How To Make Dried Cranberries
Put learning How to Make Dried Cranberries on your to do list. Making your own allows you to control the type type of sweetener you use and how much of it. No dehydrator needed! A healthier option to use in your holiday baking or in trail mix.
I was looking to make my own trail mix blend to tote with me to work as a healthier snack option.
A tasty addition to trail mixes is dried fruit, yet some people avoid it due to the refined sugar content. I thought, if I could make my own then I control what kind of sugar and how much of it goes into the dried fruit.
For this recipe, I roll with coconut sugar. I’ve done a fair bit of research on the benefits/pitfalls of the various sugars. We all know that basic white sugar is the crappiest out there and we should simply treat it as the poison it is.
You wouldn’t pour a cup of poison into your cookies would you?
Me neither!
With that being said we all still enjoy sweet things. Part of enjoying life, to me at least, is enjoying food and I’m not willing to give that up. So, I’ve found that using coconut sugar, maple syrup and local honey is the solution that works for me.
I’ve heard the naysayers who will refer to recipes containing natural sweeteners like honey as being ‘loaded with sugar’. Yes, it is technically sugar, but while we get technical let’s also include the benefits to sweeteners like local honey and maple syrup. Just remember, with most things, moderation is key.
HOW TO MAKE DRIED CRANBERRIES – Step by step
OK!
Back to the purpose of this post which is my cranberries. Making your own dried cranberries starts with actually making cranberry sauce. Combine the cranberries with water and the coconut sugar.
Bring the pot to a quick boil, then turn it down to a simmer and let it cook down until all of the cranberries have popped open.
Give it a good stir, ensuring all of the cranberries are opened and blended together.
Layer a baking sheet with paper towels. I used two layers. Then lay down a sheet of parchment paper and spread the cranberry mixture on top.
Since I don’t have a dehydrator, it’s low and slow in the oven for me.
And by slow, I mean 8 hours slow. That’s right. I started this on Friday afternoon and finished Saturday morning. Easy prep, but it takes a long time to dry.
The verdict? It’s worth it. I threw together a simple trail mix with raw almonds, dark chocolate chips and my fancy cranberries. Yes. Fancy.
I shared it around at work and it disappeared rather quickly. In fact, the cranberries were the first trail mix ingredient to go! I went back to the container to grab some and there were only almonds and chocolate left.
That’s what I like to call, a good sign. 🙂
HEALTHY RECIPES USING CRANBERRIES:
Spicy Roasted Butternut Squash with Cranberries
Healthy Fruit, Nut and Seed Bars
Cranberry Orange Air Freshener
*Originally posted January 6, 2014. Updated November 14, 2019*
Be sure to follow me on social media! I love pinning to Pinterest, sharing on Facebook and posting pics to Instagram. See you there. 🙂
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Just enter your email and get it sent to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us every week.
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from The Honour System
How To: Make Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 2 cups cranberries
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 170 and line a baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towel and 1 layer of parchment
- Combine coconut sugar and water in a medium saucepot and bring to a boil, stirring frequently
- Add cranberries, stir well and reduce heat to medium low
- Cranberries will pop open. Pop any that are still intact with the back of your spoon
- Pour the mixture on the prepared baking sheet and spread it out as thinly as possible
- Place in the preheated oven for 4 hours, remove from the oven, peel off the parchment, flip it over, and replace on a fresh sheet of parchment. Place back in the oven for another 4 hours, until completely dried through
- Let sit on the counter overnight or for another 3-4 hours and tear into pieces with your fingers
- Store in an airtight, glass container or jar
Hi have you tried using orange juice in place of the Coconut sugar? I was searching to see if it was okay to dehydrate cranberries with orange juice or zest and like your recipe very simple but yummy. I love the combo of orange and cranberries.
I haven’t tried it but it does sound promising! Orange and cranberry is a tasty pairing. Let me know if you try and how it turns out. 🙂
Coconut sugar contains about the same amount of fructose as ‘refined’ sugar. Fructose goes straight to the liver and promotes metabolic syndrome. The minor amount of minerals and inulin does not offset the fact that it’s still sugar.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
You are 100% right! Coconut sugar is in fact sugar. That is why I use it in moderation as part of a well rounded, balanced diet. However, if you are an individual with a large waistline, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, or other risk factors for metabolic syndrome, then monitoring your intake of any source fructose is probably wise and you really should have a conversation with a doctor or naturopath for these things. This recipe is just meant to be an alternative to store bought dried cranberries giving you control over the ingredients.
Do you have a “How to: make dried/dehydrated blueberries?”
Hey Terri! I don’t have one for blueberries, but it probably wouldn’t much different than this one for the cranberries. Just sub equal amounts of blueberries for the cranberries. Let me know if you try it out!
Wow! Yum, I am so going to give these a try! I have stopped eating cranberries because of the refined sugar content! Thanks:)
Thanks Laura 🙂 They are so great in a trail mix or homemade granola bar. The possibilities are endless! I hope you enjoy.
Woohoo – love this idea! I have a bag of cranberries in my freezer that I’m waiting to use. For this 🙂
Perfect! I was so happy how they turned out. I’m planning on using some on a warm quinoa salad with squash.
I’m so glad you decided to do a post on this! It seems like having a dehydrator would help speed up the process but it’s nice to know there’s an option of you don’t have one. I have a container of juice sweetened cranberries that I have to go through still but I’ll definitely keep this in mind for the future!
A dehydrator is on my wish list (along with a kitchen twice the size of my current space!). Let me know if you give it a try 🙂
What a fantastic idea! These cranberries look so delicious, and they’re really easy! Brilliant! I can absolutely see why your coworkers scarfed them down! With all your wonderful recipes and test batches, I’ll bet you’re quite popular with your coworkers, my friend! 😀
Thanks Shelley 🙂 I was glad to have the input at work because I had never had dried cranberries before this! They do enjoy the role of taste testers, that is for sure 😉
Fabulous post Sharon! Ignore the naysayers, I say, and keep doing what you’re doing. They can continue fluffing up their pristine perfectionist peacock feathers on their own watch. You, my friend, have an entirely different audience than they do anyway. You’re speaking to positive realistic peeps who, like you, are interested in living the good life – just in a healthier more conscious way. As for the sweet-fearing folk, their focus is hardcore restriction and competition … no wonder they criticize others, that’s the modus operandi in that realm 😉
Wishing you a great week!
Thanks so much Monica! Can you imagine living life in such a restricted way? Not sustainable in the long term …
I really appreciate your support 🙂 You have a great week too!