The moment I spy fresh cranberries in the stores, I start stocking up. Every year, without fail. I toss bags into my freezer so I can make favorites like Keto Cranberry Orange Bread long after the holidays are over. And I am obsessed with making these sugar-free dried cranberries – they’re tart and chewy, and perfectly sweetened with no added sugar.
I started making my own dried cranberries with alternative sweeteners many years ago. Back when I started keto, there simply wasn’t a good store-bought option – and there still isn’t. It’s not easy to find this popular snack without huge amounts of added sugar.
It’s surprisingly easy to dry cranberries at home. After a few experiments, I landed on a version that turns out beautifully every time. Bright in color, plump and sweet, and perfect for adding to your favorite Keto Christmas Cookies. I make multiple batches every fall, because they store well for months!
What readers are saying…
“The cranberries are awesome! Now I have a new craveable, so chewy with a few crispy ones. Will add to my snack mix.” — Tracey
Why you’ll love these homemade dried cranberries
- Easy to make: Just four ingredients and no complicated steps or special equipment.
- No added sugar: Most dried cranberries have copious amounts of sugar, but these are tart and sweet without the sugar crash.
- Keto-friendly: Only 3.2 grams net carbs per serving!
- Perfect for baking: Just like the sugary kind, these dried cranberries are great in baked goods. I love adding them to keto shortbread cookies!
- Better for you: The same great flavor, naturally sweetened, and free from other additives and preservatives.
- Freezer-friendly: You can store them in the freezer to last you all year long.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh cranberries: I recommend fresh cranberries when possible. Frozen cranberries tend to release a lot more juice as they dry so it takes a lot longer to get them dried out properly.
- Sweetener: You have a lot of choice for sweetening the berries, but I recommend using powdered sweeteners where possible. I found that a combination of erythritol and allulose works really well. See more information in the Tips for Success section.
- Avocado oil: Don’t skip the oil or your dried cranberries will be tough and crispy! You can also use avocado oil, coconut oil, or any other neutral tasting oil.
How to Make Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries
- Cut the cranberries in half: This allows them to release moisture much faster than whole berries.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Toss the berries in a bowl with the oil and sweeteners.
- Spread out: Spread the berries on a parchment lined baking pan.
- Dehydrate: Place in a 200ºF oven for 3 hours or longer, until dried to your liking.
Dehydrator method: Prepare the berries as directed and spread out in a dehydrator. Set the dehydrator to 125ºF and 8 to 12 hours, or until the berries are dry to your liking.
Tips for Success:
Cutting the berries: This is the most time-consuming step of the recipe, but I think it’s an important one. Whole cranberries have a firm exterior that doesn’t break down easily during baking, so cutting the berries in half allows them to dry out more quickly. Just turn on some music and groove while you chop them up!
Keep a close eye on them! Every oven and every dehydrator is different so check them frequently. The 3 hour cooking time is simply a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.
Sweetener Options: You can use almost any sweetener to make dried cranberries, but I like the combination of half erythritol and half allulose for that perfect plump texture. Erythritol sweeteners on their own will re-crystallize and become gritty. But allulose on its own will make the berries brown a lot more. The two sweeteners together help offset each other.
You can use xylitol if you don’t have access to allulose. Using a powdered sweetener will help with any grittiness.
How to Use Them
Now that you made a big batch of sugar free dried cranberries, you need keto recipes to use them. Not to worry, I have plenty of ideas for you!
Sugar Free Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) Swerve Confectioners
- 1/3 cup (66.67 g) allulose, powdered version
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, or any neutral tasting oi.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the cranberries in half and toss in a bowl with the sweeteners and oil. Spread on the prepared baking pan and separate each individual berry as best you can.
- Place in the oven and let dry 3 hours or longer. Let cool on the pan.
- Transfer to an airtight container. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
This is a common misconception because commercial dried cranberries usually have a lot of added sugar. Fresh cranberries are extremely low carb and have only 12 grams of carbs and 4 grams of natural sugars per 1 cup.
Store the dried cranberries in an airtight container. If they are well dried out, you can keep them on the counter for a few weeks. If they still have some moisture to them, they are best kept in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up one year.
Traditional dried cranberries are made with sugar and have over 30 grams of carbs per serving. However, these keto dried cranberries have 5.2g of carbs and 2g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.2g net carbs for a 3 tablespoon serving.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hello.
Do you think coconut butter would work instead of the oil, or would it not be liquid-y enough?
Thank you,
Hiroshi
You can use coconut oil, but coconut butter will not be oily enough or liquid enough.
This recipe is working for me! Thank you!
My only problem is that the cranberries stick to the parchment paper. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Try greasing the paper before baking.
Just finished my 4rth batch since discovering this recipe via Instagram! WINNER! It has been 6 years since I’ve had store bought craizins! What a delight to be able to enjoy them again in healthy recipes like in a broccoli bacon salad! brie stuffed chicken breasts! White Chocolate Cranberry Loaf! and more! Thank you thank you!
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-sugar-cookie-bars/
I love these dried cranberries. They are nice bright red and taste delicious. I am making a double batch to keep over the winter.
I dehydrated my cranberries per Carolyn’s directions, 200° oven for 3 hours but I had the same experience as John-Mark in that my cranberries were wet and swimming in the sweetener mix. I had meticulously separated all the tiny halves before putting them in the oven. Disappointed, I hoped to salvage the berries by dehydrating them again but this time in my air fryer. This ran 1 hour at 135°. I lined the bottom of the crisper tray with aluminum foil to catch any berries that fell through the crisper tray holes and also hoping to get some heat reflecting off the bottom of the basket. They came out perfect and taste delicious! I was so happy as I really miss raisins and other dried fruits.
Thank you Carolyn
Hello! I used lakanto monkfruit Allulose mix and love them so much! I scraped the pan which had delicious gooey caramel like candy will make again ! Thanks so very much
Great to hear!
After making cranberry relish with my cuisinart I tried an experiment. I used the slicer attachment and put some cranberries in that way. They are more than halved, but I like that better since tinier pieces distribute better. The pieces are still full cross sections, so they are not crumbs.
Cool!
Cutting the berries in half was the only real chore here. Be sure to pick through the berries as you go, as I found that not all of them were in great shape: some were mushy, some were wrinkled or hard and a bit blackened; those went in the trash.
Carolyn calls for 2/3 cup (total) sweetener; I found this to be too much for my liking. While the berries were nicely sweet-tart, there was too much syrupy sweetener left on the sheet pan when I was “done” (a wild guess). Maybe I just needed to dry them for another hour, i dunno. I guess I thought that the berries, coated as they were with oil and sweetener, would absorb the sweetener during the drying process, or maybe it was due to the number of berries I threw out while sorting, as it may have altered the ratios a bit. Next time I’ll reduce the sweetener to 1/2 cup total.
I dried these in the oven, which took 5 hours, and I considered another hour, but it was already nearly 12 am. I stored the berries in the fridge and tasted them again in the morning: tasty, but too much slightly crystalized erythritol-based sweetener clinging to the berries. I’ll still use them (I’m looking forward to Cranberry White Chocolate cookies!), but adjust the ratios on my next attempt and hope to fare a bit better.
I’m sure that any near misses in my first attempt ere my doing, so thank you so much, Carolyn, for all your hard work. I never would have even CONSIDERED attempting drying my own cranberries before I was inspired to give it a go after seeing this recipe.
Let me know how things work out as you tweak it to your liking!
Love all your recipes. I’m making these to add to my gf sausage dressing/ and something sweet baked goods.
Nice!
I love this recipe! I’ve made 3 lbs of dried cranberries this week. I store them in the fridge for when I want a quick treat; I do not even have to take any insulin for a big handful! Win win! Thank you for your delicious recipes.😘