Quick and Easy Sugared Cranberries
Sugared cranberries are so pretty and look so festive on desserts, holiday dishes and even charcuterie boards. They are so easy to make and do not take too long, either. Have some ready for your next holiday dessert!
I love using a mix of sugared cranberries and regular cranberries. The contrast of the bright red cranberries with the frosted look of the sugared cranberries looks so festive and beautiful. It’s amazing how something so simple can look so beautiful and has the ability to make holiday dishes go from ‘just good’ to ‘wow!’. Try making these for The Best Pumpkin Pie recipe. They even will go well on top of my Easy One Bowl Apple Spice Cupcakes, you won’t be disappointed.
Ingredients
Just 3 simple ingredients is all it takes to add some festivity to your holiday dishes.
- Cranberries
- Sugar Granulated works the best. It gives you that nice frosted look we’re going for. And it’s needed for the simple syrup.
- Water
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
Step One Rinse the cranberries and lay flat to dry. Use fresh, not frozen. Frozen would end up being too mushy. Prepare a sheet pan with either a silicone mat or some parchment paper. Set aside.
Step Two Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. You will have to babysit this one as you don’t want the sugar to burn. I stir pretty consistently, with a few breaks in between. You’ll know the syrup is ready when it turns clear.
Step Three Once the syrup mixture turns clear, stir for a minute longer, then remove from heat. Let it sit for one minute, then add the cranberries to the mixture and stir to evenly coat all of the cranberries. *If you like the look of the frosted cranberries with the plain cranberries, set some cranberries aside to not add to the simple syrup.
Step Four With a slotted spoon, remove the cranberries from the syrup and lay them in one layer on the prepared sheet pan. Set them aside to dry for 1 hour.
Step Five On a large plate, dump the remaining 1 cup of sugar. After cranberries have sat for 1 hour, transfer them a bit at a time to the plate of sugar. I use a spoon for this so I don’t get my hands too sticky. Roll the cranberries around in the sugar and place them back on the sheet pan. Do this until you have coated all the cranberries in sugar.
Step Six You can use the cranberries right away, but I like to let them sit for another hour before I store them away. Go ahead and put them on that freshly made pumpkin pie you’ve got sitting on the counter. Your guests will love it! They are also good to eat by themselves. They’re like little pieces of fruity candy.
I love the contrast of the bright red cranberries and the frosted cranberries. Looks so good on holiday dishes, like my Homemade Tres Leches Cake. My Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies is another delicious cranberry recipe. And who can forget The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce, a staple on many holiday tables.
Pro Tips
Tip #1 Use granulated sugar for best results. Powdered sugar won’t give the frosted look; and cane sugar is too big, plus, it’s usually brownish in color so it won’t have the frosted look we’re going for.
Tip #2 If the sugar starts to soak into the syrup too much after a few days, just roll the cranberries around in more sugar to bring back the frosted look.
Tip #3 Make these sugared cranberries the day before you will need them. It’s one less thing to have to do.
Sugared cranberries can be stored in an airtight container on the counter top for up to 2 days, and in the fridge for 5 days. If you don’t think you’ll use them all up, you can turn them into cranberry relish, another delicious holiday side dish.
I do not recommend freezing sugared cranberries. They won’t look as nice unthawed, and will be too mushy.
Other Recipes to Try
Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the cranberries. Prepare a sheet pan with either a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside. If desired, set a few cranberries aside so you can mix them with the sugared cranberries when you're done. This gives a nice contrast of sugared and non-sugared cranberries.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar completely into the water. It will look cloudy for a bit. Continue stirring. You don't want to burn the sugar.
- After about 3-5 minutes, the sugar syrup should become clear and a little bit thicker. Remove from heat and set aside for one minute.
- After one minute, add the cranberries to the syrup and fully coat the cranberries in the simple syrup.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to the prepared baking sheet, making sure they are in one layer. Let dry for one hour.
- Add 1 cup of sugar to a large plate. After one hour, working in batches, add the cranberries to the sugar and roll them around to coat them in sugar. Transfer back to the sheet pan.
- You can use them right away to decorate, but wait at least one hour before storing them in a container.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days on the countertop, and up to 5 days in the fridge.
- I do not recommend freezing sugared cranberries.
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