The best Cranberry Sauce with fresh orange juice and zest. Lower in sugar, yet perfectly sweet and tart, and absolutely perfect for the holidays.

Add as much or as little granulated sugar, maple syrup or honey, or you can use a sugar replacement like Swerve, if you prefer.

You can make this cranberry sauce ahead of time – up to 4 days in advance! Save time the day-of, and have a more delicious cranberry sauce that has been ‘mingling’ in the fridge for a few days!

A overhead shot of a bowl of cranberry sauce.

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How to make low sugar cranberry sauce

Featured Ingredients

Cranberries. You can use fresh or frozen whole cranberries.
Orange. Grab a few fresh oranges – you’ll use the zest and the juice.
Sugar. Granulated sugar, maple syrup, honey or your favorite sugar substitute.
Spices. This is optional, but this vegan cranberry sauce is delicious with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cloves.

Equipment Needed

A stove.
A medium saucepan.
Measuring cups and spoons.
A microplane or zester.
A wooden or heat-safe spoon.
A bowl for storage/cooling.
A bowl and spoon for serving.

Step-by-Step Instructions

In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries, orange zest and juice and sugar, maple syrup or honey to a simmer.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst. Add additional orange juice or water, if necessary. Add spices, if desired.
Use the back of a fork to smash cranberries to desired consistency.

A side shot of a bowl of cranberry sauce.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen whole cranberries.
Orange: Use bottled orange juice if fresh oranges are not available. Get the high pulp, if you can!
Sugar: You can use granulated sugar, maple syrup or honey or any sugar substitute (like Swerve, stevia or monkfruit extract). You can use as little or as much as you’d like.
Add spices: Cranberry sauce is delicious with a sprinkling of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cloves.
Add fresh ginger: A bit of minced fresh ginger added is also delicious.
Add pineapple: You can add a bit of chopped fresh or canned pineapple if you’d like. Simply reduce the amount of cranberries and add that same amount of pineapple.
Add apples: You can add a bit of diced apple, if you’d like. Simply reduce the amount of cranberries and add that same amount of apples.
Add nuts: Add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans while the cranberries cook.

Nutrition Considerations

To make this gluten free: This recipe is naturally gluten free, even if you make any or all of the substitutions I suggested above!
To make dairy free: This recipe is naturally dairy free, even if you make any or all of the substitutions I suggested above!
To make vegan: Use granulated sugar or maple syrup to sweeten, not honey.
To make nut free: Do not add any nuts to the cranberry sauce.

How do I make cranberry sauce lower in sugar?

Simply adjust the amount of sugar you add to the cranberry sauce to meet your needs. The less sugar you add, the more tart the cranberry sauce will be.

You can also use a no calorie, no sugar natural sweetener like Swerve, stevia or monkfruit extract for some or all of the sugar.

How to store cranberry sauce

You can make this cranberry sauce up to 4 days in the advance.
Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Store it in the freezer in an airtight container up to 2 months.

Uses for leftover cranberry sauce

Serve it alongside or puree it and use it as a glaze for my Dutch Oven Turkey Breast.
Use it as the filling for my Cranberry and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears.
Swirl it into my Apple Cranberry Bread Pudding or my Cranberry Ginger Muffins.
Use it in my Cranberry Pecan Pie Bars.
Serve it alongside my Beef Tenderloin for a deliciously festive dinner.
Make a grilled cheese with it using brie and bacon.

An overhead shot of a bowl of cranberry sauce.

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