Candied Cranberries
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 11, 2025 
These Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries are the perfect combination of tart and sweet, with a crunchy layer of sugar that creates a delicious texture! These festive treats are great to add to your holiday desserts or serve on their own as a little snack!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Candied Cranberries, AKA Sugared Cranberries
I always like to make Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries in preparation for the holidays. This Cranberry Candy Recipe, also known as Sugared Cranberries, is extremely simple to make and impressive on any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s table.
Like nature-made Sour Patch Kids, sugar-coated cranberries are sweet and tart. Plus, they are so pretty, you will find all sorts of way to use these sparkling cranberries!
Ingredients for Candied Cranberries
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Orange extract
- Fresh cranberries, washed
How to Make Candied Cranberries
Find the full Cranberry Candy Recipe with ingredient proportions and detailed instructions in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
Mix up the flavors of the candy coating by swapping the vanilla and citrus extracts with other extracts such as: coconut, almond, lemon, chocolate, rum, and/or raspberry extract.
How To Use Candied Cranberries
Just think of all the wonderful ways to use these sugared cranberries:
- Place this cranberry candy recipe in a candy dish to be gobbled up by the handful as a holiday treat.
- Use as a fancy garnish for holiday pies, cakes, cocktails and mocktails, cranberry sauce, or savory dishes.
- Fill martini or champagne glasses with them to decorate your holiday table.
- Place them in little tins or gift bags for small edible gifts.
- One more bonus, the leftover vanilla-orange simple syrup absorbs the essence of cranberry, so save it for irresistible holiday cocktails.
Sugared Cranberries are a must-make this holiday season. Just soak the berries in vanilla orange syrup, then shake in sugar. Viola!
Looking for More Holiday Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Candied Oranges
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Chocolate Petit Fours
- Impossible Pie with Coconut
- Valentines Day Snacks (Trail Mix)
- Black Rice Recipe (Forbidden Rice)
- Nutella Fondue
- Cherry Pie Bars
- Coffee Bread Pudding
- Cranberry Raspberry Sauce
- Candied Pecans
- Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Christmas Creme Brulee
Candied Cranberries Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange extract or Grand Marnier
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries (1 bag) about 3 cups
Instructions
- Combine 2 1/2 cups of sugar, water, vanilla, and orange extract in a sauce pan. Heat over medium until the sugar has completely dissolved, but not boiling.
- Pour in the cranberries and stir. The hot syrup will loosen the skin, saturate the berries, and adhere to the berries over time. Cover the cranberries with a small plate to keep them mostly submerged. Then cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator over night.
- Place the remaining 1 1/4 cup of sugar in a rimmed dish. Strain the cranberries and place them in the sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Carefully transfer them to a baking sheet to dry, about an hour.
- Once the sugar coating is hard, place them in an air-tight container and keep in a cool spot for up to a week.
Great idea! I’ve garnished cakes with candied cranberries before, but it required raw egg. And who would eat that?!
Um, this is brilliant. I’m totally doing this!
What a great idea! I wish I had seen this in time for Christmas…but I just made some candied kumquats in syrup, so perhaps this is something I could try with them in the meantime. I’ve never wanted to try a Christmas recipe so early in the year. Well done!
I've never had sugared cranberries…they sound delicious with the vanilla orange syrup! Perfect for the holidays!
this is the cutest idea! I am going out to the store right now and buying some cranberries so I can do this as well. I am your newest follower.
xo
Your cranberries are beautiful. I made some similar ones…mine got all clumpy! I'll have to try with orange and vanilla!
These are definitely pretty…wonderful flavors :)
I just finished a cranberry dessert last night, these would have been lovely on the side :)
These ares stunningly simple. Now I just have to find fresh cranberries.
Wow…when I first saw the title, I have to admit that I wasn't interested, thinking that it would be raw cranberries. But the bath in the hot simple syrup would make them perfect. You're a genius.
Such pretty cranberries! The vanilla and orange flavor sounds excellent for sure!
These are so pretty and festive. I wonder how much like sour candy they taste like.
What a wonderful flavour! These would be so beautiful on top of a cake as a decoration. It would be so pretty!
*kisses* HH