Healthy Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Cranberry sauce in a bowl with a sprinkle of lemon zest.

5 from 4 votes

A healthy, light Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce made with dates, orange, ginger, and chia seeds. No sugar, simple ingredients, bright flavor, and easy to make ahead.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Vegan, vegetarian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people

Calories: 88kcal

Author: Nisha Melvani

Equipment

Immersion blender or blender
Medium saucepan

Ingredients

6 Medjool dates pitted
¾ cup boiling water
12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen
¾ cup orange juice preferably freshly squeezed (about 2 large oranges)
Zest of ½ orange
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger or ½ teaspoon freshly grated
1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
Salt to taste

Instructions

Soak the dates: Pour ½ cup boiling water over the dates. Let them sit for 5 minutes. Drain the dates, reserving all of the soaking water.
Blend the dates: Transfer the softened dates to a blender.
Measure out ¾ cup of the reserved soaking water (add fresh hot water only if you don’t have enough).
Pour the measured ¾ cup of water into the blender with the dates and blend until smooth.
Combine: Add the blended date mixture, cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon, and salt to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the cranberries begin to pop and burst, about 8–10 minutes.
Mash: Use the side of a spatula to mash the cranberries gently until the desired texture is achieved.
Add ground chia: Remove from heat and stir in the ground chia seeds. Let the sauce cool — it will continue to thicken as it cools. Add more water, juice, or date syrup as needed until the desired taste and texture is achieved.

Notes

- Oranges: Choose sweet and juicy oranges (Valencia, Navels, or Minneola Tangelos) for the best-tasting cranberry sauce.
- For a sweeter sauce, add more dates. Make sure to soak them first in hot water for 5 minutes. Then blend them with water or juice and add them to the saucepan with the simmering cranberry sauce. Or add a touch of date or maple syrup to taste.

Nutrition