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
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These cranberries were so easy and tasty, too! Perfect to top my cake!
Thanks for the great review, Erin!
A great easy recipe for a first-timer, but I think the cranberries were a bit dry after one hour (had quite a few bald spots), next time I’d try for 30 or 45 minutes before rolling. Bonus: I’m using the leftover sugar for my cranberry tart, and leftover sugar syrup for cocktails 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I can’t wait to make these this year!
Is it possible to add the sugared cranberries to cranberry scones?
Hi Grace, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how well they would stay looking like sugared cranberries. It may work though and would probably taste good.
Hi Deb, I haven’t tried that myself, but I bet that could work! I hope you love this recipe!
Hi Natasha, cranberries are out of season now. Can I use dried cranberries? I am planning to use them for the cranberry bundt cake recipe you shared. Thanks! 🙂
Hi Denise, I haven’t tried making sugared cranberries with dried cranberries. It may work, but they won’t look as nice. You might google that before experimenting.
Hi Natasha, can’t wait to make this beautiful dessert! Can I use thawed cranberries?
Hi Nadya, frozen even when thawed would not hold up – since they are pretty wet when they thaw, it would just liquefy the sugar.
Thank you, Natasha
If I decorate my cake with the cranberries can I store the cake in the fridge overnight or should I just decorate the cake right before serving?
Hi Sveta, I would decorate before serving or the moisture from the cake can make the sugar coating on the cranberries soften.
when you eat it is it supposed to be sweet and then turn to bitter
Hi Mychel, it should not turn bitter but be tart or sour on the inside. If the berries are bitter, they may have spoiled.
Hi Natashia. Just finished making two of your Cranberry/Orange Cakes for gifts. They came out beautifully. The recipients we amazed by them. So once again, Thank You. HUGS from Canada and Merry Christmas
That’s a great gift idea!! That’s so nice of you! Thank you for sharing that wonderful feedback with us!
Hi Natasha. I love your website & videos. I made the sugared cranberries but noticed that you mentioned storage at room temp only. Do you think they would hold up if I freeze them too after they are made?
Thank you so much, Annie. I haven’t tried freezing this to advise, if you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
what can I use instead of cranberries?
Hi Mena, I have not tried any other substitute aside from cranberries. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
Hi Natasha! Can I use frozen cranberries for this recipe?
Hi Susan, frozen would not hold up – since they are pretty wet when they thaw, it would just liquify the sugar.
Are you going to do a video in friday
Hi Malak, we are taking the day off this Friday. Most people aren’t excited about cooking the day after Thanksgiving so we take that opportunity to rest. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!
Hi Natacha,
How can I store the berries if I don’t use all of them?
Thank you in advance!
Hi Mirna, I have tips on storing in the recipe post. I hope you love the sugared cranberries.
How do you store them? And how long are they good for?
HI Zory, please see the notes above for storing candied cranberries.
looks nice if you a use c a pastry wheel can you give me the link
HI Malak, I do not use a pastry link. All of the products we love are listed in our Amazon affiliate shop.
Made these but with oranges cause they were very sour…..they literally tasted just like candy’s everyone loved it…plus they are so easy to make…Thankyou so much for sharing Natasha
You are most welcome, Maryann. I’m happy to hear that everyone loved it!
Hi Maryanne,I would love to try with oranges,can you please tell me how you did yours,I would really appreciat,thanks for the help
Yum – beautiful and delicious!
Thank you, Melissa. I appreciate it!
I am a huge fan of cranberries and always stock up when they show up in stores! These sugared berries are not only gorgeous on cakes and cupcakes but also a delicious snack. Thank you for this recipe!
Yes! It is such a treat in the cold months and I get excited with I see fresh cranberries show up in stores also.
Love sugared cranberries! They’re really fun to snack on, but they also make a beautiful centerpiece at the holiday table.
They are so festive and fun. I’d love to know what you serve them on. I have a great cranberry cake coming soon with these sugared cranberries (stay tuned!).