Cranberry relish is just one of those staple ingredients on every holiday dinner table, whether you like it or not. And the opinions on it are often polarizing: either you love it or you hate it. There’s rarely a middle ground. The general consensus in our house: love!

It doesn’t have any bitterness, no weird aftertaste, and it doesn’t give you that strange “cooling” effect that other no-cal sweetener do. I’ve been using it in all our treats and it was the perfect ingredient for our cranberry relish this year.

I left out all the extra high-sugar fruits and kept things simple with just plain cranberries and a little orange zest. Just perfect. Also, mix this cranberry relish in with some dijon mustard for the best thing you’ve ever tasted on a slice of leftover turkey breast. Trust me on that.

This recipe originally appeared on Our Paleo Life.

Low-Carb Cranberry Relish

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Salads & Sides

Ingredients

  

• 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries no need to thaw
• 3/4 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener
• 3/4 cup Water
• 2 tsp orange zest fresh or dried
• pecans optional

Instructions

 

• Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened. If you run the spoon across the bottom of the pan, it should take a second or two for the relish to refill that space.
• At this point you have a couple options regarding texture: 1) Leave as-is for a super chunky relish; 2) Mash the cranberries for a somewhat chunky relish; 3) Use an immersion blender to break down the berries to a barely chunky texture (this is our preferred method and what is pictured in this recipe). To do this, turn on the blender while in the relish and slightly raise and lower it while moving it around, never taking it completely out of the relish. 4) Pour it all in a food processor and blend until it's as smooth as you can get it.
• Chop up the pecans (amount varies on your preference) and either mix in to the relish or serve on the side as a garnish. This adds a wonderful crunch as well as some healthy fat to the dish (pecans are high in fat and very low in carbs).

Notes

If you use a granulated sweetener-substitute, it will crystallize as the relish cools, creating a slightly crunchy texture. This doesn't happen with the powdered monkfruit which is why that is recommended.

If using a granulated sweetener-substitute, increase amount to 1 cup.