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Heart Healthy Cranberry Recipes

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September 29, 2023 by Homestead Lady 16 Comments

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There are two kinds of people in this world. The kind that think cranberries are just for Christmas, and the kind that have some sense. Here’s a round up of heart healthy cranberry recipes, PLUS how to how to dehydrate cranberries to make cranberry powder. Oh, one more thing – our recipe for cranberry chocolate pancakes!cranberries in a wooden spoon

Are Cranberries Heart Healthy?

Cranberries are enormously good for you. Not only are they heart healthy, but they cleanse and restore on many levels being full of phytonutrients (good parts of the berry that make you healthy).

These nutrients have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are often used to aid in the healing of ailments like bladder infections. (Read great books like The Healing Power of Herbs, by Michael Murray, to learn more.)

Being heart healthy is just one of their good points, obviously.

Unfortunately, this berry is most often drunk after the juice has been removed from the pulp and seeds where much of the health benefits reside. The cranberry juice is then saturated with sugar, corn syrup and/or fake sugars like Sucralose (the sugar free versions).

Consuming something in its whole form is usually better and cranberries are no exception. 

If we want the full heart-healthy, body-healthy benefits of cranberries, we need to eat them whole. Which is not hard to do with a few quality recipes – so stay tuned!

Heart Healthy Cranberry Recipes

The following is a short collection of heart healthy cranberry recipes of many varieties. We start with a quick tutorial on how to dehydrate cranberries.

FYI, you can process cranberries in a freeze dryer, too! 

To Dehydrate Cranberries

Cranberries are a naturally dry berry, so they’re particularly suited to dehydrating. 

  1. Knick each cranberry with a knife or otherwise pop their skins.*
  2. Place them onto the dehydrator trays in one layer with a bit of space between each berry. Don’t stress it – just even them out with your hand.
  3. Set the dehydrator to 135°F / 57°C for between 18 and 24 hours – the more whole the berry, the longer it will take.
  4. Allow to cool completely and store in airtight containers. Check for condensation on the sides of the containers; if some forms, place them back into the dehydrator to dry for a bit longer.

*To get this done quickly, I usually lay out the cranberries on a cookie sheet in one layer. Then, I get a cutting board of a similar size and push it down evenly until I hear/feel the berries start to pop. I try to smash them flat to create more surface area to dry. If I miss one or two cranberries, it doesn’t take long to pop them with a knife. This saves a ton of time!

The drier the cranberry, the longer it will last – which can be up to a few years in a dark, cool place!

Purposeful Pantry can teach you how to make softer cranberry snacks – like Craisins. She can also teach you every other thing you’d like to know about preserving and storing cranberries.

Some Other Helpful Berry Ideas

Elderberry No Bake Granola Bars

Dark Cherry & Mulberry Jam

Make Juice with a Steam Juicer – Cranberries can be juiced with ease!

Make Cranberry Powder

You can rehydrate cranberries to make sauce for the holidays or to add to stuffing or cookies.

However, the real reason to dehydrate cranberries, in my opinion, is so that you can grind them up and make cranberry powder. To do this:

  1. Add 1-2 cups of dehydrated cranberries to a high-powdered blender.
  2. Turn the blender onto high and blend in 20-30 second bursts, scraping the sides in between. Cranberries have a lot of pectin so they can get sticky during this process. Keep the blender and the powder cooler by only blending half a minute at a time.
  3. Once you’ve powdered all the dehydrated cranberries, scrap out the powder onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer. If you live in a super dry climate, just let the powder air out for a few hours. 
  4. If you live in a humid climate like mine, put the cookie sheet in the oven at its lowest temperature for about an hour. Or you can place the powder back in your dehydrator on its lowest setting. 
  5. Allow the cranberry powder to cool and place in airtight jars with an oxygen absorber.

cranberry powder in a small dish

Heart Healthy Dehydrated & Powdered Cranberry

How to Dehydrate & Powder Cranberries

Homestead Lady
Cranberries are a naturally dry berry, so they’re particularly suited to dehydrating. Use any amount of fresh cranberries for this tutorial.
Print This Recipe Pin This Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 hours hrs
Cool Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 19 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Food Preservation

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Bag of Cranberries

Instructions
 

To Dehydrate Cranberries

  • Knick each cranberry with a knife or otherwise pop their skins.*
  • Place them onto the dehydrator trays in one layer with a bit of space between each berry. Don’t stress it – just even them out with your hand.
  • Set the dehydrator to 135°F / 57°C for between 18 and 24 hours – the more whole the berry, the longer it will take.
  • Allow to cool completely and store in airtight containers.
  • Check for condensation on the sides of the containers; if some forms, place them back into the dehydrator to dry for a bit longer.

To Powder Cranberries

  • Add 1-2 cups of dehydrated cranberries to a high-powdered blender.
  • Turn the blender onto high and blend in 20-30 second bursts, scraping the sides in between. Cranberries have a lot of pectin so they can get sticky during this process. Keep the blender and the powder cooler by only blending half a minute at a time.
  • Once you’ve powdered all the dehydrated cranberries, scrap out the powder onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer. If you live in a super dry climate, just let the powder air out for a few hours.
  • If you live in a humid climate like mine, put the cookie sheet in the oven at its lowest temperature for about an hour. Or you can place the powder back in your dehydrator on its lowest setting.
  • Allow the cranberry powder to cool and place in airtight jars with an oxygen absorber.

Notes

*To get this done quickly, I usually lay out the cranberries on a cookie sheet in one layer. Then, I get a cutting board of a similar size and push it down evenly until I
hear/feel the berries start to pop. I try to smash them flat to create more
surface area to dry. If I miss one or two cranberries, it doesn’t take
long to pop them with a knife. This saves a ton of time!
The drier the cranberry, the longer it will last – which can be up to a few years in a dark, cool place!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
The cranberry powder is so easy to dump into:

  • pancakes & waffles
  • coffee cakes
  • cookies
  • biscuits & scones
  • tortes & truffles

You can actually use powdered cranberry to make jam, if you can believe it! To learn to make unique jams, I suggest my friend Kathie’s little book below.

You can also make cranberry sauce from dehydrated cranberries! At any rater, I  love having dried cranberry powder on hand!

Hearth Healthy Cranberry Chocolate Pancakes

Cranberries integrate easily into baked goods, including these super simple cranberry chocolate pancakes. You’ve probably mixed up pancakes before and can improvise this recipe according to your taste.

However, if you’d like a general guide for tasty chocolate pancakes, here’s the following recipe.

chocolate cranberry pancakes in a pan

Heart Healthy Chocolate Cranberry Pancakes

Homestead Lady
Make these heart healthy chocolate cranberry pancakes with low sugar, Fair Trade cocoa, and delicious cranberry powder.
Print This Recipe Pin This Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Total Time 18 minutes mins
Course Healthy Recipes
Cuisine Breakfast

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 1 Tbsp. of Sweetener raw sugar, monk fruit sugar, etc.*
  • 2 tsp. of Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. of Sea Salt
  • 2-4 Tbsp. of Fair Trade Cocoa Powder to taste
  • 2-4 Tbsp. of Powdered Cranberry to taste

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the dry ingredients - the flour, sweetener, baking powder, sea salt, cocoa and cranberry powder. Mix well.
  • Melt the butter and add it to the mix with the milk. Stir well.
  • Add the egg and stir until incorporated.
  • Allow the mixture to rest while you heat a skillet on medium-low heat.
  • Fry each pancake in coconut oil for crispy edges and delicious flavor.

Notes

*You can use honey or maple syrup to sweeten the pancakes by swapping it out with the sugar and adding it in with the other wet ingredients.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Heart Healthy Cranberry Recipes

The following is a smattering of some of the cranberry recipes we’ve tried this year. We hope you enjoy them, too!

Heart Healthy Cranberry Recipes

Fresh Cranberry & Dried Persimmon Sauce

Cranberry Lemon Drop Biscuits {recipe}

Photo Credit: www.schneiderpeeps.com

Lacto-Fermented Cranberry Apple Relish Recipe

Photo Credit: learningandyearning.com

Cranberry Kombucha for a probiotic Holiday

Photo Credit: joybileefarm.com

Cranberry Honey Mustard

Photo Credit: homespunseasonalliving.com

Cranberry Ginger Shrub Recipe

Photo Credit: afarmgirlinthemaking.com

Cranberry Muffins Recipe - Cranberry Nut Everything Muffins

Photo Credit: melissaknorris.com

Canning Whole Cranberries

Photo Credit: practicalselfreliance.com

Cranberry Juice for Canning – two methods!

Photo Credit: www.therusticelk.com

Cranberry Walnut Powerballs – No Bake Healthy Snacks

Photo Credit: commonsensehome.com

How to Make Cranberry Jam with Free Printable Recipe Card!

Photo Credit: www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com

How do you get your heart healthy cranberry intake up this time of year?

For more kitchen DIYs and healthy tips, be sure to check out The Homestead Kitchen chapter of our book, The Do It Yourself Homestead. With over 400 pages of homesteading advice, presented on four different levels of homesteading experience, there’s bound to be something here for you! Click below for more information! If you’d like to sample The Homestead Kitchen chapter, just send me an email through the site and I’ll set you up.

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Filed Under: Healthy Recipes, Seasonal Food, Winter Holiday Recipes Tagged With: Fall Crafts & Projects, Food Preservation, Healthy Recipes, Healthy Treat, Home Storage and Preparedness, Homemade, Kid Cooking, Make it Yourself, Seasonal Food, Winter Crafts & Projects

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathie says

    February 13, 2014 at 6:00 am

    Thanks so much for including my recipe and for the many others I can’t wait to check out! Pinning and sharing.

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      February 13, 2014 at 8:26 am

      Thanks, Kathie – thank you, too, for the recipe! Ironically, I ran through my cranberry stash preparing for this post and now I really NEED to go get more because I’m seriously craving cranberries!

      Reply
  2. Jo Rellime says

    February 13, 2014 at 8:08 am

    This post ROCKS! I love cranberries and always looking for something different to do with them. THANKS!

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      February 13, 2014 at 8:25 am

      Thank YOU for contributing! I love cranberries, too, and eat them all year round. I really need to grow them…

      Reply
  3. JoybileeFarm says

    February 14, 2014 at 9:20 am

    Thanks for sharing my cranberry loaf recipe. I had no idea you could do so many wonderful things with cranberries. I’m going to scan these links and find a few amazing dishes to make for our feast tonight.

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      February 14, 2014 at 12:09 pm

      Chris, every time you post about what you’re cooking, I want to make you part of my family so I can pig out! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!

      Reply
  4. Coni says

    February 15, 2014 at 5:52 am

    Don’t forget to add cranberries to your chicken salad!! Thanks for the recipes, Can’t wait to try them!!
    Blessings!!!

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      February 15, 2014 at 9:23 am

      Hadn’t thought of that one! Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Angela Parker says

    February 16, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    I love the heart shaped cranberry pancakes! So cute

    Reply
  6. Kristin says

    February 19, 2014 at 7:45 am

    Great post. can’t wait to try dehydrating cranberries! Thanks for sharing on Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I hope you’ll join us this week and share more of your awesome posts.
    https://www.herbanmomma.com

    Reply
  7. Dawna Osborne says

    February 23, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Great Website! Can’t wait to see what you have instore for me each day.

    Reply
  8. Rebecca | LettersFromSunnybrook says

    March 29, 2014 at 10:26 am

    I love cranberries and stocked up in the Thanksgiving sales. Well, I thought I did. I quickly ran out. I would like to get more fresh berries and cook with them again.

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      March 29, 2014 at 9:22 pm

      I know, Rebecca – I never end up with enough!

      Reply
  9. April says

    April 7, 2014 at 9:43 am

    Your cranberry recipes looks yummy! I would love to invite you to share your post at my linky party. 🙂 Meal Planning Monday Recipe Link-Up. https://www.aprilshomemaking.com/2014/04/meal-planning-monday-recipe-link-up-5.html

    Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      April 7, 2014 at 10:05 am

      I’ll check it out, April – thanks!

      Reply
    • Homestead Lady says

      April 7, 2014 at 10:07 am

      Pinned it to my hop board on Pinterest and will visit later tonight to link. What kind of recipes are you mostly looking for – anything? Whole foods? Desserts? It looks like a mixed bag of interesting stuff!

      Reply

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