What can I use to replace cranberries?

Cranberries are a popular ingredient used in many dishes, especially around the holidays. Their tangy, tart flavor adds a wonderful pop of flavor and color to recipes. However, cranberries can be difficult to find when not in season and some people may want to avoid them due to dietary restrictions or preferences. Luckily, there are several suitable alternatives that can be used in place of fresh or dried cranberries.

Why Replace Cranberries?

There are a few common reasons why you may need or want to substitute cranberries in a recipe:

• Cranberries are expensive and seasonal – Fresh cranberries are only available in grocery stores during the fall and early winter. Dried cranberries can be purchased year-round but are more expensive than other dried fruits.
• Dietary restrictions – Some people avoid cranberries due to sensitivities or allergies. Others follow diets like keto or paleo that restrict higher carb fruits like cranberries.
• Difficulty sourcing – If you live in certain areas it can be hard to easily find fresh or dried cranberries.
• Flavor preferences – The bright, tart, acidic flavor of cranberries may not suit all palates. Substitutes can provide a different flavor profile.

Best Cranberry Substitutes

When selecting an alternative to cranberries, you’ll want to consider flavor, texture, appearance, and how the substitute will be used in a recipe. Some of the best options include:

Dried Cherries

Dried tart cherries are very similar to dried cranberries in color, size, and texture. Their flavor is slightly sweeter with a milder tartness. Dried cherries work well in baked goods, salads, trail mixes, relishes, and anywhere you would use dried cranberries. Look for unsweetened varieties to get a more cranberry-like flavor.

Fresh Pomegranate Arils

Pomegranate arils (seeds) offer a pop of color and tangy sweet-tart flavor that raw cranberries have. They can be used as a replacement in fresh fruit salads, chutneys, sauces, meat dishes, and garnishes. Since they contain juice, adjust any extra liquid in a recipe accordingly. If pomegranates are unavailable, you can use dried pomegranate arils.

Raisins

Thompson seedless raisins have a similar chewy, dehydrated texture as cranberries and work especially well in baked goods like muffins, breads, oatmeal, and trail mixes. They lack the signature tartness, but provide bulk and sweetness. For more tartness, look for golden raisins which are naturally lower in sugar. You can also give plain raisins a quick soak in lemon or orange juice.

Fresh Orange Segments

Wedges or segments of fresh oranges offer vibrant color and tart, citrusy flavor that raw cranberries have. They can be substituted in equal amounts in smoothies, fruit salads, chutneys, stuffing, and sauces. Adjust lemon juice or other acids in a recipe as the orange segments will provide some. If oranges are not available, clementines, grapefruit, or tangerines also work.

Dried Unsweetened Cranberries

In baked goods, salads, trail mixes, etc. you can substitute sweetened dried cranberries for unsweetened. They are less sweet with more pronounced tartness. Use about 1 1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries for every 1 cup sweetened. You can also give unsweetened dried cranberries a quick soak in orange juice or water with a bit of sugar to tame their tartness if desired.

Fresh Sour Cherries

Fresh sour (also called tart) cherries can mimic the bright flavor and color of fresh cranberries. They work especially well raw in fruit salads and chutneys or anywhere you want cranberry’s tart kick. Sour cherries are harder to find than sweet cherries so dried tart cherries are much easier to source.

Cranberry Juice

In cooked dishes like chutneys, compotes, glazes, and sauces you can replace some of the fresh or dried cranberries with cranberry juice concentrate. Use about 1/4 cup juice concentrate in place of 1 cup fresh cranberries. The juice will provide excellent flavor and color while reducing the amount of solid cranberries needed.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Cranberries are a very acidic fruit. For recipes that need a hit of acidity in addition to sweetness, apple cider vinegar can replace some of the cranberries. Use about 1 teaspoon of vinegar for every 1 cup of cranberries. Cider vinegar works especially well in salad dressings, glazes, chutneys, and reductions.

Cranberry Substitution Ratio

When substituting dried or fresh cranberries, these ratios can help guide you:

Substitute	Ratio
Fresh cranberries	1 cup
Dried cherries	1 cup
Pomegranate arils	1 cup
Orange segments	1 cup
Dried cranberries (unsweetened)	1 1/4 cup
Sour cherries	1 cup
Cranberry juice concentrate	1/4 cup

Substitution Considerations

Here are some helpful tips when substituting cranberries in your recipes:

• Consider what texture and shape you need – For example, raisins or dried cherries work better than orange segments in muffins or breads
• Adjust liquid – Fruits like fresh oranges or pomegranate arils add extra liquid to a recipe
• Mind the sugar content – Dried fruits vary in sweetness depending on processing, look for unsweetened or tart varieties if possible
• Account for moisture loss – If substituting fresh fruit for dried cranberries in baked goods, you may need to reduce other liquids
• Complementary flavors – Berries, cherries, citrus, and pomegranate marry well with traditional cranberry recipe flavors
• Watch the color – While similar, the hue of substitutes like cherries and raisins will differ slightly from cranberries
• Consider scalability – Certain fresh fruits may be hard to source in large quantities needed for big batches

Cranberry Substitute Recipes

Here are some example recipes that use non-cranberry ingredients in place of fresh or dried cranberries:

Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

This bright salad uses pomegranate arils in place of dried cranberries for tartness and color. It has quinoa, kale, feta, and an orange poppyseed dressing.

Apple Raisin Bread

Raisins infuse this quick bread with sweetness in lieu of cranberries. Applesauce keeps it moist while wheat flour adds fiber.

Sparkling Cherry Soda Floats

These fun floats are made by topping ginger ale with scoops of vanilla ice cream and tart cherry syrup as a riff on a cran-raspberry float.

Mixed Berry Sauce

This versatile sauce contains blueberries, raspberries, and sour cherries in place of cranberries. It’s delicious on cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, and more.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Slaw

Dried cherries add color and sweet-tart flavor to this alternative to cranberry relish slaw with shredded Brussels sprouts and a cider dressing.

Orange and Fennel Stuffing

Segments of fresh oranges replace cranberries in this Thanksgiving stuffing flavored with fennel, pecans, and sage.

Enjoy Your Cranberry Substitutes!

Cranberries offer delicious and distinctive flavor, but they can be limiting for some. Luckily many fruits like cherries, citrus, pomegranate, and others make excellent stand-ins. When using cranberry substitutes, just take into account texture, moisture, sweetness, acidity, and color. With so many options, you can easily adapt recipes to your taste, diet, and what’s available. Get creative with ingredient swaps and enjoy discovering new flavor combinations. Whip up some cranberry-less chutney, bake cran-less muffins, and blend up festive drinks minus the cranberries. You might find new favorites!