Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

This delicious dried cranberry sauce recipe takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish and contains less than 45 calories per serving. Whip up this mouthwatering treat in no time with regular pantry staples.

I love cranberry sauce but I don’t love how much refined sugar it contains.  When I looked into making my own cranberry sauce, I struggled to find fresh or frozen cranberries but could get hold of dried cranberries. 

This recipe tastes just as good as any cranberry sauce I’ve ever tasted, and best of all it is made from pantry staples so you can whip it up at a moment's notice.

It took me less than 15 minutes to prepare this sauce from start to finish.

And this contains less than 45 calories per serving.

These recipes will help you easily create a wholesome and mouth-watering Sunday dinner that pleases everyone. So my Sunday dinner table has crispy smashed Brussels Sprouts, vegan Toad In The Hole, Yorkshire pudding wraps, Greek potatoes, vegan Yorkshire pudding, and vegan tofu sausages.

These recipes are just a few of the vegan dishes that are sure to make my Sunday dinner a smashing success. And in addition to the taste it's a breeze to make all of these meals for my family and I enjoy every second of it.

❤️️ Benefits

• This recipe contains 42.5 calories per serving
• This recipe is made from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
• This easy recipe takes 2 minutes of active preparation time and 10 minutes of cooking time.  You can use the cooking time to get on with other things.
• This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of maple syrup.
• I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday, simple ingredients such as maple syrup.
• This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free, free from refined sugar, vegetarian, and are based on whole foods.  
• All of my recipes follow my own diet plan called the Plant Plate 400. In addition,  my recipes also adhere to the following diets, the Mediterranean diet, the 1200 Calories a Day diet, Clean eating, the Macrobiotic diet, the Alkaline diet, the Ornish diet, the Daniel Fast, and the Starch Solution diet.

📋 Ingredients

Here is a labeled photo of all the ingredients I used in this recipe.

🧑‍🍳 Substitutions

• Dried cranberries: You can’t replace the cranberries, but try and find cranberries that aren’t coated with anything as they are often coated with sugar.
• Maple syrup: You can omit the syrup or replace it with any sweetener of your choice.

The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate

Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System.  This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal. 

The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste

This recipe adds flavor to any dish.  It falls under the “Taste” category on the Plant Based Plate and is not a complete meal.

The diagram below helps you visually see how this element features on a Plant-Based Plate.

Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.

Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.  

Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions.  It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe. 

Plant-based protein

• n/a

Leaves, fruit & veg 

• Dried cranberries

Aesthetic additions

• n/a

Nutrient packed carbohydrates

• n/a

Taste 

• Dried Cranberries
• Maple syrup

🥘 Recommended equipment

Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.

📖 Instructions

Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to make the recipe.  See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full detailed instructions.

• Cook all the ingredients in a saucepan and serve when done.

👩‍🏫 Frequently asked questions

❄️ How to store leftovers

This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.

🥗 Ways to use this recipe

Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe: 

• Crispy Smashed Brussels Sprouts (Air Fryer, Viral TikTok)
• Tofu Sausage Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Vegan Toad In The Hole Recipe (Gluten Free)
• Vegan Yorkshire Pudding Wrap Recipe (Gluten Free)
• Air Fryer Greek Potatoes Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
• Gluten-Free Vegan Yorkshire Pudding
• Vegan Sunday Roast Dinner Under 400 Calories (Gluten Free)

🍚 What to serve with this recipe

If you’re looking for side dishes to serve alongside this recipe, here are some of my best recommendations.

🍝 Vegan carbohydrate side dishes

Serve this recipe with any of the following carb side dishes which are all around 100 calories per serving: 

• Creamy Mashed potatoes
• Easy Boiled Baby Potatoes
• Easy Skin On Boiled Potato

For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.

🫑 Vegan vegetable side dishes

Here are some vegetable side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe which are all under 100 calories per serving.

• Easy Vegan Cheesy Broccoli
• Vegan Zucchini Fritters

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan vegetable side dishes.

🌭 Vegan meat side dishes

Here are some vegan meat side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe, and are great substitutes for regular meat.  These are all under 150 calories per serving.

• Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs
• Easy Vegan Meatloaf

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan meat recipes.

🍶 More vegan dips Recipes

Here are some more vegan dips or vegan sauces that are all under 50 calories per serving.

• No Cook Marinara Sauce (this makes a great salsa or tomato sauce dip)
• Quick Gluten Free Vegan Gravy Recipe
• Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
• Creamy Edamame Guacamole
• Easy Vegan Tzatziki Sauce
• Creamy Hummus Recipe (No Garlic)
• Creamy Vegan Poppy Seed Dressing
• 2 Minute Hot Sauce Recipe
• Creamy Vegan Italian Dressing Recipe
• No Oil No Tahini Hummus

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan dip recipes.

📖 Recipe

Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Katherine Kyle

This delicious dried cranberry sauce recipe takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish and contains less than 45 calories per serving. Whip up this mouthwatering treat in no time with regular pantry staples.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course carbohydrate side dishes, dip, Leaves Fruit & Veg, Sauces

Cuisine Britain

Servings 8

Calories 42.5 kcal

Equipment

• Medium Pot
• Food Processor

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup (80g) unsweetened dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ¼ cup boiling water

Instructions

 

• Add the dried cranberries, maple syrup, and boiling water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
• Take out half of the sauce and blend it in a blender or use an immersion blender. I used my electric mini chopper.
• Return the blended cranberries to the pan and mix.

Notes

Storage: This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.

Nutritional Information: The nutritional information is for one serving of the recipe.

Ingredient Swaps

Almost all ingredients can be swapped for other ingredients.  See the section called Ingredients substitutions in the blog post for easy ingredient swaps. 

Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Katherine Kyle

BSc, PGCE, Certified Vegan Nutritionist at Magical Life Of Fruit

I help busy people make tasty, simple, plant-based, gluten free meals that are so filling that they don't need to snack at all.

When I switched to a vegan diet I lost 56 pounds (5 dress sizes) and all areas of my life were dramatically transformed.

Going vegan totally gave me my life back, saved me money, boosted my confidence, increased my energy, and helps me maintain a healthy weight.

Read my story here.

I have helped millions of people to do the same through my two websites,
GreenThickies.com and MagicalLifeOfFruit.com.

Send Katherine a message on Instagram,or email.

Latest posts by Katherine Kyle (see all)

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