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Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar)

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a healthy recipe that has hints of pineapple and citrus. It has no sugar and is optionally sweetened with honey.
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Side Dish Recipes » Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar)

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.

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

A homemade alternative to store-bought cranberry sauce with delicious hints of pineapple and orange to complement the flavor!
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Calories 98kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

4 cups

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 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.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 /2 cup)
Calories 98 Calories from Fat 1
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.1g0%
Sodium 2mg0%
Carbohydrates 21.2g7%
Fiber 3.7g15%
Sugar 14.9g17%
Protein 0.3g1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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.

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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.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, 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.

Comments

75 responses to “Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar)”

  1. Hayley Andrews Avatar
    Hayley Andrews

    This year I made mine with coconut sugar and just a little splash of kombucha. It was delicious!

  2. Stephanie Basker Avatar
    Stephanie Basker

    Great recipe. I made this for Thanksgiving, and it’s delicious. The orange really brightens the flavor. It really was quite tart, so I added a small amount of sugar. I used orange juice, next time I’m excited to try it with the pineapple juice.

  3. Terry Avatar

    5 stars
    Made this and my family loved it! I did have to add a bit of honey for their taste but they all gave it a thumbs up! Thanks again, Katie!

  4. Melody Avatar

    5 stars
    I made this today (Thanksgiving morning) and changed it up a bit: I increased the juice so that I didn’t need any water (so juice was 1 1/4 cup) and used orange mango juice instead of plain orange. I also added in about 1-2 tsp agar agar flakes to thicken it up some more, and 1/3 cup maple syrup (I thought it was 1/4 cup, lol), and it turned out PERFECT. This was one of the easiest recipes! Thank you 🙂

  5. Patty Avatar

    Ok, maybe this is a silly question, but should I add the honey while its cooking? Or wait until I remove it from the heat? First time making cranberry sauce.

    1. Roxy Bruntmyer Avatar
      Roxy Bruntmyer

      don’t know if you ever received an answer to your question. I’m going to try this recipe and that would be something I would wonder about also.

  6. JoAnnH Avatar

    Hi.
    I understand that the pineapple juice is being used to replace the sugar/balance the tart, but we can’t do pineapple. Can coconut sugar be used? Or would you recommend orange juice in place f the pineapple juice?

  7. Jen Avatar

    Katie,

    You can add a little baking soda to cut the tartness in fruit and therefore use less sugar. When I make homemade cranberries, I use one bag of cranberries, 1 c. water, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, and approximately 1/4 c. honey. You can adjust the ingredients until you find the blend of sweet-tart that your family likes. 🙂

  8. Melissa Avatar

    I just made my fires homemade cranberry sauce this week – the kind with sugar. I am thrilled to find this recipe because I am hooked and it is fabulous with a little bit stirred into homemade yogurt!

  9. Terry Avatar

    Is using organic a necessary concern or are cranberries generally considered safe?

  10. Marissa Avatar

    How long would this keep for?
    Also, how could you go about preserving it, if I made a bigger batch? 🙂

  11. Jazzmin Avatar

    This recipe turned out well but I agree with other reviewers to add some cinnamon and nutmeg. Also it says this makes 8 servings but I’d say more like 16 at least. I had thanksgiving with 11 people and I didn’t even use half the quantity made.

    1. abrune Avatar

      Agave nectar isn’t actually better for you, it has recently been called one of the bad sweeteners, something because it’s like all fructose, I can’t remember exactly but we have stopped using it here… Google it

  12. Melody Avatar

    I just made this recipe and tweaked it here and there. I used a cup of 100% pineapple juice not from concentrate, 1/4 cup water, half cup of unsweetened apple sauce and juice and zest of one orange as in the original recipe. From there I added 4 tablespoons of coconut sugar, unrefined, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of salt. I do mean just a pinch. This cooked up really fast and thickened up beautifully. After my taste testers tried it, we decided to add just a touch more of orange flavor and sweetness with only 2 drops of orange flavored stevia. Its PERFECT for us. Being diabetic I am sensitive to any processed sugar. My blood sugar does spike with natural sugars like fruit but that only lasts hours instead of wreaking havoc on my system for days or even a week after eating processed refined sugar, which I call fake. I’d rather have a drop or two of stevia in the mix, and the coconut sugar is good for diabetics as well with no problems. Enjoy!

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