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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Thank you! In the oven now. Then on to your fantastic recipes!
At what temperature do you set the dehydrator when drying for 8 hours?
I have found that after mixing the whole berries with the sweetener and oil, if you take them out of the oven after 10 or 15 minutes, they are soft enough to break open with a fork or back of a spoon. Then just put them back in the oven to finish. Takes literally about one minute to do a whole bag. Beats cutting each berry in half and you end up with whole berries like the commercial ones.
That’s a great tip, thanks.
Hi Carolyn, looking forward to making these as soon as I pick up some cranberries. So, cutting the berries in half is necessary because the intact berry skin doesn’t allow moisture to escape, right? Have you considered leaving the berries whole and piercing with a fork or scoring with a knife? Any thoughts on how it might work? Would almost certainly take longer in the oven, I’m sure. I wonder if it would make them a bit less dry? Thanks for your input.
You could probably do that but they will take a lot longer to dry out properly.
I made a batch of these last week, and I did end up poking each cranberry with a fork. After an hour or two in the oven, I flattened them slightly to speed up the process. They did take significantly longer in the oven, but I liked the whole cranberries. They turned out great! Mostly dry, but still soft and chewy. The oil helped keep them moist, and the sweetener clung to the berries and dissolved nicely. They’re not as sweet as sugar-sweetened cranberries, but good nonetheless. They’re nice as a snack, and go so well in Carolyn’s fantastic leftover turkey salad. I plan to make more. Thanks, Carolyn!
Good to know!
I like your idea of poking them instead of slicing them. I think I’m getting impatient in my old age but I definitely will make them. I have a wonderful dehydrator built into my oven that are use all the time for drying herbs from my herb garden but I’ve never tried anything like this. Should be a fun experiment!
what a great way to use up the extra cranberries i have!
These look perfect!! A must try!!
I love that this is sugar-free! I will definitely try this!
What a great seasonal snack! I love when my kids grab for healthy snacks and this looks right up their alley!
Just yesterday I was thinking I wanted to make these again! I had made your recipe for these dried cranberries when you originally posted it. I had wanted to add them to my baking for Thanksgiving but they were so delicious I ate them all! I will try more self-control this time around.
Thanks!
Just double the recipe then you can eat some too‼️
Is it possible to prepare this using a slow cooker?
No, there is much too much moisture in a slow cooker.
How long and what temp for a dehydrator
Depends on your dehydrator. Mine was on a fruit setting (135 I think?) and it took 6 to 8 hours.
THANK YOU
When using a dehydrator when do you add the avocado oil and sweetener, before or after?
Before!
Doesn’t the oil and sweetener make an awful mess of the dehydrator trays?
What about the bags of frozen cranberries I have left from last Christmas? Can I use those?
Absolutely! Thaw and chop!
I just read a handy tip! Take your frozen cranberries and pound them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer to break up the berries so you don’t have to cut them! Another person said she dresses them whole; let’s them bake for 30 minutes, then smashes them with a spatula!
I buy so many bags of dried cranberries all year long. I never imagined being able to make them myself AND with a lower sugar content. Definitely will be saving and using this!
Thanks for this great idea! I’ve got a lot of cranberries on hand and I was looking for ways to use them. Do you think these would freeze well?
Yes they should freeze just fine!
Previously you said to use a neutral oil like grape seed now it’s avocado. Why the change up?
Because I’ve learned that grapeseed is highly processed. Avocado oil is also very neutral in flavor. You can use what you like here.
I recently heard that too, that Grape Seed Oil is highly processed yet it was touted as being so healthy for you for years. I had being duped!!
I agree with Carolyn, avocado oil is neutral and clean-tasting. Highly recommended! Excepting what’s used in restaurant food, we’ve pretty much eliminated industrially refined seed oils (grape seed, canola, soybean, etc) from our diet. It only took a couple months of avoidance to notice and develop a disdain for the overcooked, rancid flavor of commodity oils.
For your European readers, I recommend these Latvian unsweetened whole organic dried cranberries: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Organic-Dried-Cranberries-Whole-2-05lb/dp/B00A571GCE/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541947094&sr=8-4-fkmr0&keywords=organic+dried+unsweetened+cranberries
They are not really tart either but being a bit pricey, I’m going to give your method a try whilst fresh cranberries are available in UK shops in the run up to Christmas.
Thanks!