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Sugar-free Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce w/ Honey & Blood Orange

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!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 cups

Equipment

  • Medium Pot or Saucepan
  • Stovetop
  • Zester

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lbs. cranberries whole, fresh
  • 1/2 c. raw honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 c. water
  • blood orange zested (or orange of choice)
  • 1/2 tsp. allspice
  • 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • 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.