It may seem odd, but one of my favorite holiday foods is cranberry sauce.

Things to love about it…and be careful about

It may be due to the deep, rich red color at a time of year when it is cold and grey where I live. I certainly enjoy how it enhances the taste of turkey, chicken, pork, roast beef and even some forms of fish.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist,  I love the phytonutrients and vitamin C in cranberries, but the amount of added sugar typically in cranberry sauce concerns me.

It’s like a what?  Are you kidding?!

Commercially prepared jellied cranberry sauce is often so loaded with added sugar you might as well be eating candy.  Yes, that’s right… candy!

Now if you’re thinking that whole cranberry sauce might be better, think again.  Yes, I know it’s got the word “whole” in it and one of the things I share with people who see me for help in developing healthier eating habits is that “whole” foods tend to be healthier.

But in this case, it’s not true. Whole cranberry sauce, either commercially prepared or homemade, has the same amount of added sugar (or more!!!) as the jellied versions.  It’s another way that food labels can fool you.

A solution

A little experimenting in our kitchen and tweaking my grandmother’s recipe resulted in what we now use for cranberry sauce.  The recipe is below. It has all the flavor, color, and texture you would expect from with only 8 grams of carbohydrate. Plus, it keeps for several days, so you can make it ahead of time.

I’ll be sharing more of my recipes and tips  in the future on this blog, but the best way to make sure you don’t miss them is to sign up to receive emails from me with tips and recipes.

Do you have challenges with how food makes you feel?  Or wondering how you can still enjoy food and be healthier?  Set up an appointment or a free discovery call and let’s talk to see if I can help you!

Lisa Garcia, MS, RDN, LD

Cranberry Apple Sauce

Commercially prepared jellied cranberry sauce is often so loaded with added sugar you might as well be eating candy.   Whole cranberry sauce, either commercially prepared or homemade, often has the same amount of added sugar (or more) as jellied cranberry sauce.

A little experimenting in our kitchen and tweaking my grandmother's recipe resulted in what we now use for cranberry sauce.  It has all the flavor, color, and texture you would expect from cranberry sauce with only 8 grams of carbohydrate in a ¼ cup serving.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Resting time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings: 8 servings

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, diabetes friendly, Farm to table, Gluten Free, vegetarian

Calories: 30

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups whole cranberries, washed
• 1 medium apple peeled (I recommend Cortland or Macintosh)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Equipment

• food processor

Method

 

1. Place cranberries and apple in food processor and pulse until chopped. 
2. Place mixture in saucepan with water. 
3. Cover and heat on medium-high for about 3 minutes or until mixture begins to boil. 
4. Remove cover and simmer at medium heat for another 3 to 5, minutes stirring occasionally. 
5. Stir until sauce becomes smooth. 
6. Add in sugar and stir for 1 minute.
7. Remove from heat, pour into a serving dish, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (The sauce will keep for days, so it can be made ahead of time.)