Can Dried Cranberries Be Freezed? - The best way

Cranberries are small, shiny pink berries that have a tangy flavor. Growing on evergreen shrubs, blueberries are a seasonal fruit, so it can be hard to find them year-round. However, dried cranberries have a longer shelf life, and are more easily found year-round.

Although dried cranberries have a longer shelf life than fresh cranberries, they can spoil over time. If you have an open package of cranberries at home, and you don’t want them to go bad before you can use them, what can you do?

Can you freeze dried cranberries?

Yes, you can freeze dried cranberries. Freezing dried cranberries is really easy, there are no complicated tips or tricks, just pre-freeze them and place them in a freezer container. Freezing dried cranberries is the best way to ensure they have a longer shelf life.

Read on for the best way to freeze dried cranberries.

The best way to freeze dried cranberries

It’s easy enough to grab a handful of blueberries from the freezer to add to a smoothie, oatmeal, or to bake a dessert. It’s important, when freezing blueberries, to make sure they don’t freeze and stick together.

It would be difficult to use a few at a time, without defrosting the whole batch. To prevent the cranberries from freezing together in one big mass, you have to freeze them first.

Here’s how to quick freeze dried cranberries and how to store them in the freezer safely:

1. Pour the dried cranberries onto a baking sheet, making sure they are spread evenly without overlapping. If you have a large number of blueberries, you may need to repeat this process several times.
2. Place the baking sheet, with the blueberries, in the freezer.
3. Let the dried cranberries freeze, which should take about 45 minutes.
4. Once the dried cranberries have frozen, you can place them in a freezer-safe container.
5. Label the top of the container with the freezing date, and the contents of the container, so they are easy to identify, and so you know when to use them.

Choosing a storage container

Choosing the right storage container is very important to ensure that your dried cranberries stay safe in the freezer, and aren’t exposed to elements like air or moisture that could ruin their texture and flavor.

When frozen, ice crystals form inside the dried cranberries, and over time these break down the cell walls, which could cause the dried cranberries to lose their firm texture and become soggy and mushy.

Freezer container

A plastic freezer container is a good option for freezing dried cranberries. Depending on the size, you can store an entire bag of dried cranberries in a single container.

If you use a plastic container for the freezer, make sure that it closes well and that it is resistant to moisture and air, so that nothing can affect the quality of the dried cranberries.

The plastic containers are also easy to label, so you can quickly identify the blueberries in the freezer.

Plastic bag for the freezer

For freezing contents like dried cranberries, resealable plastic freezer bags are also a great option. You can fit a fair amount of dried cranberries into standard freezer bags, but you can also use smaller freezer bags for individual servings of dried cranberries.

It is very easy to use a marker to date and name each plastic freezer bag.  These freezer bags are also useful for those short on freezer space, as they can be stored flat and stacked on top of each other.

Glass jar

Mason jars are always pretty when storing items like dried cranberries, but they can also be practical. When using a glass jar to store dried cranberries, make sure it is freezer safe.

The good thing about using glass containers is that you can use them to store your blueberries in the freezer, and then in the fridge or pantry when it’s time to use them.  The lids close hermetically and prevent air or moisture from coming into contact with the content.

How long do dried cranberries last in the freezer?

If stored correctly and kept in an airtight container, dried cranberries can last up to a year in the freezer. After this time, the dried cranberries can still be eaten, but the quality will deteriorate considerably and they won’t have as strong a flavor or color as they should.

Dried cranberries stored in the pantry only last up to 4 weeks. You have to keep them in a clean glass jar, with the lid tightly closed.

They can also be placed in a resealable plastic bag, both of which should be labeled with the storage date. Placed in a dry place and out of direct sunlight, you will only have a few weeks to use the blueberries inside.

If kept in the fridge, dried cranberries can last about as long as they do in the freezer. The refrigerator provides a cold environment with low humidity.

You may choose to use a plastic container, mason jar, or zip-top plastic bag to keep dried cranberries stored in the fridge. If stored properly, dried cranberries can last up to 8 months in the fridge.

How to tell if dried cranberries have gone bad

Most of us assume that dried fruit rarely goes bad, but it doesn’t. Although the process of dehydrating and drying the fruit dramatically increases their shelf life, it does not mean that they are safe to eat indefinitely.

You should always check your dried cranberries for signs of spoilage to ensure they are still safe to eat.

The best way to determine if blueberries have gone bad is to smell and look at them. If they have an unpleasant odor or a strange wrinkled appearance, they should be thrown away. Dried cranberries are also not immune to mold, and if there are signs of mold, you should discard the dried cranberries.

Benefits of dried cranberries

Dried cranberries are popular at the festive season, used in Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. However, due to their nutritional benefits, cranberries should be part of your regular diet.

Dried cranberries, simply put, are cranberries that have had all the water removed. Dried cranberries are known to be a great source of fiber: a quarter-cup serving of cranberries contains 8% of the RDA for fiber and 6% of the RDA for vitamin E.

Dried cranberries also contain many different vitamins, such as vitamin A, B vitamins, and even vitamin K. They also contain small amounts of different minerals, such as manganese, iron, and copper.

The downside of dried cranberries is that they contain quite a bit of sugar, so you want to make sure you don’t eat too much, just enough to get your daily needs for the vitamins and nutrients they offer.

Related questions

How do dried cranberries stay moist?

To return moisture to your dried cranberries, you can place the dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water.

Let it rest for 15 minutes, then drain the fruit and discard the water . This will make the dried cranberries plumper, softer, and juicier. Instead of using water, you can soak the dried cranberries in rum, bourbon, brandy, or fruit juice for an extra kick of flavor.

This is a great method if you are going to infuse the blueberries into a fruit pudding or to make a sauce.  You can also incorporate dried cranberries and other fruits into pastry fillings, such as kolaches.

Can you eat expired dried cranberries?

Nuts, like other foods, carry a label with the expiration date. This is to indicate when you should consume the dried cranberries for their best flavor and quality, but does not indicate the expiration date, or when the dried cranberries will go bad.

If you notice that the dried cranberries are past their expiration date, you should examine them for an odd smell or appearance, and if so, throw them away.

If you bite into a dried cranberry and the taste isn’t normal, you should throw it away to be safe.

Freeze dried cranberries

It’s always a good idea to have some dried cranberries in the kitchen for when you’re craving a dessert, or when you need to make a quick cranberry sauce and the fruit is no longer in season.

It’s best to store freeze-dried cranberries in the freezer, frozen ahead of time so that you can grab as much as you need from the freezer container, without having to thaw the entire batch.

If stored properly, dried cranberries can last in the freezer for up to a year.