Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce – Sharon Palmer, The Plant Powered Dietitian

Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce (Easy, Healthy Holiday Sauce with No Added Sugar)

Bright, jewel-toned, and bursting with flavor, this Pomegranate Mandarin Sauce is a simple way to add something special to both sweet and savory dishes. Made with just a handful of wholesome ingredients—pomegranate juice and seeds, fresh mandarin or orange juice and zest, a touch of maple syrup (which is optional), and warming cardamom—this sauce delivers the perfect balance of sweet and tart without relying on refined sugar, oil, or salt.

Quick and easy to prepare, this naturally vegan and plant-based sauce is delicious spooned over roasted vegetables, grain dishes, and holiday mains, as well as drizzled over ice cream or sorbet for an elegant dessert. Whether you’re planning a festive meal or looking for a healthy, versatile condiment, this pomegranate mandarin sauce is a beautiful addition to the holiday table.

Pomegranates are such a versatile fruit. The deep red, sweet-tart pomegranate arils (seeds) and juice offer a rich, vibrant flavor and color to dishes beyond sweet treats. Like they do in this Pomegranate Sauce with Mandarins, which is vegan and gluten-free. With only 6 ingredients, you can mix up this sauce in just a few minutes. Simply cook pomegranate juice, mandarin orange juice and zest, maple syrup, and cardamom together, with a bit of cornstarch to thicken it up, and stir in pomegranate arils when the sauce thickens up.

I love this flavorful pomegranate sauce served with savory dishes, such as veggie meatballs, lentil patties, and potato casserole. You can even serve it on your holiday table for a new take on cranberry relish (which is what I have done numerous times). This pomegranate sauce also celebrates the fall and winter seasonal flavors of cool weather produce, like pomegranates and citrus fruit.

This recipe comes completely from my garden, as I have all of these elements—save the cornstarch and cardamom—growing in my garden. The California climate is perfectly suited for growing these Mediterranean fruits, which pair so well together. If you live in the Golden State, try growing a mandarin and pomegranate tree. Mandarin trees have beautiful, glossy green foliage, and fragrant flowers in the winter and early spring. Pomegranates grow in delightful shrubby trees with bright red flowers bringing forth round fruit like ornaments in the late fall and winter. Both of these fruits are packed with powerful antioxidant compounds linked with health protection, so it’s a good idea to include them in your diet more often. Learn more about how to cook with pomegranates here.

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For more plant-based sauces, try some of my favorites:

Try serving this recipe with the following savory vegan dishes:

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