Spiced Sugared Cranberries are a tart, sweet treat - perfect for holiday snacking, creating beautiful garnishes, or decking out everything from salads to desserts.

Small crystal bowl of sugared cranberries, with a few berries sprinkled on the table around it.

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What Goes into this Recipe
How to Make this Recipe
Ways to Use Sugared Cranberries
More Cranberry Recipes
Spiced Sugared Cranberries

Spiced Sugared Cranberries are an easy, festive addition to your holiday table! Make them up to a week ahead of time, then use sugared cranberries for cocktails or as an easy dessert garnish, or use them wherever you need a little splash of color or a bit of a sweet-tart punch.

What Goes into this Recipe

Sugared cranberry ingredients, labeled: fresh cranberries, sugar, spices.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

★ Fresh cranberries: You can use frozen cranberries for this, but I don't find them to be quite as plump or pretty.

★ Sugar: Use plain granulated sugar.

★ Whole spices: You can use ground spices in place of any or all of the whole spices; however, the syrup will appear murkier, and some spices can create a slight gritty texture on the cranberries.

For the purposes of this recipe:

1 4-inch cinnamon stick = ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 whole star anise = ½ teaspoon ground star anise
1 inch fresh ginger = ½ teaspoon ground ginger
4 whole allspice = ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
4 whole cloves = ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

How to Make this Recipe

Double-strength Spiced Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, heat ½-cup sugar, ¼-cup water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, sliced ginger, and whole cloves over medium until it comes to a boil.

Reduce heat to low-low and barely simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until it reaches 230°–234°F (106°–112° C) on a candy thermometer (i.e., thread stage); about 10-12 minutes.

Remove syrup from heat, and use a fork to remove the solids.

Plates of spices: cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger, and allspice.

Coating the Cranberries

Line a baking pan with parchment or a silicone mat, aluminum foil or plastic wrap and set a wire cooling rack on top.

Pour one cup of cranberries directly into the syrup in the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to gently toss them, coating evenly.

Small saucepan half full of cranberries, with discarded whole spices on a piece of parchment on the side.

Use a fork or small slotted spoon to remove the syrup-coated cranberries from the saucepan, placing them directly on a wire rack.

Let the cranberries cure on the wire rack for at least an hour.

Syrup-coated cranberries curing on a wire cooling rack.

Pour the remaining cup of sugar onto a dinner-size plate. Roll the cranberries a handful at a time in the sugar until well-coated.

A small bowl of sugared cranberries, with a plate covered with sugar and more cranberries being rolled in it.

Place the sugared cranberries in a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour before using. Sugared cranberries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.

Small crystal bowl of sugared cranberries, with an evergreen branch in the background.

Ways to Use Sugared Cranberries

Sugared cranberries make a colorful, surprising addition to your holiday celebrations.

Embellish desserts (cranberries go particularly well with apples and pumpkin!)
Sprinkle them on charcuterie boards
Throw a handful in your morning granola
Toss them in a salad
Garnish a cocktail
Set them out for snacking

Sugared cranberries are perfect for garnished our amazing Spice Cranberry Mule!

Overhead shot of copper mule mug filled with ice and liquid, and garnished with a toothpick with 3 cranberries and fresh mint.

For something a little different, try making sugared cranberries using homemade ginger simple syrup!

Small bowl of cranberries, with a felt mouse standing to the side of it.

More Cranberry Recipes

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5 from 4 votes

Spiced Sugared Cranberries

Spiced Sugared Cranberries are perfect for holiday snacking, creating beautiful garnishes, or decking out everything from salads to desserts.

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Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:20

Cooling & Setting Time:2 30

Total Time:3

Servings: servings

Calories: 57kcal

Author: Renee

Equipment

1 small saucepan
1 Parchment Paper or silicone mat
1 wire sieve
1 wire cooling rack

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

1½ cups granulated sugar divided
¼ cup water
1 4-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole star anise
1 inch fresh ginger thinly sliced
4 whole whole allspice and/or cloves
1 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions

Spiced Simple Syrup

In a small saucepan, heat ½-cup sugar, ¼-cup water, cinnamon sticks, star anise, sliced ginger, and whole cloves over medium until it comes to a boil.
Reduce heat to low-low and barely simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until it reaches 230°–234°F (106°–112° C) on a candy thermometer (i.e., thread stage); about 10-12 minutes.
Remove syrup from heat, and use a fork to remove the solids.

Coating Cranberries

Line a baking pan with parchment or a silicone mat, aluminum foil or plastic wrap and set a wire cooling rack on top.
Pour one cup of cranberries directly into the prepared syrup in the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to gently toss them, coating evenly.
Use a fork or small slotted spoon to remove the syrup-coated cranberries from the saucepan, placing them directly on a wire rack.
Let the cranberries cure on the wire rack for at least an hour.
Pour the remaining cup of sugar onto a dinner-size plate. Roll the cranberries a handful at a time in the sugar until well-coated.
Place the sugared cranberries in a small bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
Sugared cranberries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.

Notes

You can use ground spices in place of any or all of the whole spices; however, the syrup will be much murkier, and the spices can create a slight gritty texture on the cranberries.

For the purposes of this recipe:

1 4-inch cinnamon stick = ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 whole star anise = ½ teaspoon ground star anise
1 inch fresh ginger = ½ teaspoon ground ginger
4 whole allspice = ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
4 whole cloves = ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Nutrition

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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Originally published December 2, 2016. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.

Spiced Sugared Cranberries