Keto Cranberry Sauce
Posted: 10/17/23
Updated: 12/11/24
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With only 1g net carb per serving, this simple yet delicious keto cranberry sauce belongs on your low carb or reduced sugar holiday table! Made with fresh whole cranberries, a keto-friendly sweetener, and a little optional orange zest, no one would ever guess this homemade cranberry sauce is also sugar free!
❤️ What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This keto cranberry sauce recipe is the best way to enjoy that classic holiday condiment without all the carbs and added sugars of the traditional versions. Made with a max of 4 ingredients (3 if you don’t use the orange zest, and 2 if you don’t count the water!), it’s perfectly tart and sweet. You can leave as many whole cranberries as you like, or mash them all for a smoother sauce.
- Tracking your macros? Thanks to the fiber in the berries and the zero-glycemic-index of the Swerve sweetener, this cranberry sauce comes in at just 1g net carb per serving! Compare that to the 27g net carbs per serving in canned jellied cranberry sauce and canned whole berry cranberry sauce. Even homemade cranberry sauce can contain anywhere from 25-35g net carbs per serving depending on the specific ingredients you use.
- Actually making keto cranberry sauce only takes about 15 minutes. I don’t know about you, but when I’m elbow deep in Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner prep, anything that’s fast and easy is a big WIN in my book!
Flavor Variations
- Maple Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Swerve with 6-8 tablespoons of keto maple-flavored syrup. Add ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract after removing saucepan from heat.
- Rosemary Orange Cranberry Sauce: Wrap 3 1-inch long sprigs of rosemary in cheesecloth and tie kitchen twine around the cheesecloth to keep the bundle together. You could also put the rosemary in a tea strainer if you don’t have cheesecloth. Add the rosemary to the saucepan with the cranberries. Before transferring the sauce to your bowl, remove the bundle and discard.
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Granular Swerve with Brown Swerve. Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce: Start by adding ⅛ teaspoon of ground ginger (or ¼ teaspoon of grated fresh ginger) and ¼ teaspoon orange extract along with the cranberries and orange zest. When cranberries begin to burst, taste sauce and adjust ginger, orange extract, and sweetener as needed.
- Cinnamon Brown “Sugar” Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Granular Swerve with Brown Swerve. Add ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- For a smoother sauce, mash all the cranberries against the side of the saucepan as they cook. Once they’re all mashed, pour the sauce through a strainer or sieve as you transfer it to the bowl. You may need to strain it in batches depending on the consistency of the sauce. You also might have to press the sauce through the strainer if the holes are especially small. Once it’s all strained, discard the cranberry peels and enjoy!
- If you’re craving something more like the canned cranberry sauce with the ridges, you can get that from this recipe! You’ll just need an extra ingredient to make it gel. Before transferring the sauce to a bowl (but after straining it, if you’re doing that), whisk 1 tablespoon (1 quarter-ounce envelope) of Knox Unflavored Gelatin into 2 tablespoons of cold water. It MUST be the unflavored gelatin to keep this recipe sugar free and low carb! Add the hydrated gelatin to the cranberry sauce and stir to incorporate, then transfer the sauce to a bowl and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Voila! Jellied keto cranberry sauce.
- You can totally make your keto cranberry sauce in advance! In fact, you can make it up to ONE WEEK in advance. Just keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until you need it, then let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
🎊 More Low Carb & Keto Holiday Recipes
- Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Texas Roadhouse Green Beans
- Keto White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake (Sugar-Free)
- Sous Vide Chuck Roast
- Keto Peppermint Layer Brownies
- Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
- Keto Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
- Easy Keto Pumpkin Pie
- 3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop Or Crockpot)
- Keto Green Beans
- Grilled Spatchcock Turkey with Gravy
- Roasted Kale
- Keto Broccoli Salad
- Grilled Turkey Breast
- Keto Pecan Pie
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Keto Cranberry Sauce
Deliciously tart, perfectly sweet, and completely sugar free, this easy keto cranberry sauce is the perfect low-carb condiment for your holiday meals.
servings
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries see Notes
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup Granular Swerve Sweetener
- 1 teaspoon orange zest optional
Equipment
- cold running water
- Colander
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- large bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover
Instructions
- Pour 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries into colander and rinse cranberries well under cold running water to remove any dirt or surface impurities. Drain cranberries and set aside.
- Place medium saucepan on stovetop over medium heat. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup Granular Swerve Sweetener. Whisk ingredients together until Swerve is dissolved into water.
- Add rinsed cranberries and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Stir to incorporate.
- Simmer ingredients over medium heat, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until cranberries burst and liquid reduces slightly. Adjust simmer time as needed to achieve desired sauce consistency (see Notes). Keep in mind sauce will thicken upon standing.
- Optional: Once cranberries begin to burst, mash cranberries against sides of saucepan with back of wooden spoon until desired consistency is achieved.
- When cranberries have burst and desired consistency is reached, transfer cranberry sauce to large bowl. Let sauce cool 5 minutes, then cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.
- Chill sauce at least 2 hours. 30 minutes before serving, remove sauce from refrigerator and set aside. Let sauce stand until room temperature, then serve as desired.
Notes
- Cranberries: Use whole, fresh cranberries without any added sugar or other ingredients. Frozen whole cranberries will also work, but don’t use dried cranberries or any sort of prepared cranberries.
- Swerve: If you’re new to Swerve, be sure to use Granular Swerve Sweetener for this recipe. Swerve has expanded their product offerings to include various monkfruit, allulose, and sugar blends. Not all of these are keto-friendly, and since we haven’t tested them, we can’t speak to how a sweetener blend might affect the results of the recipe.
- Sweetener Alternatives: If you don’t have granular Swerve on hand, you can use powdered Swerve, powdered or granulated erythritol, or powdered or granulated monk fruit. You can also replace the granular Swerve with a keto maple-flavored syrup, using as much or as little as you like.
- Overall Flavor: For a more tart and tangy sauce, start with ¾ cup Swerve. When cranberries burst, taste sauce and add more Swerve if needed.
- Consistency: Simmer cranberry sauce ingredients 10 minutes for a thinner, runnier sauce with most of cranberries intact. Simmer cranberry sauce 15-18 minutes for a thicker, more jelly-like consistency (it won’t be as thick as jellied sauce, though!). Stir sauce often to avoid sticking or burning. Sauce will thicken in refrigerator!
- Leftovers: Let the cranberry sauce cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it up to 5 days, or freeze it up to 3 months.
Flavor Variations
- Maple Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Swerve with 6-8 tablespoons of keto maple-flavored syrup. Add ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract after removing saucepan from heat.
- Rosemary Orange Cranberry Sauce: Wrap 3 1-inch long sprigs of rosemary in cheesecloth and tie kitchen twine around the cheesecloth to keep the bundle together. You could also put the rosemary in a tea strainer if you don’t have cheesecloth. Add the rosemary to the saucepan with the cranberries. Before transferring the sauce to your bowl, remove the bundle and discard.
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Granular Swerve with Brown Swerve. Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce: Start by adding ⅛ teaspoon of ground ginger (or ¼ teaspoon of grated fresh ginger) and ¼ teaspoon orange extract along with the cranberries and orange zest. When cranberries begin to burst, taste sauce and adjust ginger, orange extract, and sweetener as needed.
- Cinnamon Brown “Sugar” Cranberry Sauce: Replace the Granular Swerve with Brown Swerve. Add ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 20kcal | Protein: 0.003g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Total Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Added Sugars: 0g | Erythritol: 19g | Allulose: 0g | Sugar Alcohols: 0g | Net Carbs: 1g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 20mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Swerve is a game changer. Excellent product, very good recipe. I did just use 3/4 cup of SWERVE
So glad you enjoyed it, Kenna! I’m a big fan of Swerve, too. 🙂