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 made mine today but they came out dark like raisins, I don’t have Swerve, but LaKanto confectioners sweetener and used that along with allulose. It’s possible I may have used too much allulose although I measured for 1/3 cup. I put them in the fridge in a glass container and will taste them tomorrow. Thank you for a lovely recipe and any issues with my dried cranberries is my own. I will try again when I have purchased Swerve,
You over-baked them if they became that dark. They’re still tasty, though!
My cranberries came out a reddish/tan color instead of the vibrant red yours are. What did I do wrong?
Just used swerve powdered sugar with the avocado oil and they came out perfect. Cooked 3 hours and 30 minutes in my oven at 200 degrees. So happy to have found this recipe.
I made these this morning and they are fabulous! There might be some left for Thanksgiving! ????
Hi Carolyn,
Can I use liquid Stevia as a sweetener instead? Thank you.
I am doubtful that they will end up sweet enough but you’re welcome to experiment.
I made these yesterday as directed and dried them in my convection oven for three hours at 250. They are perfect. At first I thought cutting each one was a bit of a pain but the delicious results were worth it. As I cut the berries I tossed them into the sweet mixture and they began to juice and dissolved the mixture into a sweet opaque juice, perfect and not too juicy. Defiantly a keeper!
It is a bit of pain! But it works.
How much weight does the dried end up being? I want to compare the price per oz of doing this vs buying some at Walmart!
No idea, I didn’t weigh it.
I don’t have avocado oil. Would coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil work?
Is their a substitute I could use for Allulose?
Please read the blog post! 🙂
Holy Canoli! The best flavor ever!
Hi Carolyn!! I used the liquid allulose version as that’s what I had on had for that sweetener and I am not sure if there should be this much liquid like substance left. I used the oven method and wound up keeping them in for 3+ hours. Now, I did use a silpat instead of parchment paper so I wonder if that’s my issue. Not complaining as they will be inhaled just more of wondering if anyone else experienced left over sugary liquid.
Thank you so much for all your hard work on creating such delicious recipes !
Okay, very good to know. I thought the liquid version might actually be BETTER than the powdered. But I guess not. The silicone mat may also be contributing…
That’s what I’m thinking too. I’m going to try making them using parchment paper and the powder allulose. Also another thing I forgot to mention was that it seemed to take longer than 3 hours to dehydrate. I forgot the exact amount of time but it was longer . Probably also due to the amount of liquid from the liquid allulose. They are still delicious!
And as always, thank you soooooo much for sharing your creativity and genius recipes! You are a true legend !
Ugh I should’ve proofed my comment before I posted . I meant to say I wonder if the 3+ hour time it took to dehydrate was also due to the liquid allulose
Can these be stored in an air tight container in the pantry like I do for the store bought cranberries?
Hi, I do list storage instructions in the blog and in the recipe! 🙂
I made them last night and they are still sticky after baking them 4hrs. Should they get your fingers red when you pick them up? I took off the pan and wiped the parchment. Should I bake some more? I made them once before and overdid and they were crunchy. Is that how they should be?
No, they shouldn’t do that. Can you tell me what sweetener you used?
Hon, you are the bomb.com with the fire and the Holy Ghost. These recipes!!!! I feel like eating and living.
I’m wondering if my convection oven might hurry up the process?? I love being able to do it myself whenever possible. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Don’t try to hurry them up. I did that once and they over-browned and shriveled too much, and became like raisins rather than dried cranberries.
I made these last week. The taste is good, but all my sugar seems to have crystallized and is falling off the cranberries. How could I prevent this in the future?
Hi Christine… please read this updated post as I discuss that very issue.