Sugared Cranberries are so festive and are an easy way to dress up desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Candied cranberries have just 3 ingredients and will make any dessert sparkle.
These frosted cranberries are beautiful as a dessert topping like Cranberry Bundt Cake, but they’re also a fun addition to a holiday cookie platter.
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We love cranberries for the holidays from Cranberry Sauce to Sparkling Cranberry Punch. They make everything more festive and these sugared cranberries are such a treat.
Sugared Cranberries Video
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What are Sugared Cranberries?
Sugared cranberries are essentially candied cranberries, dipped in a simple syrup of sugar and water then rolled in sugar until well coated. This recipe only requires 3 ingredients and it’s easy to scale the recipe up or down.
The Best Sugar for Cranberries: We love granulated sugar because it gives the cranberries an even coating and the granules are still large enough to make the cranberries look frosted, but you can also use cane sugar.
How to make Sugared Cranberries
- Heat the Syrup – In a medium saucepan, simmer 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar for 3 minutes.
- Stir in cranberries to coat then remove from heat and stir another 1 minute.
- Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or rack and dry out for 1 hour
- Roll sticky cranberries in remaining sugar to coat.
Tips for making sugared cranberries
- Rinse and dry the cranberries. The syrup will stick better to dry cranberries and you don’t want to incorporate excess water into your syrup.
- Simmer syrup on low heat for 3 minutes after it’s come to a boil. You want the sugar to fully dissolve and form a slightly thickened syrup for coating cranberries.
- Fully Coat the cranberries in the syrup. I like to stir them for a minute off the heat.
- Remove Cranberries before they burst. You don’t want them to release their juices or soften.
Can I eat candied cranberries?
Sugared cranberries are edible. They are sweet, tangy, and delicious. Raw cranberries can be very tart on their own but once they are coated in that sweet syrup and a layer of sugar, they almost taste like candy.
How to serve cranberries in sugar:
- Snacking – Sugared Cranberries are great for snacking and look amazing on a holiday cheeseboard.
- Garnish – Try them over a Cranberry Cake, or scatter them on Pumpkin Pie or a cooled Apple Pie.
- Decorate Main Dishes – decorate the serving platter of your Baked Ham or Prime Rib.
- Make Desserts Festive – Decorating Vanilla Cake or Cupcakes with sugared cranberries will instantly make them look Christmasy and festive.
What can I do with the sugar syrup?
You can discard the sugar syrup or make great use of it to:
- Soak Cakes: Adding the simple sugar syrup to a Sponge Cake adds sweetness and moisture.
- Add to Drinks: you can use the syrup for Homemade Lemonade or add it to your favorite Cranberry Pineapple Punch.
Storing sugared cranberries
Store sugared cranberries covered at room temperature in a cool, dry environment for up to 2 days.
Pro Tip: If the sugar starts looking moist, you can re-roll them in a little more sugar to freshen them up.
What to do with leftover sugared cranberries?
If your cranberries have softened or you just have leftover cranberries, You can put them into a saucepan with a little water and make a quick homemade cranberry sauce.
More Holiday Desserts
- Christmas Sugar Cookies – our go-to Christmas Cookies
- Caramel Sauce – nothing beats homemade
- Almond Snowball Cookies – melt-in-your-mouth delicious
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad – a staple at holiday dessert buffets
- Tiramisu Yule Log Cake – a stunning bouche de noel
- Red Velvet Cake – with the best frosting
Sugared Cranberries (Easy Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cranberries to fully coat in the syrup then remove from heat and stir 1 minute.
- Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet or a metal rack to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
- Roll cranberries in batches in the remaining 1 cup sugar to coat.
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
How long in advance can I make these before they go bad?
Hi Kathy! See my note above under, “ Storing sugared cranberries”.
Maybe I missed it, but fresh
cranberries or dried cranberries?
Hi Wally! This recipe used fresh cranberries.
I made these for a party and they were a hit. At first, eating this it tastes tart but the sugar to add the sweetness needed to make it a tasty snack. You can’t just eat one. It will be a treat I’ll continue to make for the holidays. Thank you for this recipe.
You’re very welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Hi, i making these for thanksgiving, they are super good but super sour, I’m wondering if they become less sour or I did it wrong?
Hi Coco! Cranberries are very sour. The sugar helps counteract some of the sourness but they will still be fairly tart. I don’t think you did anything wrong.
Would it work if I use raspberries and blueberries instead of cranberries then follow the rest of the recipe?
I used to make sugared berries by dipping them in unbeaten egg whites then rolling them in sugar. The sugar would then harden after 30 min to 1hr. Which way is better to make them sugared?
Hi Elaine, I have not tested this recipe with raspberries and blueberries to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I am wanting to try these for a cupcake topper. Can I make the sugared cranberries ahead and then just pop onto the cupcake right before serving? Or do I need to sugar the cranberries right before using?
Hi Jill! You can store sugared cranberries covered at room temperature in a cool, dry environment for up to 2 day.
Can frozen cranberries be used (thawed first) for sugared cranberries? I plan to use them to decorate cake
Hi Donna, frozen even when thawed would not hold up – since they are pretty wet when they thaw, it would just liquefy the sugar.
I actually used frozen cranberries and they turned out great! They were still cold/frozen after the one minute stir in the sugar syrup, so I put the sugar syrup with the cranberries back on the stove just to warm it up and they plumped, unfroze and were yummy! Great recipe, Natasha. Used them for garnish on Cranberry Ginger Margaritas…and the leftover berries in Cranberry Scones.
Made this today, for the first time, for a group of friends, and it was a hit!!! Even made the sugared cranberries
Wonderful, Catherine! I’m so glad it was a hit!
I tried these last year as a topping on pavlovas, it was so delicious!! My question is: Can I use frozen cranberries for this recipe?
Hi Inna, frozen even when thawed would not hold up – since they are pretty wet when they thaw, it would just liquefy the sugar.
Decorated my cake with these beautiful candied cranberries. My sister asked if I burned up my pan. Not with this recipe; so easy and foolproof!
Love it! Thanks for your awesome review, Nancy.
Hi Natasha, I am making your Spartak cake for my husband’s Christmas party at work. Do you think I can decorate it with your sugared cranberries? If so, if I add them to the cake the night before, will they still look pretty for the party next day at lunch time?
Hi, I would make the cranberries the day before but keep them separate since the moisture from the cake in the fridge overnight might make the sugared cranberries get soft or start to melt the sugar coating. Add them to the cake before serving.
I see several people have asked about using frozen cranberries with this recipe, that’s all I use when I make candied\sugared cranberries. I buy many packages and just throw them in the freezer until I’m ready to make this delicious recipe. I would show a picture of just how yummy they look but there’s no way to upload a photo. And I’ll probably eat them all before I figure out how to show them off!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Becky!
Hi Becky – Do you put them in the saucepan while they’re frozen or thaw them first?
Hi Becky,
I’ve also been using frozen cranberries for many years as I start buying fresh ones in October and freeze them so I have plenty for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They come out great!
Thank you so much Natasha for making this recipe! I was wondering how many days can these sugared cranberries last.
Never mind, I found the “storing sugar cranberries”. 2 days got it 👍 Thanks!!!
Hi Clare! See the section in the recipe where we reference storing sugar cranberries! I hope that helps!
Natasha- love the sugar cranberries! Can you put these in a jar and would you refrigerate them? I’m thinking this is a great holiday neighbor gift! How long will they keep?
Hi Kathleen, please see the section titled “Storing sugared cranberries”. I have some candied pecans coming next week that are wonderful for gifting, but these cranberries don’t keep too long.
Ahhh! I had always wanted to make these but had no idea how to! I used this recipe and it will now always be the one I use. They turned out fantastic. Thank you!!
Great to hear that you finally found your new go-to recipe!
Truly amazing! My first time making these to top a cake and they are beautiful.
Thank you for the good feedback,Lauren!