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Simple and fun to make, these sugared cranberries make an eye-catching garnish for seasonal cocktails. They can also be used to garnish both sweet and savory dishes from flourless chocolate cake to roast chicken. But you don’t really have to do anything with them. If you love the flavor of cranberries, they’re great on their own, as a tasty and healthy-ish snack.

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A holiday treat you can’t resist

I’m not sure what’s better, the look of these dusted berries, gleaming ruby fruits coated with sugar “snow,” or the sexy crunch they make when you pop them in your mouth.

Once rolled in sugar and then dried, these sugared cranberries develop a thin and crunchy candy shell. But the berries retain their bright, jewel-tone hue and soft flesh underneath the candy coating.

But do you know what’s best of all? This recipe calls for just two ingredients. TWO!

Use the to glam up your cocktails or make your plates pretty. They’re fun, addictively tasty and look like something you spent hours making (but you didn’t!).

Quick (and important) tips on how to make sugared cranberries

Making my sugared cranberries recipe is a two-step process.

First, you make a simple syrup with sugar and water. (Simple syrup is a 50-50 mixture of sugar and water that’s brought to a boil and then simmered over medium-low heat.) You’ll sort and wash your cranberries and soak them in the sugar syrup.

Two important notes:

You must use fresh, not frozen cranberries for this recipe.
Keep in mind that the berries need to soak for at least four hours.

Second, you drain the cranberries or remove them from the syrup with a slotted spoon and let them dry out for at least an hour before rolling them in granulated sugar. The effect makes the fruit look like a frosted cranberry, as though each berry was dusted with snow.

Don’t throw out the cranberry syrup! The sugar syrup you used to soak the berries can be used as a simple syrup for seasonal cocktails throughout all of November and December or to brush on top of cakes.

You can store the cranberries in an air-tight container for about 4-5 days. If they start to feel soft or weepy, just roll them in additional sugar before using the fruits as a garnish or snack.

You can double the recipe if you’re planning to use the berries for a party.

The process of making sugar-rolled cranberries couldn’t be easier but it does take time to soak and drain the berries, so map out your timing before you start.

Notes on equipment

In addition to a saucepan and a storage container, you need one important piece of equipment to make sugar-coated cranberries, a rack where they can dry. But most wire cooling rack won’t work. The wire has to be fine enough that the cranberries can’t fall through.

I use a mesh air fryer basket over a baking sheet, which catches the drips. (The one I use is just like this tray.)

You’re also going to want parchment paper or a silicone mat to dry the cranberries the second time, once they’ve been rolled in sugar.

Using sugared cranberries for cocktails

If you were ever wondering how to garnish cocktails for the holidays, this is your answer!

To garnish cocktails with these festive, cranberry treats, simply thread 3-4 of the fruits on a cocktail toothpick. (The metal kind tends to work the best and it looks elegant on the rim of a martini glass.)

But this cranberry recipe shouldn’t be limited to use as a cocktail garnish!

Other uses

There are so many uses for sugar-coated cranberries. Use them as a brightly-colored garnish for savory dishes like roast turkey, chicken or duck, spiced lamb or roast pork loin.

They’re also among my favorite winter dessert garnish ideas. Use them to add seasonal color to bundt cake, spice cake or even chocolate pudding. You could even serve this cranberry cobbler with a scoop of ice cream garnished with sugared cranberries.

Your only limit is your own imagination.

Or don’t use your imagination and just snack…I could easily eat a bowl full in a sitting. Since cranberries are loaded with antioxidants, this sweetened cranberry snack is fairly healthy. Yes, they’re coated in sugar, but fresh cranberries are a source of fiber. They’re also rich in vitamin C.

Some fun facts about fresh cranberries

Because I spend time on Cape Cod every summer, I am familiar with seeing cranberries grow and flourish. But did you know that there are different varieties of cranberries suited to different uses? And there are even different ways of harvesting cranberries!

Because they’re grown in bogs you might think these scarlet fruits come from soggy plants in swampy conditions. But in actuality, cranberries grow on dry ground, on little, trailing plants – sort of like strawberries. Because cranberries have pockets of air under their skin, they will float if their growing area, or bog, is flooded.

However, there are a number of varieties of cranberries that are dry-harvested, without flooding. I find that dry-harvested cranberries have a more intense flavor. My cocktail garnish cranberries recipe works best with dry harvested fruit.

But don’t worry if you don’t know where to find dry-harvested cranberries! The recipe is also delicious and equally beautiful with the bag of cranberries you find in the produce aisle of your local grocery store.

They’re aphrodisiac

This site is all about the use of foods for romantic occasions. And this cranberry candy has more to offer than just a romantic red hue. Cranberries are actually considered aphrodisiacs. They are linked with both heart health and sexual health. Here’s some information on all the reasons you should eat more cranberries.

Sugared Cranberries

Print Recipe

A cocktail or garnish, these sweet, crunchy cranberry treats dress up dishes and drinks.

Course Garnish

Cuisine American

Dish Type garnish

Diet and Health healthy-ish, low fat

Seasonal Christmas, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, winter

Ingredient cranberries

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Soaking & Drying 5

Total Time 5 15

Servings cup

Calories 816

Author Amy Reiley

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar divided
2/3 cup water
1 cup fresh cranberries rinsed and stems, leaves and soft berries removed

How to Make Sugared Cranberries for Cocktails & Snacking 1

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Check the washed cranberries for debris (such as stems). Make sure any berries that have soft spots are removed.
Combine 2/3 cup sugar and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for an additional 4-5 minutes to make a simple syrup.
Remove the syrup from the heat and add the cranberries, stirring to coat all fruit.
Rest the berries in syrup for 5 minutes then transfer to a storage container. Soak the berries in the container at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours.
After the cranberries have soaked for at least four hours, strain to remove the syrup and transfer the berries to a wire rack to dry for at least 1 hour. (You can save any leftover cranberry syrup to flavor Holiday cocktails
Add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar to a bowl and roll the cranberries in the sugar. Transfer the sugared berries to parchment paper to dry. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for 4-5 days.

Notes

To freshen up the berries when they're a few days old, roll them in additional granulated sugar.

This recipe is easily doubled.

A note on the provided nutrition information

The nutrition information provided has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

This article was written in 2017 and most recently updated in December 2024 with an updated introduction and graphic.

Author
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Amy Reiley

Eat Something Sexy's Creator & Editor-in-Chief Amy Reiley is the award-winning author of five aphrodisiac cookbooks. She has her Master of Arts in Gastronomy, awarded by Le Cordon Bleu and The University of Adelaide. She is also a Certified Nutrition Coach awarded by the International Sports Sciences Association and she is a California Certified Massage Therapist.

Amy is considered a leading authority on aphrodisiacs. Her work in aphrodisiacs is quoted in publications including National Geographic, The New York Times, Epicurious, Wine Enthusiast, Health and Playboy magazines. She speaks internationally on aphrodisiac foods and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac history and science to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. She is a frequent guest on relationship and lifestyle radio and podcast shows and has been interviewed by BBC and NPR radio, Cosmopolitan radio and popular podcasts including My Dad Wrote a Porno.

Amy is also a freelance food, wine and health researcher and writer as well as a wine competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is an MSN content provider. And she is also a former wine editor for Gayot.com and wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine.

Fun fact: Amy was the creator of the first ever comprehensive food and wine apps, Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet and Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard for Palm.

How to Make Sugared Cranberries for Cocktails & Snacking