Freeze Dried Cranberries Recipe
This freeze dried cranberries recipe is a crunchy, sweet, and tangy snack. If you freeze dry them plain cranberries are wickedly tart. The goal for this recipe was to have a crunchy cranberry snack that didn’t require rehydrating. As a result, I added a little bit of apple cider and sugar to make them enjoyable to eat.
The freeze dried cranberries in this recipe fuze together during freeze drying as a sheet because of the added juice. This is actually beneficial because the sheet can be broken up into bite size chunks. They are the perfect size for grabbing and snacking!
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Why You’ll love this recipe
- Easy to prepare
- No need to rehydrate after freeze drying
- Makes a ready to eat snack
- No cooking means it retains more nutrition!
Ingredients
Cranberries– I used frozen for this recipe but fresh will work as well.
Apple cider– Apples pair so well with cranberries. I always love to put a little bit of apple cider in with cranberries because it’s a way to get them to taste sweeter without adding so much cane sugar. We make our own canned apple cider but you can use apple juice instead of cider as a substitute if needed.
Cane sugar– As much as I love to use a more natural sugar like honey or maple syrup, cane sugar is a must in this recipe. It gives the cranberries sweetness without becoming an overbearing flavor.
Freeze Dried Cranberries | Step by Step
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use fresh cranberries in this recipe.
No, for the cranberries to dry properly they must be chopped prior to freeze drying.
Yes! Orange juice is a great substitute. Cranberries and oranges taste so good together!
Tips for Making Freeze Dried Cranberries
- Use the silicone mats or parchment paper on the trays. My experimental batch without it stuck like glue to the trays!
- If you’re brand new to freeze drying, I recommend reading my guide on How to Use a Freeze Dryer & Tips before getting started.
Video Tutorial | Freeze dried cranberries (in apple cider)
Other Freeze-Dried Recipes
- Freeze Dried Herbs
- Freeze Dried Sweet Potato Chips
- How to Make Freeze Dried Garlic Scape Powder
- How to Make Freeze Dried Pizza Sauce
If you tried this Freeze Dried Cranberries Recipe or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Freeze Dried Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 lbs cranberries frozen
- 4 cups apple cider or apple juice
- 1.5 cups sugar
Instructions
- Pour cranberries into a food processor. Pulse until cranberries are chopped up.
- In a large bowl, add cranberries, apple cider, and sugar. Mix throughly and let it sit for 30 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add silicone mats or parchment paper to freeze dryer trays. Divide equally among freeze dryer trays. Pour and spread in an even layer.
- Transfer into the freezer to pre-freeze trays before drying. Alternatively, trays can be placed directly into the freeze dryer.
- Follow instructions on freeze dryer and freeze dry completely.
- After cranberries have dried, remove from the freeze dryer. Break in bite sizes pieces, and store in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber or mason jars that have been vacuum sealed to remove oxygen.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor to chop up cranberries, you can use a knife.
- There is no heating of any ingredients in the recipe. This is done in an effort to preserve maximum nutrition. As a result of the cold ingredients, you may need to wait the full 30 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves in the apple cider and the flavors meld together.Â
- Fresh cranberries can be substituted for frozen if needed.
- Roughly chopped cranberries will have more of a tart bite. If you chop the cranberries a little bit smaller, the sweet and tart flavors will be more balanced.
- These cranberries can be rehydrated if needed. To do this, add freeze dried cranberries to a bowl and add water a little bit at a time. Do not add so much water that it pools in the bottom of the bowl. Too much water will make the cranberries taste bland upon rehydration. When the proper amount of water is added it will still be sweet, a little tart, and delicious!
- Orange juice can be substituted for apple cider
