Every holiday season I stare at the fresh cranberries in the grocery store wondering if I can make anything other than cranberry sauce with them! I am actually fond of the bitterness of cranberries. They're too tart to actually eat as is, but I always want to try cooking with them and not drowning them in sugar! I finally attempted this this year and made Pumpkin and Cranberry Curry. With the leftover cranberries, I've decided to try my hand at Sugar-free Cranberry Sauce!
Now, this may sound like a diet plan. And I assure you that it isn't. I'm making pumpkin fondue for Thanksgiving this year! And generally consider cheese to be a junk food.
I just generally prefer naturally sweetened dishes than adding hoards of processed sugar. I tend to reserve that for making actual sweets, like cookies and cakes. For dinner, I far prefer the sweet and savory blend of things like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, or honey.
I started this sugar-free cranberry sauce recipe by looking up typical cranberry sauce recipes. Deciding that an entire cup or two of white sugar was too much! And then sifting through all of the artificial sweetener alternatives. I like to cook with foods that are actually food... not a science experiment! Before finally just winging it. This meant combining the Food Network's Cranberry Sauce recipe with Cookie and Kate's Naturally Sweetened Cranberry Sauce recipe.
When I made this I was texting friends describing the process. They thought that it looked delicious and it did actually taste quite good. But the smell was incongruous! It filled my entire house with this astringent, soap smell that didn't seem appetizing at all! Even when I lifted the spoon to taste it, I kind of recoiled slightly. But don't worry, the smell dissipates and then it is just delicious! Cranberry sauce is also not meant to be eaten by itself. It's typically topped on other foods and is created to pair with other flavor and scent profiles.
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What to Make Along with Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce?
For the rest of the recipes that I made during Thanksgiving this year, along with a breakdown of how to get them all in and out of the oven in time for dinner! Check out my blog on the pandemic holiday season. I also have a couple other Thanksgiving burritos to make with all of the leftovers!
This sugar-free cranberry sauce adds all of the tartness of cranberries, without all of the white sugar! I opted, instead, for honey and blood orange. With a little cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg? I much preferred this over more traditional versions that go overboard with the sweetness. The key is complimenting and balancing out the tartness. Not overpowering it entirely!
In a medium-sized pot or saucepan, add the cranberries, honey, cinnamon stick, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer for 5, or until most of the cranberries have begun to pop and the sauce has started to thicken. Stir frequently.
After about 5 minutes of simmering, add the blood orange zest, allspice, and nutmeg.
Simmer for another 2-5 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have popped and it has thickened to the desired consistency.Cranberry sauce should still maintain some shape to the cranberries with a few unpopped ones, but generally be a thick, somewhat gelatinous consistency. Particularly when refrigerated!
Remove the cinnamon stick and serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for future use.This is a great make ahead recipe and keeps very well for quite some time. Honey, cinnamon, and citrus are all natural preservatives. I wouldn't even begin to estimate how long this would keep in the refrigerator. But I suspect that it might ferment before traditionally going bad. Although unrefrigerated it would likely mold.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
If the cranberry sauce thickens too much or you want an additional citrus flavor, you can add some of the juice from the orange or more water. Start at about 1 tablespoon and adjust to your taste.
Cranberry sauce should be rather tart. But if it is still too tart to your liking, add equal parts honey and water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Alternatively, you can substitute maple syrup, in place of honey.
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