From the recipe archive: Originally posted in 2008. This homemade cranberry sauce is a perfect side for your healthy Paleo Thanksgiving dinner.
This sweet yet tart raw cranberry sauce is one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, in fact, it’s one of my favorite naturally gluten free dishes of all time!
Tart, tangy and full of healing properties, just last week I ate an entire test batch. I adore cranberries and stock up during this time of year while they are fresh, making fun cranberry dishes several times per week.
When they go out of season, I keep bags of frozen cranberries in the freezer as the boys enjoy my homemade cranberry sauce.
Raw Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 orange, peeled, sliced, seeds removed
- 1 lemon, peeled, sliced, seeds removed
- 2 dates (remove pits) and chopped
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Blend orange, lemon and dates in a food processor
- Add cranberries and process until coarsely chopped
- Serve
Equipment
Beware, this raw, vegan sauce is quite tart. If that is not your thing, just add a few more dates. Personally, I’ll take mine super sour!
I would not recommend making this dish with frozen cranberries, though you can always give it a try to see how it turns out. If you do, please leave a comment and share your results.
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What is your favorite cranberry dish? Which one will you be making for Thanksgiving this year? Leave a comment and let us in on it!
allie says
i use honey instead of dates and add some orange peel zest
TLowe says
My gma does one with a bag of cberries and the entire orange… Thin skinned. Sugar to taste. I like your idea of the dates tho for sweetness. Blend all up.
thommy ji says
I used frozen cranberries.
Zested an orange, and stirred it in after following the recipe.
It its fantastic! Not mushy as the author eluded to.
Also good with a little fresh ginger root.
Susanne says
I made this recipe tonight (1 orange 1/2 lemon). Now it is waiting to be part of my Christmas dinner. Here in Norway we have the big celebration on the evening of the 24th and we’ll be enjoying your cranberry relish.
Lisa says
Hi Elana,
I usually make raw cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, but couldn’t locate my recipe, so I looked on your wonderful, and sure enough, a raw cranberry recipe appeared! I did change it up a bit to make it a little sweeter and zestier.
Recipe Changes/Substitutions:
I used only half of one lemon. I added the zest of both the orange and half lemon. I also added a bit of the white parts of the citrus. I added a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt to bring out the flavors. I also added about twice the dates as well as one heaping Tablespoon of xylitol (a natural sugar derived from vegetables–just make sure it’s not made from corn, but any sugar would do). I processed all but the cranberries quite well, then added the cranberries and processed them to chunky. I let it sit out on the counter covered in a pretty handmade bowl for about an hour to let everything dissolve together before putting it in the fridge to chill.
Everyone loved it. It was delicious. Thank you Elana for your wonderful recipes. I love being on your email list to see what yumminess you’re up to! Happy Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Thanks,
Lisa
Lisa says
Fresh ginger. I added 1 heaping Tbsp fresh ginger to this recipe.
laura says
cranberries are why i love this holiday :)
we made a similar “relish” with added sliced ginger, apples, and toasted pecans.
Amy @ Chef Basket says
This is a great recipe. Cranberries are definitely high in healing properties and high in anti-oxidants. This is truly a healthy choice.
Julia says
I made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED it! Thanks for all your recipes.
Wynette says
A wonderful addition to my Thanksgiving!
Mudita says
I love raw cranberry sauce. A couple things I also love in my cranberry sauce are fresh ginger, pear and a dash of cloves. I doubled this recipe, only added 1 lemon, and added the above ingredients. Deeeeeelish!!!!