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You are here: Home » Blog » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes » Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar)

November 26, 2019  —  by Katie Wells

Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a healthy recipe that has hints of pineapple and citrus. It has no sugar and is optionally sweetened with honey.

Reading Time: 2 minThis post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy.

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  • Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce
  • Cranberry Sauce Recipe
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I’ve always thought that homemade versions of classic recipes taste much better than store-bought versions, and cranberry sauce is a perfect example of this. Although I loved the canned jellied cranberry sauce that we always ate on Thanksgiving when I was young, after I tried making cranberry sauce from scratch one year, I was hooked.

Now I have a whole list of re-invented, healthier recipes for the holidays, most of which call for real food ingredients, little prep, and a lot less sugar.

Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce

Most homemade cranberry sauce recipes call for a lot of sugar… enough that I’d classify cranberry sauce a dessert and not a side dish!

For those who haven’t tried them, plain cranberries are very tart, so I wasn’t sure how much it would be possible to reduce the sugar and still have an enjoyable sauce. I shouldn’t have worried, because unrefined natural sweeteners (honey) and delicious applesauce filled in the gaps.

healthy cranberry sauce recipe

This recipe still has more natural sugars than we normally eat, but is a much healthier option than the ones that actually contain refined sugar and is a delicious treat for Thanksgiving dinner.

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year, also check out my healthy versions of green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, butternut squash soup, and root vegetable stuffing.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a healthy recipe that has hints of pineapple and citrus. It has no sugar and is optionally sweetened with honey.
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4 from 37 votes

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

A homemade alternative to store-bought cranberry sauce with delicious hints of pineapple and orange to complement the flavor!
Course Side
Cuisine Thanksgiving
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4 cups
Calories 98kcal
Author Katie Wells
The ingredient links below are affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy.

Ingredients

  • 24 oz fresh cranberries
  • ¾ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
  • ½ cup no sugar added applesauce
  • ½ cup water
  • juice and zest of one orange
  • 3-4 TBSP  honey or to taste optional

Instructions

  • Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce to medium heat and stir constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes).
  • Reduce to a simmer and add the juice and zest to the cranberry mixture.
  • Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat.
  • Cool completely and store in fridge at least 4 hours but preferably overnight before serving.

Notes

This is not as sweet as store-bought versions! Taste at the end of cooking. It is naturally sweet from the fruit juice and applesauce but you can add more honey or stevia to taste if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 98kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.2g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 2mg | Fiber: 3.7g | Sugar: 14.9g

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

Do you eat cranberry sauce? What foods do you always have at Thanksgiving? Share below!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a healthy recipe that has hints of pineapple and citrus. It has no sugar and is optionally sweetened with honey.

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Category: Recipes, Side Dish Recipes

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder and CEO of Wellness Mama, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (75 Comments)

  1. Debbie Dever

    November 19, 2012 at 3:35 PM

    Do you think I could use lemon juice instead of orange? I can’t have orange or pineapple, but I really want cranberry sauce. I think I’m going to give it a try, although I love orange with cranberry.

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      November 19, 2012 at 10:01 PM

      You can, but you might need to add some honey or something to balance out the sourness…

      Reply
      • Lorraine

        November 22, 2017 at 6:59 AM

        I made the recipe exactly as written but I did need to add more honey and a little stevia to take out some of the sourness. It was very tart. But now it is delicious!! Thanks!

        Reply
    • Rhea

      November 26, 2014 at 3:53 PM

      Pomegranite, raspberries, just about any berry would be good in it!

      Reply
    • Mary Foster Rodriguez

      November 29, 2015 at 11:48 PM

      My husband and I can’t do sugars, including honey , pineapple
      Or orange!
      I have made up this recipe that is great for those who can’t
      Do even the sweeter things like pineapple.

      3 bags of frozen or fresh cranberries( 30oz)
      12oz blueberries
      12oz strawberries
      12oz raspberries
      3 cinnamon sticks
      1/2 tsp ginger
      1/2 tsp allspice
      1 tsp Himalayan salt
      1/4 cup vegetable glycerin

      All above put in large pot and bring to a slow boil, immediately turn to
      Low and
      Summer
      For
      5 min or so and Mix in :

      3 tbsp beef gelatin, mixed in while hot stirring well
      3-4 drops of lemon essential oil
      Put in refrig after cooling on counter top for about an hour!

      All berries used can be of the frozen organic
      Kind
      So u can
      Make
      This all year round! We also use it as a pie filling! Firms up nicely with the gelatin

      Reply
      • Valerie

        December 12, 2019 at 3:50 PM

        You really should never ingest any essential oil. Why not use real lemon so you can get the health benefits?

        Reply
  2. Sandi Huisman Rund

    November 19, 2012 at 3:13 PM

    I’m thinking it might be great with crushed pineapple too. Has anyone tried it? Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Ruthie Higbee

      April 3, 2013 at 11:21 PM

      I know I’m late, but that sounds great to me!

      Reply
    • Rhea

      November 26, 2014 at 3:52 PM

      5 stars
      My homemade cranberry sauce is simmering on the stove right now…2 bags of cranberries, 2 cans of crushed pineapple with juice, and some agave to sweeten. If it doesn’t thicken I may add some cornstarch or arrowroot to it at the end…it tastes yummy!

      Reply
      • Annie

        April 12, 2018 at 12:34 AM

        5 stars
        Hi Rhea,
        You might want to know, that regular, or organic Agave is the same as eating , High Fructose corn syrup.

        Reply
  3. nan

    November 13, 2012 at 12:27 PM

    I’ve been looking for a sugarless cranberry sauce and was excited to find this one! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you! Love your site. [email protected]

    Reply
  4. Margie Jackson

    November 6, 2012 at 2:11 AM

    this looks good. Have you ever tried adding quince to your cranberry sauce. i am just learning about making marmalade, and last year made experimented a little – this year I was thinking of putting these two items together…?

    Reply
  5. Jean

    November 23, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Just finished making this for tomorrows Thanksgiving dinner.  I added some honey, but love that it doesn’t require the huge amounts of sugar my old recipe called for.  I also made your pumpkin cheesecake (double recipe) and am using your brussel sprout recipe too.
    Thank you for all the healthy ideas and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Reply
  6. Jean

    November 23, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Just finished making this for tomorrows Thanksgiving dinner.  I added some honey, but love that it doesn’t require the huge amounts of sugar my old recipe called for.  I also made your pumpkin cheesecake (double recipe) and am using your brussel sprout recipe too.
    Thank you for all the healthy ideas and Happy Thanksgiving.

    Reply
  7. Connie

    November 23, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    Adding a pinch of cloves & pinch of ginger & some dry mustard to this gives it a lot more flavor with no more sugar.  I might try adding a bit of port next time too.  Yum!  Thanks for the great idea!

    Reply
  8. Marie

    November 16, 2011 at 9:47 AM

    How would you make cranberry sauce from dried cranberries?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      November 17, 2011 at 2:22 PM

      I haven’t actually tried it, but I’d think just rehydrate them by soaking in water overnight and then boiling like normal to get them to thicken..

      Reply
      • Marie

        November 17, 2011 at 2:34 PM

        Thanks, I’m going to try it.  I’ve been looking for a recipe for a while.  I can’t find fresh cranberries here in South Africa.

        Reply
      • Cheryl

        November 29, 2015 at 7:57 PM

        5 stars
        I have a recipe that uses whole cranberries, dried cranberries and pears, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, ginger. It’s yummy. I make it for Thanksgiving. Years ago we had a cranberry bog in a town I lived in, in Maine. I would dawn the orange clothing of hunting season, put tall gum rubber boots on and trudge through the woods into the bog, about a half mile and pick all I could get. I made the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and froze the rest for muffins, breads etc.
        Now I live in Las Vegas, no bogs here, I just buy fresh from the market.
        I like squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnip, green beans for veggies on Thanksgiving.

        Reply
        • Jan Isaacs-Wade

          November 20, 2016 at 7:11 PM

          Oh Cheryl, if it is not too much bother, would you share the recipe? It sounds amazing? The sugarless cranberry sauce sounds great, too!

          Reply
  9. Nora

    November 14, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    Please, can creamed onions and creamed spinach be on the menu???

    Reply
    • Kathleen H

      November 24, 2013 at 9:35 AM

      Like Mom made:) YUM

      Reply
  10. Stef

    November 13, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    I love homemade cranberry sauce! I especially love it with orange flavors, so I’m looking forward to trying this one!

    Reply
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