Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Clementines

Try out this homemade, no sugar, cranberry sauce with apples and clementines! This recipe takes a twist on the classic recipe by using diced apple, apple sauce and no oranges. Instead, we use clementines for that citrusy flavor. Cloves and cinnamon give this recipe a delightful flavor and aroma, just the perfect sauce for your Thanksgiving, Christmas or special occasion dinners. I have also included instructions on how to make cranberry sauce using your Instant Pot.

I made this recipe because I wanted to make cranberry sauce but I didn't have oranges. There were clementines in our fruit basket instead. I am happy that this little experiment turned out great. That's just the beauty of cooking!! It is all about experimenting with what one has in the kitchen and making it work.

Some useful points related to this Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Clementines

How to thicken up cranberry sauce

You can thicken up your cranberry sauce by cooking it longer at a low heat. This will give the liquid more time to evaporate and the sauce to thicken up. In this case, you may want to scoop out about a serving spoonsful of the sauce and set it aside on a small bowl, if you prefer your cranberry sauce chunky. This is because the ingredients get softer the longer they cook. You can then spoon-in the previously set aside sauce back to the pot once the liquid has evaporated.

You can also thicken up this homemade cranberry sauce with apples by stirring-in gelatine or making a cornstarch slurry (combine one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of water). Gluten free alternatives to thicken up this homemade cranberry sauce include cassava flour and tapioca flour. Use xanthan gum or keto-approved gelatine for keto and low carb diets.

Make the sauce less thick

Concerned that your cranberry sauce is too thick or simply prefer it on the lighter side? Simply add in some liquid (water, apple juice or orange juice). I would advise you to add this one tablespoon at a time, so it does not get too watery. You can also stir-in some apple sauce.

Recipe Variations

Take things in your hand and spice up this cranberry sauce with apples and clementines recipe! This is the beauty of homemade sauces so feel free to experiment!

• Rum - stir-in about a third of a cup of rum and allow it to simmer with the rest of the ingredients. The alcohol evaporates during the cooking process. So no worries about driving after eating it.
• Flavor variations - you can use different flavor variations such as vanilla and a slight pinch of nutmeg. A favorite of ours is bourbon.
• Fruit substitutions - Use a cup of chopped pineapples instead of the apples and allow to simmer with the rest of the ingredients.

If you like to upgrade your food with healthy sauces as I do, you may want to try out Anna's vegan wild garlic pesto. It is so creamy and delicious! Another favorite of ours is Githu's sugar-free homemade apple sauce yummy!

Recent Recipe Video from Paleolowcarbkate

Other recipes to love:

• Gluten-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Instant Pot Cheesecake with Peanut Butter
• Swahili Samaki wa Kupaka (grilled fish in coconut sauce
• Best Instant Pot Lamb Stew in Red Wine

Instant Pot Instructions

You can save time and use your Instant Pot or pressure cooker to make this homemade cranberry sauce. This is very easy and involves the following steps.

• Switch on the Instant Pot. Stir in cranberries, a diced apple, apple sauce, cloves and cinnamon. You can also stir-in ⅓ of a cup monk fruit sweetener (or your preferred sugar-free sweetener), if you prefer to have your cranberry sauce sweeter. Stir to combine.
• Close the lid of the Instant Pot and make sure the top is set to SEAL and not VENTING.
• Set the program on the HIGH PRESSURE setting and time at 5 minutes.
• Once the cooking time is over, allow it to NATURALLY PRESSURE RELEASE (10-15) minutes.
• Program it again to saute for 5 minutes, if you would like your cranberry sauce to thicken up. You can add more time on the saute function if the cranberry sauce is still not thick enough.
• Once cooked, switch off the Instant Pot and transfer the sauce to suitable containers. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Preservation

You can store homemade cranberry sauce using clean, airtight containers in the fridge for about 10 days. If you store it in the fridge, always check the sauce after the first week for mould or an odd smell, just to make sure it is still consumable.

To freeze, transfer the cranberry sauce to suitable containers (airtight, preferrably sanitized). It can be kept in the freezer for up to a year.