This Whole30 Cranberry Sauce is an easy recipe perfect for holiday dinners! It's similar to traditional cranberry sauce, except the sweetener is changed to make it suitable for Paleo, Whole30, and vegan diets.
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Cranberry sauce is a staple on most Thanksgiving tables in the US and Canada. It goes perfectly with Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey, Double Smoked Ham, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Homemade Stuffing.
And it pairs perfectly with homemade Thanksgiving Sliders, which are made with leftover turkey and stuffing.
Unfortunately, it also contains sugars as high as 50g per serving. By using Whole30-approved whole fruits, you can control all ingredients that go into this sauce, making it Whole30 compliant.
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Recipe Features
- This Whole 30 cranberry recipe is made in one pot.
- It is Paleo, Whole 30, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free.
- Sweetened with fruit instead of sugar.
- Tastes way better than store-bought canned cranberry sauce.
- Delicious, even if you are not following the Whole30 diet.
Ingredients
- Whole fresh or frozen cranberries. Unsweetened whole cranberries contain no added sugar. Avoid dried cranberries, as they are full of refined sugars.
- Apple. Chop the apple very fine, it does not soften as fast as the cranberries do.
- Date paste. This is the only sweetener approved by the Whole30 diet.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
See the printable recipe below this post for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Whole30 Cranberry Sauce
MAKE THE DATE PASTE: Add the dates and water to a food processor. Pulse until the dates combine with the water to make a thick paste. Set aside.
MAKE THE SAUCE: Add whole fresh cranberries to a medium saucepan with a chopped apple, orange juice, water, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a low boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low, add ⅛ cup of date paste, and mix well. Taste the sauce, and if it is still too tart, add more date paste until the desired sweetness is reached. Depending on how sweet you like your sauce or how sour your cranberries are, you may need to use all of the date paste. 🙂 Cover with a lid and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally to make sure it does not run out of liquid and burn.
COOL: Once done, remove the cranberry sauce from the heat and cool completely before transferring it into a glass jar or container. The Whole 30 cranberry sauce will last in the refrigerator, covered, for about 3 to 4 days.
Can I make this cranberry sauce in the Instant Pot?
Yes! To make this sauce in the Instant Pot, add water, orange juice, cranberries, diced apple, and seasonings to the pressure cooker. Secure the lid and set it to cook on high pressure for 1 minute. When finished, let the pressure naturally release for 8 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure. Add date paste to taste and stir well. Turn the instant pot to saute and cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the pressure cooker and cool completely before pouring the cranberry sauce into a glass container or jar.
Substitutions
- SWEETENER: Instead of date paste, you could use a Whole30-approved sugar-free jam as a sweetener instead of dates.
- APPLE: Instead of apples, you could use an orange. If you don't have fresh oranges on hand, you can substitute store-bought juice.
- SPICES: You could add cloves, ginger, or extra cinnamon, which would make an excellent flavor combination!
Variations
- Cranberry ginger sauce: For a spicier variation, add 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger at the beginning of the cooking process.
- Cranberry sauce with pineapple: Substitute pineapple juice for the water.
- Cranberry pineapple orange sauce: Substitute pineapple juice for the water and add some orange zest.
- Keto: This paleo cranberry sauce is NOT keto-friendly. The dates and apples contain too many carbohydrates. To make it keto-friendly, omit the apples and dates and sweeten it with erythritol instead. However, this would not make it Whole30 compliant.
You may also be interested in my 3 Ingredient Cranberry Sauce recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This is a favorite holiday side dish and Thanksgiving recipe alongside Traeger Smoked Spatchcock Turkey or Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast.
It also goes perfectly with Electric-Smoked Turkey, Twice-Baked Mashed Potatoes, Ruth's Chris Sweet Potatoes, and Green Bean Casserole.
Storage
FRIDGE: Store leftover cranberry sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
FREEZER: This homemade sauce can also be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Top Tip
Make this whole 30 cranberry sauce recipe a day in advance. The flavors will meld together overnight, and it'll be even better the next day.
FAQs
Cranberries are a naturally tart fruit. Therefore, it is essential to check for sweetness as you make the homemade sauce. If it's too sour, add more date paste, a tablespoon at a time - until the sweet/tart balance is just right for you. Once you've found the perfect amount of sweetener, stir and cook for another minute to make sure it blends in with the rest of the sauce.
Yes, you can overcook the sauce. The liquid will evaporate, and the sauce will burn. You only cook the cranberries until they have almost all burst. The others that haven't burst will pop when you remove them from the heat.
Homemade cranberry sauce thickens while it is cooking. If it is still too runny for your taste, reduce the liquid in the sauce down further by cooking until more of the liquid has evaporated. The sauce will also thicken as it cools.
Cranberry sauce tastes best served at room temperature or chilled in the fridge.
The Whole30 diet is a 30-day elimination diet in which you cut out all sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, and dairy for 30 days.
Dried cranberries, like Craisins, usually contain sugar. If you can find dried cranberries with no sugar, then they would be Whole 30 approved.
Did you make this Whole 30 Cranberry Recipe? Please RATE THE RECIPE 🌟 below! Thank you! 😊
Printable Recipe
Whole 30 Cranberry Sauce (Paleo + Vegan)
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 apple diced fine
- 2 tablespoons orange juice unsweetened or freshly squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup water
Date Paste
- 1 cup whole, pitted dates about 14-15
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
MAKE THE DATE PASTE
- Add the dates and water to a food processor. Pulse until the dates combine with the water to make a thick paste. Set aside.
MAKE THE SAUCE
- Add whole fresh cranberries to a pot with one medium-sized apple, chopped fine. Add water, orange juice, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and boil the mixture for about 5 minutes while stirring frequently, then reduce the heat to low. Add ⅛ cup of date paste and mix well. Taste the sauce, and if it is still too tart, add more date paste until the desired sweetness is reached. Depending on how sweet you like your sauce or how sour your cranberries are, you may need to use all of the date paste. 🙂 Cover with a lid and simmer until thickened (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently to prevent burning.
COOL
- Once done, remove the whole cranberry sauce from the heat and cool completely before transferring it into a glass jar or container. Let it cool completely before serving.
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Notes
- Make the cranberry sauce a day in advance. The flavors will meld together overnight, and it'll be even better the next day.
- Store leftover cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
The provided nutrition information is automatically calculated. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Mihaela | https://theworldisanoyster.com/ says
Thinking of the amount of cooking that happens in the cold season, this sauce is perfect for meat dishes or cakes!
Toni says
This is perfectly easy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Agnieszka says
Finally a really good cranberry sauce recipe with no sugar added! It will definitely be served at my house this Thanksgiving.
Natalie says
This sauce looks amazing. Homemade is always the best, right?! I'm going to save your recipe and make this delicious sauce for Thanksgiving. Thanks!
Freya says
So full of lovely flavour with no synthetic nasties! A breeze to make and I froze a batch for the holidays!
Toni says
Such a delicious and healthy cranberry sauce! Thank you!