By: Jill Mills Posted: Sep 9, 2025

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Sugared Cranberries are a gorgeous and easy holiday treat that can be used in numerous ways! They can be a tart treat on their own, used in decoration, on cakes, served with dessert, and more. Only three ingredients to make them!

Want to elevate pretty much any dessert or sweet breakfast dish in the winter? Add these sugared cranberries! The crackly sugared appearance and bright color adds a festive touch to pretty much any dish. They also make a wonderful (and addictive) snack.

Why I Love These Sugared Cranberries

Tart & sour. These are a very tart snack, despite the sugar. Those who love sour treats are guaranteed to fall in love.
Only 3 ingredients. For this recipe, the only required ingredients are cranberries, sugar, and water. So easy!
Snack, decoration, or garnish. There are so many ways to use sugared cranberries. I love to eat them as a snack straight from the bowl but they also make a great garnish for things like pancake. You can also use them as a decoration on cakes!

Overhead view of cranberries, sugar, and water.

Recipe Ingredients

Here are the 3 ingredients needed to make these cranberries. The exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Cranberries – Fresh cranberries only! Be sure to wash and then pat dry.
Granulated sugar – Used to create a syrup and also to roll the cranberries.
Water – For creating the simple syrup.

How to Make Sugared Cranberries

The most important thing to remember when making these is that the cranberries will need time to set after being dipped in the syrup. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the simple syrup. Bring a cup of water and a cup of sugar to a boil, stirring occassionally. Boil for 60 seconds until all of the sugar is dissolved.
Coat the cranberries. Let the sugar mixture cool for 2 minutes. Gently stir the cranberries in to coat.
Let cool. Scoop the cranberries out with a slotted spoon, letting any excess drip off. Place them on a pan lined with parhcment paper. Let sit for 45 minutes.
Toss with sugar. Add the remaining sugar to a bowl. Toss a quarter of the cranberries at a time, ensuring they’re completely coated with the sugar.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few things to consider when making these sugared cranberries.

Remove any bad cranberries. Pick through your cranberries before washing to make sure there aren’t bad ones in the lot.
Ensure the sugar adheres. If you don’t want the sugar to slip off easily after coating the cranberries, let them sit for about 1 hour and the sugar will adhere better.
Fresh cranberries only. Unfortunately, frozen cranberries do not work for this recipe as they have too much moisture and are too soft. Fresh, snappy cranberries are the only way to go with this recipe.
Coat in batches. When adding the sugar to the cranberries, I like to work in four batches. This ensures that each cranberry will be fully coated in sugar.

A hand pulling sugared cranberries from a bowl

Ways to Serve Them

Sugared cranberries make a great treat on their own. I’ll often just serve them in a bowl at parties.

However, they also make a wonderful garnish or decoration on other desserts. Consider serving them on pancakes, waffles, or French toast. They can also be used to add a festive touch to cakes and cupcakes during the holiday season.

Proper Storage

Store sugared cranberries in the fridge or in a cool, dry area for up to 4 days, in a covered dish. Toss in more sugar if the sugar appears to be dissolving/wet. These do not freeze well.

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