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    Home » Sides

    3-Ingredient Paleo Cranberry Sauce

    November 1, 2018 Updated: July 8, 2021 by Lisa Wells / 32 Comments

    3 ingredient cranberry sauce - make it in 15 minutes!

    3-ingredient paleo cranberry sauce is so easy and takes just 15 minutes from start to finish. Once you try this simple cranberry orange sauce it will become a family favorite on your holiday table!

    3-Ingredient Paleo Cranberry Sauce made with fresh cranberries


    This 3-ingredient paleo cranberry sauce is incredibly simple. It's made with fresh whole cranberries and orange juice - and it's one of the easiest Thanksgiving dishes to make from scratch. Fresh cranberry sauce takes just 15 minutes to make. You can make it the day before. And it's naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free.

    How to make cranberry sauce

    How do you make homemade cranberry sauce? It really couldn't be easier---just add the ingredients to a saucepan and simmer until the cranberries start to burst. If you've never made cranberry sauce before, just watch the video below to see how easy it is to make!

    I always make fresh cranberry sauce for the holidays. It is so fast and easy, there's no reason to buy it. And the great thing about making your own is that you can control the ingredients. Make it as sweet or as tart as you like by adjusting the amount of honey. Make a vegan version by swapping out the honey for maple syrup. Or stir in your favorite holiday flavors to make your own signature cranberry sauce.

    Paleo cranberry sauce three ways

    Cranberry Orange Sauce - This simple 3-ingredient cranberry sauce is great on its own, or as the base for different flavor variations.

    Fresh cranberry sauce

    Here are a couple of different flavors to try:

    Dijon Cranberry Sauce - Stir in a tablespoon of Dijon mustard once the sauce is cooked. This is a great variation for sandwiches the next day.

    Spiced Cranberry Sauce - Add a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves to the sauce while cooking. Cut a strip of orange peel and poke the cloves through it so it will be easy to remove the whole spices once the sauce has cooked.

    The possibilities are endless for this 3-ingredient paleo cranberry sauce. However you make it, add fresh cranberry sauce to your paleo Thanksgiving menu. (And if you have any leftovers, try this super-easy cranberry salad dressing.)

    Cranberry sauce

    3-Ingredient Paleo Cranberry Sauce

    This 3-ingredient paleo cranberry orange sauce is a super easy fresh cranberry sauce that takes just 15 minutes from start to finish. 
    4.82 from 27 votes
    Print Save Email
    Prep Time: 3 mins
    Cook Time: 12 mins
    Total Time: 15 mins
    Servings: 8 servings
    Course: Sauce
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: AIP, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Author: Lisa Wells

    Ingredients

    • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
    • ¾ cup fresh orange juice
    • ½ cup honey or maple syrup to taste

    Instructions

    • Combine cranberries, orange juice, and honey or maple syrup in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, until berries pop and sauce thickens, about 10 - 15 minutes.
    • Cool completely and refrigerate.
    • Serve at room temperature.

    Notes

    Use less honey for a more tart cranberry sauce. Or substitute maple syrup for a vegan version.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 94kcal Carbohydrates: 25g Protein: 0g Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 1mg Potassium: 93mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 21g Vitamin A: 70IU Vitamin C: 17.4mg Calcium: 7mg Iron: 0.2mg
    Keyword: Quick and Easy, Thanksgiving
    Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating above and share your photo on social. I love seeing what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. jesusdiedandlives

      November 14, 2013 at 10:38 am

      Been wondering how to do this. Thank you for posting how to make cranberrry sauce paleo style. Jesusdiedandlives

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 14, 2013 at 4:00 pm

        You're welcome. It's really easy - hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    2. christie

      November 16, 2013 at 9:37 pm

      Can we substitute anything for honey?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 17, 2013 at 12:21 pm

        I haven't tested it with any other sweeteners, but this recipe is pretty flexible so you should be able to substitute. I would add the sweetener to taste, and add extra liquid if it's too thick, or simmer it a little longer if it looks too thin. It may take a little experimenting to get it right.

        Reply
        • Ruth Peach

          December 30, 2013 at 6:54 pm

          Lisa, I understood that we can't use any sweeteners in a paleo eating plan, including honey or agave etc. Can you explain? Because I love cranberry sauce and have missed it. Thank you.

          Reply
          • Lisa

            December 30, 2013 at 7:50 pm

            Hi Ruth, that's a great question. Stick to limited use of natural sweeteners, like raw honey, for treats or special occasions. Here's a link to a great guide to sweeteners from Diane Sanfilippo's Practical Paleo: http://www.balancedbites.com/PDFs/BOOK_EXTRAS/PracticalPaleo_GuidetoSweeteners.pdf.

            Reply
    3. Pamela Carneal

      November 28, 2013 at 5:32 pm

      I was in a pinch. I'm the only one in the house that likes cranberries and usually just forget them. I grabbed a bag of fresh ones on my last trip to the store, but it had been years since I cooked any, so thanks for posting this. I didn't have any OJ in the house (just grapefruit juice). So I peeled 2 oranges and popped them into my a Breville Hemisphere blender then hit liquify. Worked out great, I used 1 cup (I wouldn't necessarily want this in a glass to drink, but the added pulp is fine in relish 😉 I also used SugarLeaf (SweetLeaf stevia/cane sugar blend, I didn't have enough honey), about 1/4 cup and two droppers of Lemon Drop liquid stevia. Perhaps not Paleo perfect but it scratched my cranberry itch just enough.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 29, 2013 at 8:39 pm

        Pamela, I'm so glad you got to have your cranberry sauce - the pureed whole oranges sound like a great option!

        Reply
    4. Amy

      December 16, 2013 at 5:16 pm

      Great recipe. How long does this last in the fridge? Thanks

      Reply
      • Lisa

        December 19, 2013 at 10:53 pm

        Amy, I have kept this in the fridge up to a week.

        Reply
    5. Tami

      November 26, 2014 at 9:11 pm

      We made this recipe using 32 oz of cranberries, 1/2 cup honey and 2 1/4 cup orange juice, 1t cinnamon, 1t allspice, 1/4t ginger and 1/4t cloves and it was great! Not sure if the spices helped sweeten the cranberry sauce, but I think we could have used less honey. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    6. Beej3

      November 03, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      As a side note, I have used frozen or fresh rasberries in a cranberry relish as well for sweetness/tartness. It's fabulous.

      Reply
    7. Melissa B.

      November 15, 2015 at 6:28 pm

      I just made this and it is awesome! Last year I tried a recipe that used maple syrup which I didn't care for, so this is my new go-to recipe! Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 16, 2015 at 2:24 pm

        Yay! It's my go-to recipe too, Melissa!

        Reply
    8. Lisa

      November 24, 2015 at 10:32 pm

      Thank you for a simple yet tasty recipe!

      Reply
    9. Becky

      November 26, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Awesome, perfect, easy! Thanks!

      Reply
    10. Sabrina

      November 14, 2017 at 11:20 pm

      5 stars
      love this and a great reminder that it can be made ahead, no excuse to use a canned recipe, not with this, thank you!

      Reply
    11. Mary

      November 23, 2017 at 4:36 pm

      5 stars
      This is my go-to cranberry sauce recipe for Thanksgiving now. I do add zested orange peel, 3 cloves and a cinnamon stick and left out the honey since the oranges were very sweet. Thank you!

      Reply
    12. Kaley Wied

      November 23, 2017 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      If you are on the brink of trying this recipe, JUST GO FOR IT!! 3 ingredients and 15 minutes is all you need to make an AMAZING cranberry sauce! I used frozen cranberries and it turned out too delicious for words! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    13. Ume

      December 23, 2018 at 1:02 am

      5 stars
      Hey! I'm looking forward to trying this recipe out but, I would just like to know how much one serving is, (in like Tbsp or tsp) thanks!

      Reply
    14. Lisa

      November 18, 2020 at 11:03 am

      Can dried or frozen cherries be added to this? Im not concerned about keeping it paleo but just keeping it healthy. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 18, 2020 at 5:34 pm

        Hi Lisa, I think you could do either. You may want to use a little less honey or maple syrup if the cherries are sweet. Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    15. Chris

      November 25, 2020 at 6:31 pm

      5 stars
      I discovered this recipe when preparing for Thanksgiving many years ago. I switched it to the vegan version about 5 years ago, and I still continue to use the recipe EVERY Thanksgiving...so thank you!!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        November 27, 2020 at 1:07 pm

        Yay! I'm so glad you love it, Chris!

        Reply
    16. Debora Dodson

      December 22, 2020 at 3:00 pm

      5 stars
      I made it at Thanksgiving and it was perfect. I have again twice.amd it will not thicken up. I havefollowed the recipe exactly. I know it is something I did wrong
      Please help

      Reply
      • Lisa

        December 31, 2020 at 3:33 pm

        Hi Debora, the pectin from the cranberries is what thickens the sauce. Be sure you are cooking it long enough for all the cranberries to pop and release the pectin. If you're still having trouble, you can always simmer it a little longer to reduce the liquid. Hope this helps!

        Reply
    17. Susan Morgan

      November 17, 2021 at 8:19 pm

      This is my very, very favorite cranberry sauce recipe! It has just the right amount of tartness, plus I love that it's healthy with no refined sugar. I always make it for our family's Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners & also usually have a bowl of it made up in my fridge--it really adds extra flavor to a lot of meals. I keep cranberries in the freezer so we can have it year round since we enjoy it so much!

      Reply
    18. Wendy

      December 19, 2021 at 3:12 pm

      This recipe looks fantastic! Does this have a strong orange flavor? I am attempting to incorporate my paleo dishes into Christmas dinner but my sister hates orange in cranberry sauce. Thanks for any input!

      Reply
    19. Jackie

      April 07, 2022 at 9:16 am

      I'm on the Whole 30. Can I substitute dates for the honey?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        April 07, 2022 at 5:41 pm

        Hi Jackie, I haven't tested this recipe with dates but it sounds like it would work (although the flavor may be different). I would puree the dates before adding to the sauce and add a little bit at a time until it's sweet enough. If you try it let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    20. Maria

      April 21, 2022 at 10:34 pm

      Hi, Would love to try it but In Australia we don't have fresh cranberries, can I use dried cranberries instead. Managed to find organic dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice and 1% of sunflower oil. And would it be nice over porridge?

      Reply
      • Lisa

        April 28, 2022 at 2:37 pm

        Hi Maria, I have not tested this recipe with dried cranberries so not sure how it would turn out. Making it with fresh or frozen cranberries it has a sweet-tart flavor and jam-like consistency so it might be nice over porridge.

        Reply

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