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Home » Blog » Recipes » Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce

Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce

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Presenting my Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce! It’s Part 3 of my Nomtastic Thanksgiving series! (Check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you’ve just joined the cooking party!)

A bowl of paleo cran-cherry sauce.

Sweet and sour is one of my favorite flavor combinations. It perfectly describes my personality. And although I never tried cranberry sauce until I began attending the annual Thanksgiving potluck at my in-laws’, I fell hard for it right away. It didn’t matter if I got a dry piece of turkey breast; a dollop of tangy cranberry sauce would make it all better. But sadly, once I started eating Paleo, I had to skip the cranberry sauce altogether. After all, I knew that most recipes are sweetened with LOADS of white sugar.

A collage of cooking steps for paleo cran-cherry sauce.

But this year, I was determined to come up with a Paleo and Whole30-friendly version of cranberry sauce—one inspired by the cranberry-cherry-apple juice blends from my childhood. By themselves, cranberries can be unpalatably bitter and sour. But by adding an equal amount of cherries and simmering the fruit in apple juice, I was able to counter the mouth-puckering tartness of the cranberries with some natural sweetness. Prefer a sweeter sauce? Just a touch of honey will do the trick. And if you make this Cran-Cherry Sauce a day ahead and allow the flavors to meld further, it tastes even better. In fact, you can make this dish a week ahead and it’ll still be awesome!

A pot of cherries and cranberries on the stove.

Time to make paleo cran-cherry sauce!

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounces frozen cranberries
  • 6 ounces frozen sweet cherries
  • ¾ cup apple juice (I like Martinelli’s brand)
  • ½ teaspoon minced ginger
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Equipment:

  • Kitchen scale (optional)
  • Bowls
  • Medium saucepan
  • Silicone spatula
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • Microplane rasp grater

Here’s how to make it:

Measure out the cranberries and cherries…

Measuring out the weight of the cherries and cranberries for paleo cran-cherry sauce.

…and place them in saucepan.

Cherries and cranberries piled in a pot.

(No kitchen scale? Just use half a 12-ounce bag of cranberries and measure out an equal amount of frozen cherries. Easy peasy.)

Pour in the apple juice…

Apple juice measured out in a glass measuring cup.

…minced ginger…

Someone grating ginger over a plate.

Cranberries and cherries in a pot with ginger for paleo cran-cherry sauce.

…and a pinch of salt.

Someone sprinkling salt into a pot filled with cranberries and cherries.

Bring the contents of the pan to a boil over high heat…

A pot of cranberries and cherries coming to boil.

Cranberries and cherries in a pot boiling.

…and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer.

Cook the sauce for 8 to 10 minutes or until  it’s thickened and the fruit has broken down.

Cranberries and cherries in a pot cooling and thickening.

Taste for sweetness and add honey if needed.

Someone measuring out honey in a measuring spoon.

Pouring measured honey into the pot of cooled cranberries and cherries for paleo cran-cherry sauce.

If you prefer a smoother sauce, blitz it with an immersion blender!

Someone using an immersion blender to mix the ingredients for paleo cran-cherry sauce together.

Cool to room temperature and serve with your Turkey Day dinner—or better yet, make it up to 5 days in advance and keep it in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Mixing the ingredients for paleo cran-cherry sauce in a pot with a rubber spatula.

paleo cran-cherry sauce in a bowl.


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce by Michelle Tam https://nomnompaleo.com
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Paleo Cran-Cherry Sauce

This Paleo and Whole30-friendly version of cranberry sauce—inspired by the cranberry-cherry-apple juice blends from my childhood—is perfect for your Thanksgiving feast. By themselves, cranberries can be unpalatably bitter and sour. But by adding an equal amount of cherries and simmering the fruit in apple juice, I was able to counter the mouth-puckering tartness of the cranberries with some natural sweetness. Prefer a sweeter sauce? Just a touch of honey will do the trick. And if you make this Cran-Cherry Sauce a day ahead and allow the flavors to meld further, it tastes even better. In fact, you can make this dish a week ahead and it’ll still be awesome!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Thanksgiving
Keyword: gluten-free, holiday, paleo, Primal, Whole30
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 168kcal
Author: Michelle Tam

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces frozen cranberries
  • 6 ounces frozen sweet cherries
  • ¾ cup apple juice I like Martinelli’s brand
  • ½ teaspoon minced ginger
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Measure out the cranberries and cherries and place them in saucepan. (No kitchen scale? Just use half a 12-ounce bag of cranberries and measure out an equal amount of frozen cherries. Easy peasy.)
  • Pour in the apple juice, minced ginger, and a pinch of salt.
  • Bring the contents of the pan to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook the sauce for 8 to 10 minutes or until  it’s thickened and the fruit has broken down.
  • Taste for sweetness and add honey if needed. Cool to room temperature and serve with your Turkey Day dinner—or better yet, make it up to 5 days in advance and keep it in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.
Tried this recipe?Mention @nomnompaleo or tag #nomnompaleo!

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Fiber: 6g

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin in AK says

    November 21, 2020 at 8:32 pm

    Is there any reason I can’t use fresh cranberries to make this?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      November 21, 2020 at 10:24 pm

      You can use fresh cranberries!

      Reply
      • Erin in AK says

        November 25, 2020 at 5:10 am

        Wooohooo! Thanks for the clarification. I’ve got frozen, locally picked lowbush (wild) cranberries I picked this fall, but they are SOOO tart. Buying commercially grown cranberries means I won’t have to add so much sweetener.

        Reply
  2. Robin Lewison says

    November 25, 2020 at 1:59 am

    Do you know if this can be frozen?

    Reply
    • Michelle Tam says

      November 25, 2020 at 10:51 pm

      Definitely!

      Reply

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