Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce for the Holidays. Or anytime.
I love cranberries. I will actually pop frozen whole cranberries like candy.
Cranberries are a holiday superfood if ever I’ve seen one; very rich in anti-inflammatory compounds such as flavonols, anthocyanins and tannins, cranberries also contain proanthocyanidin compounds that help with urinary tract health.
Unless you dump a pound of sugar on them, of course.
I thought I would share my own holiday recipe for cranberry sauce, which I created a handful of years ago once I realized how easy it is to make cranberry sauce (well, it takes a bit longer than opening a can!). It is delicious with your traditional meal or as a layering compliment to breakfast parfaits, oatmeal and chia puddings.
Cranberries contain pectin, a soluble fibre that gels the sauce. Because it doesn’t contain a lot of sugar, the pectin won’t gel as tightly as a traditional sauce. To optimize gelling, don’t refrigerate the sauce until totally at room temperature!
Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 227g pack fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons - 1/4 cup maple , a sliding scale of tart to pleasantly sweet-tart
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.
- Reduce temperature to maintain a gentle boil until sauce is thickened up, stirring occasionally, takes about 10-15 minutes.
- Sauce will thicken further as it cools to a loose jam consistency.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
2 Comments on “Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce for the Holidays. Or anytime.”
Just wondering this works without the orange juice? We actually don’t have any juice in our home right now and are out of oranges… curious to hear what you think may work instead or if I can simply leave it out. Thanks in advance!!
It totally works without it! Substitute water and then add maple syrup to taste.