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I’ve always loved adding dried cranberries to salads or snacks, but finding ones without loads of sugar in stores? Nearly impossible! I tried a few unsweetened versions, but they were just too sour and dry, and reduced sugar Craisins use artificial sweetener. So back in 2017, big bag of fresh berries in hand, I decided to experiment. It turns out, it’s really easy to dry cranberries yourself. Make them with me and see how much better homemade ones taste!
Why You Need My Dried Cranberry Recipe
- Sweet and tart, with natural ingredients – These hit that sweet-tart spot perfectly. You get the delicious taste of Craisins, but with no refined sugar, corn syrup, gluten, or artificial ingredients.
- More chewy than store-bought – I find that pre-made dried cranberries are hit or miss. Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re kind of stale. My homemade version is still dried, but also soft and chewy. Think the kind of difference between homemade sun-dried tomatoes versus store-bought ones.
- Easy to make – You don’t need a dehydrator or any fancy tools! Just your oven and a bit of patience.
- Faster than most methods – Many dried cranberry recipes actually use an even lower temperature, but my goal was the highest I could get away with — so they don’t take all day.
- Customize your sweetness – Many of you know I’m big on options! Whether you prefer your dried cranberries unsweetened, sweetened, or sweet but sugar-free, you can make them your way.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my dried cranberries recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Cranberries – I used fresh cranberries, but frozen ones work great, too! Just thaw them in the refrigerator when you’re ready to use. If you’ve got extras you want to use right away, make my stuffed acorn squash!
- Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – While you can use regular powdered sugar, this natural sweetener makes sugar free dried cranberries with fewer calories and carbs. It tastes just like sugar, dissolves completely during cooking, and won’t crystallize, so your dried berries have the right texture. Plus, it’s a natural preservative, making them last longer. Notes on alternatives:
- You can also use my liquid sugar-free simple syrup, maple syrup, or sugar-free maple syrup instead.
- Skip other sugar substitutes—they’ll crystallize and leave a gritty texture!
- For unsweetened dried cranberries, just omit the sweetener altogether.
- Oil – I recommend avocado oil for its neutral flavor.
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How To Dry Cranberries
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Heat the berries. Boil water in a large pot (I use a Dutch oven), then turn off heat and add the cranberries. Let them sit in the water until they soften and start to pop. Drain immediately.
- Toss with oil and Besti. Dry the berries and transfer them to a bowl. Combine with oil and Besti, and mix gently to coat.
- Bake until dry. Arrange the berries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Bake in the oven until the cranberries dry up.
My Recipe Tips
- Do not boil the berries or leave them in the water too long. Drain as soon as they pop. Otherwise, you’ll end up with (a weird, watery) cranberry sauce instead of dried fruit.
- If some berries didn’t pop during cooking, gently pop them yourself. Just use a sharp knife or toothpick to gently pierce a hole in each one.
- What about the seeds? Cranberries do have teeny-tiny seeds, but you don’t need to worry about them. I find they pretty much disintegrate when you cook and dry them.
- Be gentle when mixing. The berries will be very soft after sitting in the water, so they smash easily. Try to keep them intact.
- Adjust the sweetener to your taste. It’s hard to tell whether they are sweet enough before drying (the sweetener only absorbs as they dry), but I can say these are less sweet than store-bought. Double the sweetener if you want them really sweet. You can also try a berry halfway through baking and toss with more sweetener if they are too tart for you.
- For the best texture, dry cranberries more with the oven door propped open. After baking, just prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon and leave the cranberries inside for several hours. This removes more moisture. I use this same method for baked zucchini chips sometimes.
- Sweetened berries will last longer than unsweetened dried cranberries. This is because sugar and powdered Besti are both natural preservatives.
- Want to add other flavors? You can easily add flavor extracts or citrus zest together with the oil and Besti. You can also just use my natural sugar-free orange honey or sugar-free cinnamon honey as the sweetener itself!
Storage Options
You can keep homemade dried cranberries in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 1 month (I use a glass jar), or freeze them.
To freeze, spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until solid. Then, transfer to a zip lock bag and keep frozen for up to 12-18 months.
Recipes With Dried Cranberries
I use dried cranberries in so many ways! My kids are always sneaking them right out of the jar, but here are some better options. 😉
- Cookies & Muffins – Swap the raisins for homemade Craisins in my oatmeal cookies, use them for rugelach, or try my variation with cranberries in my healthy breakfast muffins.
- Yogurts & Smoothies – Top your Greek yogurt (or coconut yogurt) with a serving of dried cranberries for extra chew, or toss into your favorite smoothie. I’ve tried them in my banana smoothie for a fall-inspired vibe!
- Granola & Oats – My homemade granola is even better with these red beauties mixed in. My girls love it in their peanut butter overnight oats and baked oatmeal, too.
- Salads – They add the perfect sweetness to my kale salad, broccoli cranberry salad, or leftover turkey salad.
- Casseroles – Toss them in for a little sweetness. I recently used them for my butternut squash casserole.
- Turkey – This one’s a bit unexpected, but this year I stuffed dried cranberries inside a turkey roll and it turned out so flavorful.
- Trail Mix – My healthy trail mix is a breeze to throw together and easy to customize!
Dried Cranberries (Sweet Or Unsweetened)
By
It's easy to make homemade dried cranberries, with or without sugar, in your oven! They are soft, chewy, tart, and sweet.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (107 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and add cranberries (do not boil them). Set aside for 10 minutes. They will soften and start to pop.
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Drain the water from the cranberries as soon as they have popped. Transfer to a large bowl.
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Add powdered Besti and avocado oil to the cranberries. Gently toss to coat. Be gentle to avoid smashing the berries.
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Spread out the berries on the lined baking sheet. Use the tip of a knife or a toothpick to pop any berries that have not popped yet.
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Place the baking sheet into the oven for 3-4 hours, until the cranberries are shriveled and mostly dry.
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When done, they are ready to eat if you're in a hurry but will not be completely dry. For best results, turn off the oven and leave the cranberries in there. Prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Leave like this for several hours or overnight, until completely cool and dry.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the right texture and sweetness in your dried cranberries, add different flavors, and make them last longer.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 1 month, or freeze for up to 12-18 months.
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I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Dried Cranberries
103 Comments
Francy
0I must have done something wrong? I love so many of your recipes but these were so tart I couldn’t eat them. I followed directions (I think exactly) and when they were done, I even dusted them with powdered Monk Fruit Blend to try to sweeten them up, didn’t work. I made sure the cranberries were popped after they were done in the hot water. I had to poke many. SO I can’t figure out what I did wrong?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Francy, It could be that your cranberries were less ripe and so extra tart, but also, if you had to pop most of the berries, I would leave them in the water a bit longer. I’ve added some tips to the post above for adjusting the sweetness.
Denise
0I love dried cranberries, but had given them up for keto. The store bought ones had so much added sugars in them. Thanks to this super simple recipe I have dried cranberries again! This recipe worked perfectly for me. And dare I say they taste better than store bought? Yes, they do! The taste of real cranberry is there not fruit juice like store bought. I’ve already made cranberry muffins, cranberry chicken wrap, and threw some in a simple salad with balsamic vinegar. Not too dry, slightly sweet, leaving the slightly tart cranberry taste, so good.
Sandi
0I have been wanting to make sugar free dried cranberries for a couple of years now and finally a recipe I can try with sweeteners I can tolerate. I love your sweeteners and especially use a lot of the powdered monk fruit/ allulose blend but since that is unavailable right now what is the best substitute?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sandi, You can get my Besti powdered sweetener here, it’s available!
Susan
0I have quite a few alternative sugars on hand – just recently bought your Besti sugar replacement of Erythritol Powdered Sugar to use in your cranberry sauce recipe – and want to know if that is suitable for this recipe that calls for Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend. Also, I think one of the past comments mentioned Xanthum gum but it’s not included in this recipe so I’m hoping for clarification on whether it should be part of the recipe. Eager to try and look forward to your response. Thanks, Susan.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, Sorry, I don’t recommend erythritol for dried cranberries, because it will crystallize. You can use pure Wholesome Yum Allulose, you’d just need 1/3 more than the recipe calls for — or just keep it simple and double it. This recipe has been updated recently and the xantham gum is no longer needed.
Susan
0I have yet to try this; I am wondering: will this recipe yield good results using the Wholesome Yum Allulose rather than the blend with monk fruit?
Susan
0Thank you for posting this! I recently dried some defrosted frozen cranberries in my dehydrator, and they came out way too tart! I did not think to add any sweetener or oil. And it took a while to realize that I needed to cut them in half to get them to dry at all. I’m hoping to find fresh cranberries this year, and I will try your technique, but I will be using powdered Swerve because I am not comfortable with the idea of eating allulose. I dried my cranberries at 115º because that seems to be a standard temperature for the dehydrator, but next time I will up the temp to 225º. I’m looking forward to seeing how they turn out.
Julie
0I can’t get allulose anything in Australia; what can I use instead?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julie, You could try concentrated pure stevia or pure monk fruit (without any erythritol in the ingredient list), but the results are more likely to be bitter and you’d need much less, like a few drops.
Toni
0Thank you so much for this!! It turned out really good!
Matt
0I love dried Cranberries or Craisins. This is such a great recipe for making them. Simple and perfect. Love it!