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    The Purposeful Pantry » Dehydrating

    Author: Darcy Baldwin • Published: Dec 26, 2021 · Modified: Jan 1, 2023

    How to Dehydrate Cranberries and DIY Craisins

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Dehydrate cranberries to make your own Craisins or just cranberry bits for baking needs and snacks! It's an easy and tasty way to preserve cranberries for long-term storage. And the cranberry powder is awesome, too!

    An assortment of dried cranberries and cranberry powder in mason jars

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read our disclosure policy.

    How to Dehydrate Cranberries

    Like any other berry, cranberries need to have the skin broken for the most effective drying time. This is for regular cranberries. See below for a Make Your Own Craisins recipe.

    • Slice with a knife
    • Poke with a tool
    • Rough chop with a food processor, vegetable chopper or knife
    • Blanch
    The break in the skin of a cranberry you need when blanching and when you make your own craisins

    Pro Tip: If you are looking for cranberries to toss into breads, oatmeal, muffins, etc., the rough chop is really the fastest way to do this. A minute or two in the food processor and you have bits of cranberry perfect to add to any project.

    1. Prepare by breaking the skin or chopping the cranberries
    2. Place on dehydrator trays
    3. Dry at 135F / 57C for up to 18 hours for bits, 24+ hours for whole
    4. Condition
    5. Store in airtight containers
    6. DIY Craisins
    Dried cranberries in a jar and diy craisins on a dehydrator sheet

    Make Your Own Craisins

    Storebought dried cranberries are usually softened with oils and sugars to give those sweet, soft treats we love so much. While we can't completely replicate that at home, we can come close with this treatment.

    1. Blanch whole craisins in a simple syrup solution (1 part water, 1 part sugar) or a juice solution (1 part water:1 part juice - typically orange, but you can use any you'd like). 5 minutes
    2. Drain
    3. Place on dehydrator trays
    4. Dry at 135F / 57C for 24-36 hours
    5. Condition
    6. Store in airtight containers

    Tips:

    Don't toss that liquid!! A simple syrup that is flavored with cranberry juice is a wonderful way to sweeten tea or other drinks. The juice mix can be simmered down to make a pancake syrup.

    Sugar Ratio: you can make this ratio anything you'd like it to be. While a simple syrup is 1:1, you can do 1 Cup Sugar to 1 Cup Water or flip that for less sweet craisins.

    Drying time: If you are drying to snack, you don't have to get these to a raisin consistency. They can be softer, though you'll want to store them in the fridge for best results. Dry a little longer to get a storage option.

    Storing: Cranberries that are pulled early for a softer texture will need to be stored in the fridge if not eaten in a few days.

    Storage:

    Dried cranberries, stored in an airtight container, can last a year or more.

    Oven Directions

    • Preheat oven to lowest possible temp (below 200F/93C) is preferred. Even lower is better
    • Place cranberry pieces onto a silicone sheet (these silicone baking sheets are perfect), or parchment/baking paper. TIP: Place this on a cooling rack on top of your cookie sheet to keep the cranberries from being on a hot solid surface
    • Dry for 4-8 hours, stirring occasionally, checking often for dryness so as not to burn them.
    • Condition
    • Store in an airtight container

    How to Make Cranberry Powder

    Cranberry powder can be used to flavor teas, muffins, cakes, and more without adding the bulk of the dried fruit.

    1. Use completely dried cranberries that have not had the sugar blanching process done to them.
    2. Place into a bullet blender or a coffee grinder
    3. Pulse often until the bulk has been broken up
    4. Grind for 20-30 second intervals until complete powder is formed
    5. Condition the powder by placing onto lined cookie sheets in a warmed oven that is off, or by placing into coffee filters or covered bowls in your dehydrator at a low temp.
    6. Store in an airtight container with a moisture absorber for best results.

    You can find even more uses for cranberry powder here.

    Dried cranberry bits in a jar and cranberry powder on a dehydrator sheet
    Cranberry powder spread to begin conditioning

    Troubleshooting Tips

    Hard cranberries

    If your cranberry pieces are very hard, that is a great thing for storage. Dry cranberries reduce the risk of mold formation in long-term storage.

    To soften cranberries, you can allow them to sit in a baggie with a damp paper towel to reabsorb some moisture or simmer them in a little water to reabsorb.

    Cranberries are taking too long

    If the cranberries weren't broken, they will take much longer to dry. Or give them longer. Dehydrating times are general and are affected by your machine, how you prepped your cranberries, your home's humidity, and so much more. Give them time!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do I have to condition cranberries?

    If you plan on snacking on these within a week or two, no. Just store them in the fridge if you like them softer.

    How long do dried cranberries last?

    Dried cranberries can last from 1-2 years if fully dried and not supplemented with sugars, assuming full dryness and proper storage is practice.

    Sugared dried cranberries can last up to a year

    Even More Dehydrating Tips

    25+ Uses for Fruit Powders

    How to Stop Fruit Powders from Clumping

    How To Pretreat Fruit for Dehydrating

    An assortment of dried cranberries and cranberry powder in mason jars

    Dehydrate Cranberries or make DIY Craisins

    Learn to dehydrate cranberries to make them shelf-stable and great for baking, or do a DIY Craisin for snacking
    Print PIN THIS! Rate
    Course: Preserved Food, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Drying Time: 1 day
    Total Time: 1 day 20 minutes
    Servings: 1
    Calories: 209kcal
    Author: Darcy Baldwin

    Equipment

    • Dehydrator
    • Saucepan

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound Fresh Cranberries

    Instructions

    To Dehydrate Cranberries

    • Prepare by breaking the skin by slicing, deep freezing, rough chopping, or blanch
    • Place on dehydrator trays
    • Dry at 135°F / 57°C for up to 18 hours for bits, 24+ hours for whole
    • Condition
    • Store in airtight containers

    DIY Craisins

    • Blanch whole craisins in a simple syrup solution (1 part water, 1 part sugar) or a juice solution (1 part water:1 part juice - typically orange, but you can use any you'd like). Blanch 3-5 min. As soon as skins begin to break,
    • Drain
    • Place on dehydrator trays
    • Dry at 135°F / 57°C for 24-36 hours
    • Store in airtight containers for six months
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Video

    https://youtu.be/WNneZ3d54co

    Darcy's Tips

    Cranberry powder:
    • Pulse dried cranberries in a blender or coffee grinder
    • Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or fruit leather sheets in a warmed but turned-off oven for 15 minutes
    • Store in an airtight container for about six months.
    This shouldn't be done with the DIY craisins, but with regular dried cranberries.
    Dried cranberries are tart, but they make a wonderful flavor additive to baking!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25Cup | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is an estimation only. Nutrient information for dehydrated foods is based on fresh. Use ¼ of the servicing size for the same nutrient information. Thus 1 Cup of fresh fruit has the same sugars as ¼ dried.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @thepurposefulpantry or tag #thepurposefulpantry!

    ©ThePurposefulPantry. Photographs and content are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe's link is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Tam says

      December 31, 2022 at 2:23 pm

      How long do you blanch the fresh cranberries for in your liquid of choice?

      Reply
      • Darcy Baldwin says

        January 01, 2023 at 1:41 pm

        What the instructions say - 3-5 min - depends on when the skins start bursting.

        Reply
    2. Holly says

      December 24, 2022 at 11:56 pm

      Question: when you say “Blanch whole craisins” does that mean the fresh cranberries that you are turning into craisins? Just want to be sure I do it right! 😊

      Reply
      • Darcy Baldwin says

        December 26, 2022 at 2:03 pm

        If you are doing just cranberries and do not wish to break them up, then yes, you need to blanch. The craisins are already being blanched in the sugar syrup.

        Reply
    3. Grace Quenzer says

      November 20, 2022 at 2:16 pm

      Cad you dehydrate oceanspray cranraisins?

      Reply
      • Darcy Baldwin says

        November 20, 2022 at 3:16 pm

        They are already dry

        Reply
    4. Mary says

      January 23, 2022 at 7:58 am

      I love your recipes and your shirt! I’m just starting on my dehydrating journey, although I’ve been trying to stretch our food budget for over 35 years! Thank you for your help! God bless and stay safe!

      Reply
      • Darcy Baldwin says

        January 23, 2022 at 2:59 pm

        Thanks!! The shirt is available here: https://shop.thepurposefulpantry.com/

        Have fun with dehydrating! It can be tremendously rewarding and helpful to stretch that budget!

        Reply

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    Darcy Baldwin of The Purposeful Pantry.

    Howdy! I'm Darcy! I've spent twenty years learning how to stretch our budget and stock our family's pantry by dehydrating food. You can do it, too!

    Learn how I can help you →

    You can get my new book, Dehydrating Basics & Journal to help you get started on your dehydrating journey!

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