Low-Carb Grand Marnier

Today I'm followiung up on once of your recipe requests from our Facebook Support Group. This is Grand Marnier made low-carb!

Grand Marnier is a delicious French liqueur flavored with orange peel and warming spices including cinnamon and cloves. It's the perfect liqueur to enjoy this holiday season!

When ready, it can be enjoyed with no ice, or with an extra ice cube if you prefer it chilled. You can keep it in the fridge but I recommend keeping it at room temperature or in a cool room.

A great way to enjoy Grand Marnier is to use it in cocktails! Here are cocktails made with Grand Marnier (many of them can be made low-carb!)

How to Make Sugar-Free Grand Marnier

Making this delicious orange liqueur at home is really easy because you will only need a few ingredients, that's it!

Orange peel, organic, peel only. The essential oils from the peel is what will add fantastic flavor to your Grand Marnier.
Spices. Ceylon cinnamon, cloves and bitter dried orange peel for that perfectly spiced flavor and scent.
Brandy. Brandy is the best option to keep it closer to the authentic drink but vodka is a good alternative for a more neutral, fresh tasting orange liqueur.
Allulose combined with water to make a simple syrup. Allulose is a type of low-carb sweetener that tastes just like sugar and does not crystallize like other types of low-carb sweeteners like Erythritol. You can read all about Allulose here.

Note: I tried to get the flavor as close as I could without making it too sweet. If you want this liqueur sweeter, add more Allulose. This recipe uses 1 cup of sweetener but you can use as much as 2 cups for a sweeter taste. Add ¹/₂ cup of water for every cup of sweetener.

Tips for the Perfect Grand Marnier

Use organic oranges. Most citrus fruits have pesticide residues on the peel so you want to make sure you are using organic oranges. You'll only be using the peel and you don't want any pesticides in your Grand Marnier.

Avoid bitter Grand Marnier. When peeling the oranges, try to only get the orange part. The less of the white pith you use, the less likely you'll end up with bitter liqueur. If you slice a piece with too much white on it, carefully scrape it off using a small pairing knife.

Let the peel infuse in alcohol for 1 to 4 weeks. The longer you leave it, the more flavor you'll get. I infused the first one for a week, the second one for three weeks.

Strain the infused brandy through a nut milk bag to ensure that there are no solids and the final product is smooth.

Use Allulose to make your Grand Marnier smooth and keep the carbs low. If you absolutely have to, use Erythritol-based sweetener instead but keep in mind you will get a slight cooling aftertaste and there might be some sediments on the bottom once chilled.

You'll have some leftover oranges. Don't waste them and instead use them in other recipes. Make batch of Low-Carb Lemon Curd by using orange juice instead of lemon juice for a milder, sweeter taste. Although orange juice is not typically labeled "keto", the carbs per serving will be low.

Note that nutrition facts are estimated and the carb count is likely even lower than listed as the orange, cinnamon, and cloves are only used for infusing.

More Low-Carb Liqueur Recipes

I love the challenge of transforming high-carb liqueurs into sugar-free versions and here's even more delicious recipes you may like:

Low-Carb Limoncello
Low-Carb Amaretto
Low-Carb Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
Low-Carb Kahlua
Low-Carb Baileys Irish Cream
Low-Carb Czech Egg Liqueur (similar to classic eggnog)

Make sure to check out my Low-Carb Guide to Alcohol for even more recipes and tips!

Preparation time

Hands-on:   15 minutes
Overall:     7 days

Nutritional values (per serving, 45 ml/ 1.5 fl oz)

Total Carbs	2.1	grams
Fiber	0.7	grams
Net Carbs	1.3	grams

Protein	0.1	grams
Fat	0	grams
of which Saturated	0	grams

Energy	84	kcal

Magnesium	1	mg (1% RDA)
Potassium	13	mg (1% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (90%), protein (6%), fat (4%)

Ingredients (makes about 900 ml/ 30 fl oz)

4 to 5 organic oranges, peel only
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
1 tbsp bitter dried orange peel (9 g/ 0.3 oz)
1 bottle brandy (700 ml/ 24 fl oz)
1 cup Allulose (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
¹/₂ cup water (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)

Instructions

Start by washing the oranges (you'll need 4 to 5 oranges). Make sure you use organic oranges. Using a vegetable peeler, zest the outer layer of the peel. (The less of the white pith you use, the less likely you'll end up with bitter Grand Marnier.)
Place the orange peel in a fido jar (or any jar that you can seal) and add 2 cinnamon sticks, 5 cloves, 1 tablespoon of bitter dried orange peel and the brandy.
Secure with a lid and store in a dry cool place for at least one week, or up to 4 weeks. As the orange peel steeps into the alcohol, the liquid will turn golden orange and the peel will start looking pale.
Strain the liqueur through a fine mesh sieve lined with nut milk bag. Discard the solids.
When ready, prepare the simple syrup. Pour ¹/₂ cup (120 ml) of water into a sauce pan and heat up until warm (it doesn't have to boil). Add the sweetener (Allulose works best but Erythritol can be used instead). Stir until all the sweetener crystals have dissolved. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
Add the prepared simple syrup. Use a funnel to pour into the 2 to 3 sterilized storage glass bottles.
Store at room temperature for up to 6 months.
Serve with no ice or add an ice cube if you prefer it chilled. Grand Marnier is also great for making cocktails (see recipe tips above).