Ended up making two different sugar-free cranberry sauces yesterday. One using the sugar free cranberry Jello and the other without using the Jello . . . for those that might have trouble finding the sugar free cranberry Jello at their store. I think they both taste good (for sugar free) – but there is a difference. You will find the sauce with the Jello congeals and is ‘solid’ while the sauce without the Jello is more of a thick sauce. I like them both – but you may have a preference. I’ve put both recipes below.
Cranberry Sauce (made with sugar free cranberry Jello):
Ingredients:
- 1 Box sugar free cranberry Jello mix
- 1 Package fresh cranberries
- 12 Packets of Sweet-n-Low
- 1 Cup water
Directions:
Bring the cranberries and water to a boil over medium heat, boiling for about 4 minutes. At this point they all should be ‘popped’ open. Add in the Jello mix and stir for about 30 seconds until dissolved, remove from heat. At this point you can strain the cooked berries through a sieve or strainer to remove the peels (if you don’t like them in the sauce – I don’t). Do the straining into a clean bowl. Once you have all the sauce strained add in the packets of Sweet-n-Low (to taste) and stir. I used 12 packets of Sweet-n-Low to get the flavor we like. You may find you use less . . . or maybe more depending on the level of ‘sweet’ you want. Cover and refrigerate. This recipe produces a ‘jelled’ sauce.
Cranberry Sauce (no Jello):
Ingredients:
- 1 Package fresh cranberries
- 1 Cup Splenda
- 1 Cup water
Directions:
Bring the cranberries, water and Splenda to a boil over a medium heat, continue cooking until the cranberries have popped open – usually about 4-5 minutes. Strain the cooked cranberries into a clean bowl. Cover and refrigerate. The recipe made with Splenda will not set like traditional sauce but will give you a nice thick sauce that spoons well over dressing. If you find your cranberry sauce is not sweet enough for your taste, add in packets of Sweet-n-Low until you have the flavor you like.
Variation: Make this cranberry sauce recipe 50% sugar free by using 1/2 cup real sugar and 1/2 cup Splenda. You’ll find the taste more to what you associate with cranberry sauce and the texture will be a little thicker.
While there’s nothing to compare to the taste and texture of traditional cranberry sauces made with REAL SUGAR (21.6 grams sugar for 1 slice 1/2 inch thick), these sugar free versions (0 grams sugar) are a good substitute for those who can’t have sugar in their diet or want to limit their sugar in take.
