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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Have you tried making these with liquid allulose?
Not with liquid, no. But I did them just this past weekend and used half Swerve and half granular allulose and they were really good. No re-crystallization!
This didn’t work. I went through all the prep work, followed the directions precisely, and then after 3 hours, the cranberries were not even close to being dry. The oven tray with the parchment paper was full of juice. I checked the oven temp with a thermometer to make sure, and it was exactly 200 degrees. So then I tried turning up the heat, and the cranberries immediately burned. I will not be wasting any more fruit attempting this.
I am sorry it didn’t work for you but it absolutely does work because I just made them again this weekend. 🙂
Hi,
The cooking time was also not enough for me so I let the cranberries for another hour still at 200°. They still weren’t as I expected.
But I had to cook dinner (Keto lasagna stuffed peppers). So after the dinner was cooked I putted the cranberries again in the oven (not turn on, just the warmth of the previous preparation) until the oven was cold again.
And OMG! The cranberries are crispy without being too hard and I cannot stop to go to the kitchen to eat a few ????
So don’t give up ????
It’s so hard to judge ovens… they seem to vary so wildly. Also the moisture content of the original cranberries varies as well. 🙂 Glad they worked out!
Can I use a different oil?
Yes but you want a neutral flavor.
How long do you dry in a dehydrator? Do you put them on the fruit leather rack?
Thanks…have them in the dehydrator now!
Depends on your dehydrator but I usually set mine so it’s running overnight.
Can you use a different oil?
Yes, coconut oil works well too.
My wife and I dehydrated two pounds today and oh boy they are great tasting ????. Thank you so much for sharing your cooking knowledge with all of us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas.
Wow, look at you go!
Thank you for this recipe, we love dried cranberries in our salad. Recently I tried them in keto cold slaw yummy.
I have bought unsweetened dried cranberries on Amazon, they were incredibly expensive and not very tasty. This sounds like a much better alternative. Thank you!
They really ARE expensive. I’ve bought some too and they last a long time. Not great for eating as is but okay for adding to other recipes.
It has been so long since I have had a dried cranberry because of the sugar. These are so so good!!! Now to just quit eating them so I am actually able to make something with them in it! Ha!
Your recipe uses avocado oil…Can you use coconut oil instead?
Yes, that should be fine but you have to melt it first.
I have made these numerous times and love them. The new method works great! I have a convection oven now and was wondering if anyone, or Caroline have made them in the convection oven and if so, how did they turn out.
Thanks!
I haven’t but I think you will need to lower your temp by 25 to 50 degrees.
If I don’t use any sugar syrup, do I still coat with oil before popping in the oven? Coat before or after cutting/smashing?
cut them, and then coat them… otherwise they are dry like leather.
Hi Carolyn
I have a Instant Vortex Pro with a dehydrator function. 4 hours at 120f but they didn’t come out right. When back to the oven method overnight.
Any suggestions of time and temperature I could try on my dehydrator?
Thank you!
Made the biscotti is was AMAZING!
I use my dehydrator for these but it’s not a fancy one. I do the berry setting (can’t remember what temp that is but it’s pretty low) and let them dry out through the night.
Fantastic!
I have them in the oven at 200. I did cut them in half, but there is still a lot of moisture after 3 hrs. Should I keep baking them? I just realized I used granular swerve. Hope it is ok.
Yes, keep baking them until they are dry. The granular may make them a bit gritty but once baked into something, they should be fine.
thank you so much! Can’t wait to mix up a batch!