We’ll show you step by step how to dry cranberries. It’s incredibly easy and they have a multitude of uses from sweets to savory.
Who doesn’t love dried cranberries? They are that perfect combination of sweet and tart and they truly pair nicely with both sweet recipes and they add a special something to normally savory recipes.
There are technically only 2 ingredients in this recipe, but you could even dry them with only one ingredient. Namely, cranberries.
During November and December, when they are readily available, we always buy an extra bag of fresh cranberries. Just make sure they are well sealed and pop them in the freezer to use them throughout the year in your favorite recipes.
Why should you try this recipe?
- While dried cranberries are readily available year round, making your own allows you to control the amount of sweetener that you use.
- Dried cranberries are expensive compared to fresh cranberries.
- You can make them any time of the year, if you buy extra berries when they are in season.
- It’s a fun project to make with older kids to get them interested in cooking and nutrition.
What you need
- fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
- sugar or light corn syrup or a sugar substitute – note that you don’t have to use added sweetener but the cranberries will have a longer shelf life if you do.
How to make it
Step One
Rinse berries well and sort any that are damaged or that are unripe.
Step Two
Bring water to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, remove from stove and add cranberries all at once.
Step Three
Stir. Once they have split. Drain them in a colander.
Step Four
Once drained, place them in a bowl and stir in sugar, corn syrup or sugar substitute.
Step Five
Stir well to coat with sugar.
Step Six
Arrange on dehydrator trays. Use dehydrator sheet to make cleanup a breeze.
Dry at 135°F/ 60°C for 12-18 hours until dry to the touch.
To dry in the oven
Set temperature to it’s lowest setting. Generally speaking, that is usually around 170°F /80°C. Arrange cranberries on parchment paper covered rimmed baking sheet, spread out so that they are not touching.
Dry for 2-3 hours.
Conditioning your fruit
Conditioning your fruit is an important step in the drying process, so don’t skip this step.
Conditioning is the process of testing the fruit to make sure that it is thoroughly dry.
Even a bit of moisture in a couple of pieces has the potential to ruin a whole batch.
Allow the dehydrated fruits to come to room temperature. Immediately place them into a glass mason jar. Place the jar in a dark area.
Shake the jar daily to break up any stuck pieces. Allow them to stay in the jar for 7-10 days, shaking daily.
If you see any moisture droplets collecting on the jar. You know you have moisture in them.
If you see any evidence of moisture or any condensation in the jar, re-dry the food in your oven or dehydrator. After re-drying condition them again. Once they are fully dry, pack in tight fitting glass jars.
If you see any evidence of mold during the conditioning process. Discard the product.
Health benefits
Many of these benefits are due to profuse amounts of vitamin C that they contain. They are said to have 73% of the vitamin C that our bodies need, daily, in one half cup serving.
- Low in calories.
- High in antioxidants
- Boosts immune system due to high vitamin C content.
- Helps combat urinary tract infections.
- Good for those who are anemic.
Uses for dried cranberries
When we said at the beginning of the article that these dried cranberries have tons on uses, we meant it. You can always reconstitute dried cranberries in boiling water or juice and use them in recipes for fresh cranberries. Here’s just a partial list.
- Quick breads – this pumpkin, cranberry and orange quick bread is a family favorite.
- Cookies
- Cakes
- Pies
- Topping for salads. They are especially good with dark green vegetables. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach and the like.
- They also pair incredibly well with the fall and winter squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes or yams. Use it in warm salads or garnish or stuff your favorite squash. In this recipe we paired dried cranberries with both sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.
- Reconstitute them and make cranberry sauce when you are out of fresh cranberries.
- Top breakfast cereals, like oatmeal, grits or cream of wheat with maple and cranberries.
- Just pop them in your mouth for a delicious snack. ½ cup = 1 serving of fruit for the day.
- Add them to rice, quinoa, couscous and the like with a few chopped pecans for a tasty side dish for any meal.
- They’re fantastic in turkey or chicken salad with lots of celery in it.
- Use them in for “ants on a log”. (Peanut butter on celery with craisins lined up on top.)
- granola or trail mix
- cereals – they bump up the flavor and healthiness of everything from oatmeal and grits to cold cereals.
- Flavor vanilla pudding
- Ice cream for a cranberry flavored treat.
- Garnish cocktails and mocktails
- Frostings
- Make cranberry powder to make it easier to incorporate them into some dishes.
If you plan on doing a lot of dehydrating to preserve your harvest you should really invest in a good food dehydrator. This Vevor is our favorite dehydrator. It is light-weight, easy to store, and has adjustable heat settings and a time cook option. (affiliate link)
Helpful tools
More cranberry recipes
- Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
- Cranberry Jalapeño Jelly
- Canning Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry Meatballs
- Cranberry Infused Vinegar
- Boozy Cranberry Sauce
- Apple Cranberry Crisp
- Cherry Cranberry Crisp
That’s how easy it is to make dried cranberries at home. Give it a try yourself!
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
How to Dry Cranberries
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberries
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Wash berries well. Sort out any berries that are bruised or not yet ripe. Gently use a salad spinner to remove a lot of the water. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Arrange them in a single layer on racks of your dehydrator. To use your oven, arrange the berries on a sheet of parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Slide the racks into the dehydrator. If using oven, heat to lowest heat setting, usually 155-175°F/ 90°C.
- For dehydrator, set temperature at 125°F / 52°C. Set time at 20 hours. Start machine. Check after 20 hours. If more time is needed, set timer for more time. It can take 36 hours to dry them or more.
- For oven, set timer to 2 hours. Prop door open with a heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon. Turn each berry after one hour. The oven gets much hotter than a dehydrator so keep a close eye that they don't burn.
Conditioning
- This is an important step for food safety, so don't skip!
- Once fully dry, and cooled, place berries in a glass or plastic jar. Place the jar in a dark area. Daily, for 7-10 days, shake the jar to break them apart. If you see any signs of moisture or condensation on inside of the jar, dehydrate them again.
- Once fully dry, condition them again.
- See notes for storage tips.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- granola or trail mix
- cereals – they bump up the flavor and healthiness of everything from oatmeal and grits to cold cereals.
- Flavor vanilla pudding
- Ice cream for a cranberry flavored treat.
- Garnish cocktails and mocktails
- Muffins, cakes or quick bread
- Frostings
- Make cranberry powder to make it easier to incorporate them into some dishes.
Nutrition
Originally published January 24, 2023
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