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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I picked up some liquid Allulose today, do you think I could use this instead of the oil and Swerve?
I’m late to the party, but I just had to send a review. This turned out great! I used the convection feature on my oven and was able to reduce the cooking time to just over two hours. I didn’t think cutting the cranberries was going to be so easy, but it was. Next time I’ll try another reviewer’s suggestion to smash them after thawing frozen ones. And there WILL be a next time. These are so delicious. I used them in a massaged kale salad recipe yesterday. Your website is the one I turn to for reliable recipes. No other website comes close. Thankyou for all the hard behind-the-scenes work that goes into it.
I tried this with the Whole Earth Allulose Baking Blend, and tried powdering it inmy Ninja blender. I checked them at 2.5 hours and found a lot of liquid on the baking sheet. I transferred then to a fresh sheet of parchment paper and they still were not completely dry at the 3 hour mark. I decided to let them air dry the rest of the way because I needed my oven for dinner. I’m looking forward to trying them in the Cranberry Pecan Biscotti!
I think that’s probably the allulose, as it works very differently than Swerve.
I finally got around to making these and they were a big success! I used allulose and a little concentrated stevia powder for the sweetener to avoid the grainy texture that erythritol seems to have after cooling off. They do shrink quite a bit and I found that they took about 8 hours at 200 degrees to reach the leathery stage. They taste great by themselves and I am looking forward to making them again, in a larger quantity. Thanks for sharing!
I came to the comments specifically to see if anyone has used allulose. Thanks for sharing this!
I made mine the same way and they were still super tart even though I added more Allulose. Is that normal?
Excellent recipe. I use frozen cranberries, thaw them, and “pop” them with the bottom of a jar or cup. Wasn’t messy, can do several at a time. It’s kind of therapeutic in a weird way ????.
Genius! I’m totally going to use this popping method!
Made these in my dehydrator and they came out grainy. Should have read the comments first as I’m intending to use them primarily for salads. Would the boiling method prevent the graininess?
I love these dried crans and use them in my biscottis, a must with my coffee. Would this recipe work with blueberries?
TY,
Lynnita
Made these last night – amazing. Like candy, without the simple sugars. Thank you!
I have done this recipe cutting them in half. What happens if I leave them whole?
I am so thankful to find your blog!!!! I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes 5 months ago and told my doctor I wanted to control this with diet and no meds. She gave me a book by Dr. Jason Jung, The Diabetes Code, and I read it that night and totally changed my diet beginning the following day. The diet he recommends is basically a keto diet. I found your blog tonight as I was searching for recipes that both my family and I could enjoy. I’ve been reading your recipes and comments for over two hours. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to try some of them.
So glad you found me! 🙂
What a totally awesome doctor!
Just in case anyone unfamiliar with this amazing doctor reads your recommendation and wants to know how to control diabetes with diet the doctor mentioned above is Dr. Jason Fung. Absolutely worth watching his videos and reading about methods to improve poor medical outlook.
Hi Joyce, just wanted to let you know it is possible!! My hubby was diagnosed about a year and a half ago with type two diabetes and I told him I would do whatever I could to help and support him while he goes through this life changing event. I love Dr. Jason Fung’s books and I’ve been creating everything from snack to meals to desserts and beverages and everything in between as Keto. I think the first thing to realize is to reverse this you are going to spend A LOT MORE TIME in the kitchen! But you are worth the effort, for me it’s a labour of love. I want my hubby around for a long long time. So I started with planning meals and prepping on weekends is key for me. Also cleaning out all your non-Keto stuff is very important we have it to family. Also don’t bother with all the processed stuff labelled Keto it usually isn’t or the quantities are so ridiculously small to make it Keto when most people would just eat the whole bag anyway. It’s much more cost effective and so much better for you if you make everything yourself. The good news is for anything that you want to eat there is a Keto recipe out there for it! You don’t need any fancy Keto meal plan or anything you know yourself what you want to eat. Also If you are craving fries there is a Keto recipe for it! This website has been my saving grace!! I absolutely LOVE all the recipes I don’t think I’ve ever made something we didn’t like. I wish you much success, just know it is possible, you can do it!!
I have a cutting board that has a shallow channel around the edge. I just lined up the berries in that channel and then ran the knife down the row. I did need to use my other hand to hold the berries as I cut them but it was still much faster and easier way to halve them. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. They are a bit more tart than the store-bought less-sugar craisens. If you like them that sweet then add a bit more sweetener. I had to leave them in the oven for 4 hours because they still seemed too wet after 3 hours.
Has anyone tried to make these in the Instant Pot Vortex Plus on dehydrate setting? Any luck? There is virtually no information to support the dehydrate setting on the IP website. Time/temperature would be appreciated.
These have been in the oven 3hrs at 200 degrees. They r quite juicy.. recommendations…please
Did you cut them in half?
Yes
I love everything cranberry! Cutting each cranberry in half was a true labor of love but so worth it. These turned out great. So excited to start using them in your holiday recipes!
Definitely worth it!
these are fantabulous. i could scarf them down by the handful 🙂
used olive oil and baked them on parchment paper for about two hours and they’re perfect. THANK YOU!
Glad to hear it!
I made mine the same way but mine are super tart. How were yours?
What would be the equivalent if using liquid sweetener??
I don’t know, you will need to check your sweetener. Swerve measures like sugar.
I made them….I think I left them in the oven a little too long….is there any saving them….or should I do them all over again? I’m making cranberry bliss bars, would it change the taste if I use fresh cranberries?
You can probably still use them unless they are totally burnt. They get on the crispy side but become soft again when added to baked goods.