household wanted more than a bite or two. Had to throw half the batch away. We all prefer no cranberry sauce to this recipe
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Gary, Sorry to hear you didn’t like the recipe. Erythritol is not typically bitter. Did you by chance use a sweetener that had something else added, such as stevia?
Nancy Hubbard
0Had all the ingredients sans orange zest. Now we can hardly wait for our Keto Turkey Dinner day! This is so good!!!!!
Joanie
0May I substitute Xylitol for the Erythritol?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Joanie, Yes, you can!
Amber
0To make this more jelly-like, could geletin be added? I love the canned jelly stuff but at 24g carbs(all sugar) i want to try to skip it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Amber, Yes, you could definitely do that! It will also gel more the longer you cook it (even without gelatin), and after it cools.
Lin
0If Sauce is not thickening enough, what about arrowroot or an organic, non-GMO cornstarch slurry? How? When? Is either still low carb?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lin, Neither of those options are low carb. You could try 1/8 tsp of xanthan gum, that would help to thicken the sauce.
Charlene Simpson
0Thank you for sharing your recipe. Made this with powered swerve. A bit more tart than canned but that’s probably because my cranberries had some unripened ones.
Chris
0I used with erythritol and it is still sour.
Used 1 cup. Any reason for that?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Chris, It can vary depending on how sweet your cranberries are and your taste buds. Feel free to add more to your liking.
Deborah Hindman
0Is the orange zest fresh or a spice?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Deborah, it’s fresh!
Bethany Hepworth
0Can you use stevia instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bethany, Yes, you can. The amount needed will vary depending on the kind you use. If you use one that is blended with a granulated filler, it might not dissolve well.
Tierradionne
0I’m glad I read your “recipe” because I’ve been researching why my cranberry sauce crystallized and if there’s a way to prevent it. I was a new-to-sugar-free lifestyle person and made some sauce and it had weird chunks in it. I found that if I heated it up and served it warm, it was crystal free, but as soon as it cooled, the crystals formed again. I will definitely try making it with powdered Erythritol. I actually use lingonberries, which are also called lowbush cranberries, and they come from northern climates. Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite parts of any roast chicken or turkey dinner… Any time of the year!!
Helga Papadacos
0If you want cranberries all year long buy them and freeze them and use when needed. Works just like buying fresh!
Marissa
0I very much appreciate you sharing your wonderful recipes!
Evelyne
0Delicious! The whole family loved it, thank you.
Cassandra Mooneyham
0Have you tried canning it in a water bath? I’m wondering if it could be preserved that way and stored in the cupboard until opened?
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Cassandra, I haven’t tried that so I really don’t know for sure. If you’re looking for a long-term storage option, I would recommend using frozen cranberries and making the recipe when you plan on serving it.
Cheryl
0When I enter it into Carb Manager with the listed ingredients, it comes out as 8.7g carbs, 2.6g fiber, 6.1g net carbs.
I will still make it work into my macros though. 🙂
Kat
0Absolutely DELICIOUS! I used SWERVE as my sweetener and the recipe was a total hit! Thank you! I’m keeping this recipe and making it when a meal beckons cranberry sauce. THANKS!
Linda Hall
0I’ve loved cranberries all my life, especially whole cranberry sauce. I’ve had lots of great recipes too, so was prepared to have to “make do” with some kind of keto recipe this year. Surprise!! I made the recipe doubled, added cinnamon and orange extract and it is easily one of the most delicious cranberry sauces I’ve ever had! Thank you!!
Liz
0This was a hit at Thanksgiving -ALL loved it!
Thanks so much- your recipe rescued me after another recipe turned out not so great.
Michael E Vasquez
0I’ll try this later this week or next. I also powder my own erythritol. For each 1 cup, I add 1 TBS of pure stevia. Can this be canned?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michael, I haven’t tried canning it but I think you can!
Bob
0this is great! I added some finely diced celery and walnuts fine chopped in the blender to give it some crunch
Jenny
0This was delicious! I made it for Thanksgiving & it was a big hit with my family. I used Swerve confectioners, Orange extract & added 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon & a small container of fresh raspberrys. The sauce was perfect & kept well in the refrigerator for several days for leftovers. Definitely will be making again for Christmas. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Denise
0Hi! I made this and it was wonderful! I caught my husband who is a major sweets person, eating it by the spoonfuls! I did have a question. The count you have listed is 2 g of sugar. Is that regular sugar or the sweeteners?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Denise, I’m so glad you liked it! The 2g sugar comes from the cranberries, not any added sugar or sweeteners.
Bonnie Larson
0We always have the cranberry’s chilled, so we make them the day Before. So I ground my granulated erythritol, but it didn’t really help. Now I have to heat up the cranberries for every turkey sandwich! My search for sugar free cranberries is not over!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bonnie, Sorry, I don’t quite understand the question. Why do you have to heat them up? If you’re saying the sweetener crystallized, a powdered one works better. It sounds like you ground up a granulated one, but that might still not be as fine as a commercially powdered erythritol.
Melody Z
0I made this recipe for the family and everyone loved it! It is definitely a keeper. Thanks for the great recipe.
Emily
0This was DELICIOUS! I thought I wouldn’t get my orange cranberry sauce ever again since it had orange concentrate in it, without realizing they sell bottles of orange zest at the store, and that works just as well if not better! And the addition of the vanilla was different but a very nice surprise. Thank you so much!
Victoria Wojciechowski
0I am not a big cranberry sauce lover but this is the best I have ever had! What a difference fresh cranberries make. I didn’t have an orange to zest, so I used a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice instead. Super yummy!
Jay V
0Made this today. Added a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, used stevia, and a little extra orange…my god is it good.
Thanks for posting!
Julia
0Bought Crystal erythritol and powdered it, 1/4 cup at a time in my mini food processor…ouila! Powdered Erythritol!