Cranberries, dried is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 96 recipes to get you started.

What is cranberries, dried?

Dried cranberries are whole cranberries that have been sweetened and dried until they turn chewy and deep red, the way raisins are dried grapes. You will know them by the brand name Craisins, which has become the everyday word for them.

Fresh cranberries are far too sour to eat out of hand, so almost every dried cranberry is infused with sugar syrup before drying.

That sweetening is the whole trick. It tames the tartness into a sweet-tart chew that holds its shape in a salad or a muffin without bleeding or turning to mush.

They sit somewhere between a snack and a baking staple, which is why a bag tends to live in the pantry year-round rather than just at the holidays.

Ways to Use Them

Dried cranberries earn their keep in salads, where their sweet-tart pop plays against bitter greens and salty cheese.

Honey Walnut, Goat Cheese Cranberry Salad and Apple, Celery & Cranberry Salad with Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette both use them exactly that way, and Israeli Couscous, Apple & Cranberry Salad with Toasted Almonds shows how well they sit in a grain bowl.

In baking they scatter through muffins and quick breads without bleeding color the way fresh berries do. Jumbo Cranberry Orange Muffins and Low Fat Bran Muffins both fold them in by the cupful.

They are a backbone of granola and snack mixes too. Dried Fruit & Nut Granola Bar and Breakfast Energy Bars lean on them for chew and sweetness.

A handful tossed into roasted Brussels sprouts or a rice pilaf brings the same bright contrast to a savory plate.

Pairing and a Common Mistake

Cranberries' tang loves company that is rich and nutty. Walnuts, pecans, and toasted almonds are naturals, and so is creamy goat cheese or a sharp blue.

Orange zest and warm spice round them out, and they sit happily next to apple and celery in a Waldorf-style salad.

Here is the mistake people make. Dropping them straight into batter or a hot grain leaves them tough and leathery, because they pull moisture out of whatever they touch.

The fix is to plump them first. Soak the cranberries in warm water or juice for ten to fifteen minutes, then drain. They swell back up soft and juicy, and they stop robbing your muffin crumb of moisture.

Substitutes

Raisins are the closest swap, one for one, though they are sweeter and miss the cranberry tartness. To get that sharpness back, add a small squeeze of lemon.

Dried cherries are the better match when you want both sweetness and tang, and dried currants or chopped dried apricots work in baking where you mostly want chewy fruit.

In a salad, fresh pomegranate seeds give you a similar jewel-bright sweet-tart burst, just without the chew. Whatever you reach for, use the same volume the recipe calls for.

Buying and Storing

Most bags are sweetened with sugar, but you can find versions sweetened with apple or other fruit juice, and reduced-sugar bags that taste noticeably sharper. Some are coated in a little oil for a glossier, less sticky berry; check the label if that matters to you.

Buy them plump and pliable. If a bag feels rock-hard through the plastic, the berries have dried out too far and will be a chore to soften.

An unopened bag keeps in the pantry for a year or more. Once opened, press the air out and seal it tight, and it stays good for six to twelve months at room temperature.

For long storage, or if your kitchen runs warm, move them to the fridge or freezer. The cold keeps them from clumping into a solid brick and stretches their life well past a year.

If they do clump, a few seconds in the microwave or a warm-water soak loosens them right up.

Quick facts

Where to find cranberries, dried: Cranberries, dried is usually found in the snacks section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

小红莓，干

British (UK) term

Cranberries, dried

en français

canneberges séchées

en español

arándanos secos

Recipes using cranberries, dried

There are 96 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 96 recipes

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