Sugared cranberries are one of my favorite ways to dress up desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas! They're so festive and perfect for the holidays! Best of all, these candied cranberries are super easy to make and require just 3 ingredients.
I love using these sugared cranberries to top my cranberry bundt cake or to garnish cocktails!
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Ingredient Notes
All you need to make sugared cranberries is fresh cranberries, sugar, and water! That's it!
Cranberries - You need fresh cranberries for this recipe! Some grocery stores carry fresh cranberries in the produce section all year, but you can definitely find them in the fall and winter!
Granulated Sugar - You need sugar to make the sugar syrup and to coat the cranberries .
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
In a small pot, combine the water and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Stir in the fresh cranberries to fully coat in the syrup and let sit for about 2 minutes. (Do not cook them!)
Then remove and place on a cooling rack or parchment lined sheet.
Let the cranberries dry for 1 hour. They should be very sticky.
Place the remaining sugar on a plate and roll the sticky cranberries to coat in the sugar.
That's it! You can place the sugared cranberries back on the cooling rack to let them continue to dry for another hour or so, or just use them immediately!
Store the sugared cranberries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. If the sugar starts coming off, you can re-roll the cranberries in a little extra sugar!
How to Use Sugared Cranberries
- Garnish - They are the perfect garnish for any cranberry dessert or cocktail!
- Snacking - I love just eating sugared cranberries by the handful! But they also add some festive sparkle to a holiday cheeseboard.
- Dress up non-holiday desserts - Take a classic vanilla cupcake and top with some frosted cranberries for a quick Christmas dessert!
Use sugared cranberries to top this light, cranberry bundt cake!
Or these cranberry white chocolate cupcakes!
Recipe FAQ's
I don't recommend using frozen cranberries as they're often too soft once thawed. Fresh cranberries work best for this recipe.
Yes!! You can totally eat raw cranberries! They're just very tart! But when rolled in sugar, they're a delightful sweet and sour combo.
Cranberry Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup water
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
Instructions
- In a small pot, combine the water and ½ cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Stir in the fresh cranberries to fully coat in the syrup and let sit for about 2 minutes. (Do not cook them!)
- Then remove and place on a cooling rack or parchment lined sheet.
- Let the cranberries dry for 1 hour. They should be very sticky.
- Place the remaining sugar on a plate and roll the sticky cranberries to coat in the sugar.
- That's it! You can place the sugared cranberries back on the cooling rack to let them continue to dry for another hour or so, or just use them immediately!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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