Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Step 1: PREPARATION:
- Dehydrator Method: Prepare the dehydrator by making sure the trays are clean and lined with silicone non-stick dehydrator sheets.
- Set dehydrator to 135°F
- Oven Method: Set your oven temperature to the lowest setting. Most often this is 175° Fahrenheit. If you can turn your oven down even lower, that would be great, the ideal is 135-145°F.
- Using a large strainer, rinse the fresh cranberries in cold water and drain.
Step 2: PREPARE THE CRANBERRIES
- Bring a large pot of filtered water to a boil.
- Traditional Dried Cranberries. Add the monk fruit to the boiling water and stir until dissolved.Crystallized Cranberries. Do not add the monk fruit at this time.
- Remove the pot from the burner, and add the orange juice, stir to dissolve.
- Next, add cranberries – do not boil cranberries.
- Allow the cranberries to sit in the hot water for approximately 10-15 minutes or until they begin to pop and break open.NOTE: This is an important step. The cranberries will dry better after they have popped and are broken apart slightly. Take your time with this step and make sure the majority of cranberries are slightly split.
- Drain water, and transfer cranberries to a large bowl of ice water to cool and preserve color.
- Drain cranberries from the ice water, and blot them dry using either a clean dish towel or paper towels, being careful not to smash or break apart the cranberries.
- Crystallized Cranberries: Place cranberries in a large bowl and now add monk fruit. Gently toss to coat cranberries evenly.
Step 3: DEHYDRATE
- Dehydrator Method. Spread berries in a single layer onto a lined food dehydrator tray. Go ahead and use multiple trays if you need, to spread out the cranberries. You do not want them sitting too close together.
- Place trays into the dehydrator for 10-12 hours, or until thoroughly dry inside and out.
- Once the cranberries are dried, remove the trays from the dehydrator and let the cranberries cool to room temperature before storing.
- Oven Method. Spread the cranberries out onto a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Use multiple baking sheets if you need to keep the cranberries from sitting too close to one another.
- Place the sheets into a low temperature oven. Keep the door open a crack if your oven cannot go below 175°F. Let them bake and dry out for approximately 3-4 hours, or until they are thoroughly dried.
- Once dried, take the cranberries out of the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the dried cranberries cool completely before storing.
Nutrition
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Always be careful when handling fresh cranberries to avoid smashing and breaking them apart, otherwise, you will have cranberry sauce and not dried whole fruit!
- The time in the dehydrator will depend on several things; how well you’ve dried the cranberries after draining, how big or small your cranberries are, and how hot you’ve made your dehydrator.
- I find the 135°F temperature works well but if you want your dried cranberries to truly be considered a raw food, then you must set your temperature to 105°F. You will then have to extend the drying time for several more hours.
- How you store your dried cranberries is important, as several factors can affect the shelf life of dried fruits and vegetables.
- It is very important to prevent excess moisture from getting into your stored cranberries. For this reason, it is best to store cranberries in an airtight container under low humidity.
- A mason jar or another tightly sealed glass jar, as well as BPA-free storage containers, will prevent any residual moisture from accumulating.
- Special packaging, like mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, will also help keep moisture, air, and light away for a longer shelf life.
- If stored properly, dried cranberries are shelf-stable for 1-2 months.