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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
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!
Joanne Harvey
0I am so happy with the ease of ALL your recipes. I use them all the time. Making the cranberries today. Using the turkey recipe and brined and herb butter! Thank you!