
My love for cranberries extends far beyond the sauce (or chutney or jello mold, depending on where you’re from) you typically find on Thanksgiving tables.
I love them in scones, in salads and homemade trail mix. I love them in granola bars, in biscotti and even in potpourri!
I’ve been known to buy a bag or two when Costco has dried cranberries on sale, but I really go crazy in November because it’s the only time of year I can get them fresh and in bulk.
What, is 3 pounds of fresh cranberries too much for one person?
Hogwash. There’s no such thing as “too much cranberries” in my opinion. Multiple bags of fresh cranberries make their way into my cart and ultimately my freezer so that I can enjoy them year round.
Did you know you could do that, by the way? Freeze cranberries whole?
My only problem though, if you could even call it that, is figuring out what to do with the cranberries. While I do love cranberries, I do have a small freezer.

I’ve also noticed that the sales on dried cranberries at Costco are a lot less frequent than they used to me.
A few years ago, dried cranberries were on sale like clockwork. Just when I was about to run out, they’d be on sale again.
Sometimes this past year though, I ran out and there wasn’t a sale to fill the void in my pantry. I waited a month, but still no sale.
I settled for raisins as a temporary fill-in, thinking SURELY someone was asleep behind the sale cycle wheel over at Costco and that they’d wake up in time for dried cranberries to be on sale next month.
Nope.
ONE WHOLE YEAR has gone by without dried cranberries being on sale at Costco. Folks, this is a travesty in my house. And it needed to be remedied ASAP!
So this year, I bought a big bag and made my own dried cranberries!
How to Dehydrate Cranberries
Supplies
- fresh cranberries
- water
- pot or bowl
- dehydrator (we have this one)
- sugar (optional)
Method
There are two basic methods for dehydrating cranberries.

(1) Berries in a Pot Method
Fill a large pot halfway with water. The number of cranberries you’re dehydrating will determine the size pot you need. I used a medium pot for 1 cup of cranberries. Remember that you can always do this in batches, if need be.
Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the cranberries and set the timer for 2 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries to a colander to strain. The berries should be “popped” so to speak.
Repeat this process if you’re working in batches.
This is the method I used.
(2) Berries in Bowl Method
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place cranberries in a large bowl.
When the water is boiling, pour over cranberries and set the timer for 2 minutes. When the timer goes off, use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries to a colander to strain.
Repeat this process if you’re working in batches.

For either method:
If you want your cranberries to be less tart, you will need to sprinkle 1 Tbsp of sugar per 1 cup of cranberries. Add to the cranberries while in the colander and mix well.
Lay the cranberries on a single layer on the dehydrating tray. Set the dehydrator to 135F and check on the cranberries at the 8 hour mark. Mine were done at 9 hours or so, but every machine is different and can take up to 12 hours.

Additional Recipe Notes
You don’t HAVE to boil the cranberries first before dehydrating, but it makes the dehydrating time MUCH faster. I had a couple of rogue cranberries that didn’t “pop” in the water and after the 12 hour mark in the dehydrator, they had barely changed in size.
1 cup of fresh cranberries = 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Cost Breakdown
Fresh cranberries are running $3.69 for 2 pounds at Costco (12¢/ounce). A 12 ounce bag is $2.50 at the local grocery store (21¢/ounce). Right off the bat, it’s cheaper to buy them in bulk whenever you can with $1.92 per pound being the best price I’ve seen.
1 cup of fresh cranberries is about 4 ounces (there are 6, 1/2 cup servings in a 12 ounce bag). If you buy them in bulk, you’re paying 46¢ per 1 cup of fresh cranberries. This equates to 46¢ per 1/4 cup of dried cranberries.
At Costco, the big bags of dried cranberries are 48 ounces and there are 34 servings (1/4 cup each) in each bag. The best price I’ve seen recently is $6.79. That makes each serving 20¢.
The bottom line = it’s cheaper to buy dried cranberries than to make them yourself!
There is a catch though – the packaged dried cranberries are sweetened. When you make them at home yourself, you control the amount of sugar you add – from plenty of sweet to none at all. I prefer them to be slightly sweet, but definitely not as sweet as the packaged ones. It’s kind of a toss up for me really on buying versus making!
If you can get fresh cranberries for 80¢ per pound or less, than you break even or save when you dehydrate them yourself.
Of course, if you don’t have access to dried cranberries in bulk, this will effect your math too.
More Dehydrating Tutorials
Do you love cranberries? What’s your favorite cranberry dish?
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Thanks for this article. I saw that the Excalibur Dehydrator website suggests having cranberries in boiling water for 60 seconds, so I’m guessing the trick is to not leave them in longer than needed to split. When factoring in the cost of dehydrating your own vs. buying dehydrated, consider this: A popular brand of dried cranberries available in box stores has a 40g serving size. Per the nutrition label 26g of that 40g serving size is added sugars. By weight, store bought sweetened dehydrated cranberries are more sugar than berry.
I add dried cranberries and fresh tarragon to chicken salad. Ina Garten did this on her show but I used t do that long before I saw that show.
I buy them from my health food store sweetened with apple juice. How would you do that? would you use apple juice in place of the water or do the boiling water and then soak in apple juice? I need info from anyone who used apple juice.
Tried this last night. I have a pretty good dehydrator and this recipe most certainly did not work. After boiling the berries of only 2 minutes, they came out like complete mush. Many of them were so gooey that they actually slid through the tiny grates of the dehydrator. After 11 hours they were MAYBE half way done.
It sounds like the water was too hot and the cranberries may have been a bit old. If you try again it should be just at a rolling boil and you will see the fresh cranberries split as they get done. Make sure to remove them from the water gently.
Thanks! I have been waiting all year to buy fresh cranberries and preserve them so I can use them the rest of the year. Because I wanted some that were sugar-free, and there’s not a lot of them available sugar-free and they seem expensive. But I appreciate your cost breakdown. My first batch in the dehydrator I didn’t do anything to them and yes after two days some of them were still not dried at all. So doing the boiling water this time!
Thank you for all of your insights. I am new to dehydrating and am doing it for my daughters and my health. I have found that everything that you have said to be quite helpful, and for free is the icing on the cake. Thank you for sharing the knowledge that you have. If we all would do this the world might be a good place again.
Thank you Daryl! I appreciate the support! 🙂
I purchased craisins sweetened with apple juice. Since we have tried eliminating sugar from our diet. I would love to find a way to make my own. As they were pricey to purchase.
These will do the trick!
I buy them from my health food store sweetened with apple juice. How would you do that? would you use apple juice in place of the water or do the boiling water and then soak in apple juice? I need info from anyone who used apple juice.
How about soaking the cranberries in boiled apple juice, dehydrate the cranberries and mull the apple juice?
Hello Jane Wilder-O’Connor,
This hasn’t been tested. If you try it, we’d love to hear how it turned out! Thank you for posting. 🙂
Apple juice has added sugar that is why it is so sweet. If you are trying to eliminate sugar from your diet like me because you are a diabetic like me . Try them with nothing added to them. Just remember they are tart and you might not like that. I have gotten use to the tartness . I dehydrate apples, bananas, grapes for raisins, kiwi, dragon fruit, tried jerky didn’t like the way the jerky turned out so will not do jerky again. I gobble up my fruit in no time . So I am constantly making fruit.
Glad to find this one! The guys just came home from the cabin, and per my request stopped at the small cranberry farm that had just picked. Imagine my surprise when they came in with a 10 pound bag!
Now I have to get busy. Took a while to inspect them but oh are they yummiie. So fresh and very great color.
Also love the fact that they were grown closer to me. And can’t get any fresher than right out of the picker.
So now I needed to get going with making good use of them. Thanks for the tips!
You’re very welcome Joanne!
In doing the cost analysis, you should also figure in the cost of electricity. At 12 cents a kilowatt hour (this depends on your local utility, but be sure to figure in any fuel surcharges and taxes), your 500 watt dehydrator costs 72 cents per 12 hours to run.
I find the packaged Craisins unnecessarily too sweet. One of the best features of cranberries is their tartness!
I have a huge (15 net square feet) Excalibur dehydrator. I have been meaning to dry cranberries, so I can do a large lot in one run.
Thanks for the article.
Rod
I am all about saving money. This week my aldi had cranberries for $0.89 for 12 oz bag. That is a stock up price in my opinion. I plan on buying and freezing them, then dehydrate them as i need or want them. So hopefully I will have plenty throughout the year.
well
do not boil 2 minutes they will be mush
put into boiling water for a minute or less then pull out of water let set for 1 minute
and then spread them out on a tray and then sprinkle sugar over them .
i would never put that much sugar on, perhaps half as much
To each his own on the sugar Letty, but I assure you that boiling for 2 minutes didn’t turn my cranberries to mush. 😉
If you want to bake with them, in muffin recipes would you have to rehydrate them or just add to mix? How would you rehydrate them?
I just throw them in the mix, but to re-hydrate, yo would have to soak in water for several hours (overnight would probably be easier).
I was so excitec to find your post! I can’t eat store bought dried cranberries because they all use sunflower oil, which i am allergic to. Now I can have dried cranberries without having a reaction. I couldn’t wait for fresh cranberries to come in the store. I bought the first bags i saw. Hope to get many more on sale soon!
Great tutorial! For all those looking for whole cranberries year round (with no sugar added, just the fruit) Cape Cod Select has frozen cranberries! They’re available all over the country and Non-GMO! Great product, I use them all the time in my smoothies!!
Thanks for the tip Amelia!
Just bought 3 – 12oz bags of cranberries from ALDI. Glad I found this post.
I did sub my xylitol for sugar. Can’t wait to taste some, just eight hours to go. We like it in out salads and homemade trail mix.
Thank you
You’re welcome!
If you have a convection oven, you can dehydrate using your oven and do not need to buy a dehydrator. Your users manual that comes with the oven will have directions for dehydrating.
Thanks for the tip Kathleen! I don’t have a convection oven, but I’m sure readers who do appreciate this!
I wonder if you can still make dehydrated cranberries with frozen ones? I already put my fresh cranberries in the freezer.
You probably could Kim. Cranberries don’t change much in texture when they freeze, so I say pull a cup and give it a shot!
Our Aldi has cranberries for .99 per 12 oz package which is a great deal. I’d like the option to use an alternative sweetener too. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s a great deal Sarah – enjoy the DIY!
I like fermented cranberry relish.
YUM!
This is very helpful. I don’t eat sugar so this gives me a way to have my dried cranberries and sweeten them with my alternative sweetener, thank you!
You’re very welcome Joanie!
I read a recipe that used Pom cranberry juice to boil them in so you didn’t need sugar
What sweetener have you used when dehydrating cranberries? We don’t like anything overly sweet either hubby is a diabetic so I’m thinking maybe powdered Erythritol? Or does it crystallize?
Thanks for the info! I love “craisins” too but I hate how sweet they are and with some brands the added ingredients for dehydrating and/or preserving.
I don’t have a dehydrator. I’ve dehydrated apples in the oven before – I wonder if it would work for this as well?
My favorite dehydrated cranberry recipe is a salad with spinach, walnuts, feta, and a raspberry vinaigrette. There is never any salad left in the bowl :).
You could probably do this in the oven too Heather, but I haven’t tried it myself. The cranberries seem to be very forgiving, so as long as the temp is low enough, you should be find!
Your salad sounds really good!