Canning whole cranberries is a simple way to preserve cranberries for winter baking, freeing up freezer space and creating a rich cranberry juice (or syrup) at the same time.
Canning cranberries isn’t all that common, at least not whole cranberries. Canning cranberry sauce is one thing, but why can whole cranberries when they freeze beautifully?
Living off the grid, we’re always looking for ways to reduce our dependence on electricity. Even in the city, the freezer’s just one storm away from failing for a week at a time.
Canning and dehydrating, on the other hand, preserve food without the need for constant electricity. They’re more dependable methods, even if they do require a bit more upfront work than simply tossing a bag of cranberries in the deep freeze.
We’ve had great success canning blueberries in the summer for wintertime muffins, so why not cranberries? These beautiful canned whole cranberries mean I can bake my mom’s famous cranberry orange bread anytime, and they look darn festive in the jars too.
How to Can Cranberries
Cranberries can be canned using either raw or hot pack methods, and in a variety of liquids including water, fruit juice (apple/grape/cranberry), or any concentration of syrup (from extra light to extra heavy).
If you’re just preserving cranberries for baking, I’d suggest using the hot pack method with extra light syrup. For topping desserts right out of the jar, definitely still go with hot pack, but maybe choose a medium or heavy syrup based on your tastes.
Either way though, I’ll walk you through all the possible methods.
Raw Pack Method
The simplest method for canning cranberries is raw pack, where you just fill canning jars with fresh cranberries. Pour boiling water (or syrup) over the top, cap them up, and process in a water bath canner.
The downside though, is that they shrink…a lot.
With a raw pack, the cranberries are really firm when they go into the jar, and as you might imagine a quart jar holds a quart of cranberries (and a pint holds a pint of course). Once heated the jars will be only half full.
The second problem with raw packing cranberries is thermal shock. With any raw pack, the water in the canner needs to be around 140 degrees when the jars are added. That’s just hot enough to burn your hand, but not actually simmering or boiling. Any hotter and the jars might break when they go into the canner.
Yes, you’re pouring boiling water or syrup over the cranberries in the jar, but most of that heat goes to warm the room temperature cranberries. The jar cools dramatically, and it can’t go right into a boiling canner without the risk of breaking.
That means you have to load the canner, then wait for the water to come to a boil before starting the canning timer.
All in all, it’s quicker to get the canner loaded, but it takes longer in the end. (And, of course, the jars end up only half full.)
Hot pack Method
Personally, I’d recommend the hot pack method for cranberries. It’s a bit more work up front, but you’ll have a better quality finished product. The cranberries are just barely poped gently in simmering water before being loaded into the jars, which believe it or not, actually means they hold up better and remain firmer once they’re canned.
They’ll also actually fill the jar. With a hot pack, you need 6 cups of raw cranberries for every quart (3 cups per pint) since they shrink once heated. Heat them before they’re loaded and they’ll fill out the jar nicely.
To hot pack can cranberries, simply bring the canning liquid to a gentle simmer before adding the raw cranberries. Allow them to warm in the simmering liquid for 1-2 minutes until they just barely begin to crack.
Then scoop them out and load them into prepared canning jars.
Syrup for Canning Cranberries
Cranberries can be canned in plain water, fruit juice (apple, grape, or cranberry), or a prepared syrup (extra light to heavy). What you choose depends on your tastes and how you plan to use them.
Generally, I recommend canning all fruits in an extra light syrup (rather than water), which approximates the natural levels of sugar within the fruit. When canned in water, the fruits will lose sugar to the canning liquid and taste washed out. The extra light syrup doesn’t make them any sweeter, it just maintains their natural sugars.
For the most part, I’m planning on using these to make my mom’s cranberry orange bread, which starts with raw unsweetened cranberries anyway. For that, extra light syrup is perfect.
The recipe for extra light syrup is as follows:
For a 7 quart canner batch ~ 10 1/2 cups water and 1 1/4 cups sugar
For a 9 pint canner batch ~ 6 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups sugar
I also did a few jars in medium syrup, which I’ll use for topping wintertime desserts. They stay just a bit tart in medium syrup, and if you have a sweet tooth, you can use heavy syrup if you’d like.
The recipe for extra medium syrup is as follows:
For a 7 quart canner batch ~ 8 1/4 cups water and 3 3/4 cups sugar
For a 9 pint canner batch ~ 5 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar
The measurements for canning syrups can be found here, and it’ll take you through a canner batch (7 quarts or 9 pints) at each syrup level. Heavy syrup measurements can be found there, but keep in mind, in heavy syrup they are basically candied cranberries and will be extremely sweet.
Water Bath Canning Cranberries
The national center for food preservation in the US hasn’t put out recommendations for canning whole cranberries, but they’re not the only authority on the subject. Ball canning and Bernardin (in Canada) also test canning recipes, and they have recommendations for canning cranberries.
Bernardin suggests a hot pack leaving 1/2 inch headspace and a process time of 15 minutes (for all jar sizes up to a liter or quart).
The Home Preserving Bible includes instructions for both raw and hot pack, and suggests the same 1/2 inch headspace and 15 minute process time for hot pack.
They use a 20 minute process time for raw pack, starting the timer from when the canner comes to a full rolling boil. It’s unclear if this is a tested recipe, so that’s another reason to stick with hot pack using Bernardin’s tested recipe.
(Again, I’ve tried both, and I strongly suggest you use a hot pack for cranberries. In some cases, raw v. hot pack doesn’t matter, like when you’re canning pineapple. In others, like when you’re canning peaches, it makes a world of difference. Home-canned cranberries are of much higher quality with a hot pack.)
If you’re not familiar with home canning, I’d suggest you read this guide to water bath canning before beginning.
Ways to Preserve Cranberries
Need a few more ways to preserve cranberries?
- Cranberry Wine
- Cranberry Sauce (Jellied or Whole Berry)
- Drying Cranberries
- Honey Fermented Cranberries
Canning Whole Cranberries
Canning cranberries is a simple way to preserve them for year-round baking, or simply topping desserts of yogurt straight out of the jar.
Ingredients
- Cranberries
- Water
- Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner, canning jars, and lids.
- Wash and prepare cranberries, picking them over to remove any spoiled or damaged fruit. (For hot pack canning, you'll need 6 cups fresh cranberries per quart jar or 3 cups per pint jar.)
- In a separate pan, bring water, juice, or canning syrup to a simmer. (See notes for canning liquids.)
- Add cranberries to the simmering canning liquid and gently simmer them for 1-2 minutes until they heat through and just begin to crack.
- Ladle the cranberries into prepared canning jars, topping with the canning liquid from the pot to leave 1/2 inch headspace.
- Seal with 2 part canning lids and process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes (both pints and quarts). Be sure to adjust canning time for altitudes over 1000 feet.
- After the canning time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes to cool slightly (this helps prevent siphoning when the jars are removed from the canner). Remove the jars from the canner and allow them to cool on a towel on the counter, undisturbed.
- After about 24 hours, check seals to make sure all jars have "pinged" and then store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Properly canned and sealed jars should maintain quality on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months.
Notes
Canning liquid - Cranberries may be canned in water, juice (apple, grape, or cranberry), or sugar syrup. Personally, I'd suggest either extra light syrup which helps maintain their natural sugars (without adding sweetness) for baked goods, or a medium syrup for sweet canned cranberries that are tasty right out of the jar.
For Extra Light Syrup:
For a 7 quart canner batch ~ 10 1/2 cups water and 1 1/4 cups sugar
For a 9 pint canner batch ~ 6 1/2 cups water and 3/4 cups sugar
For Medium Syrup:
For a 7 quart canner batch ~ 8 1/4 cups water and 3 3/4 cups sugar
For a 9 pint canner batch ~ 5 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar
Feel free to adjust the sugar level to your preferences. Maple and honey are also fine options, instead of cane sugar.
Yield: When hot packing, the cranberries will shrink in the simmering syrup before they're added to the jars. Start with 6 cups of fresh cranberries to fill each quart jar, or 3 cups to fill a pint jar.
Holiday Canning Recipes
Canning up more seasonal produce this holiday season?
giovanni
I make sicilian style cranberries for all year. I grind the cranberries with oranges add sugar and that’s it. I don’t heat it in any way. how to can it. thank you
Administrator
You could technically can it using the same methods described here but the canning process itself will cook it and you probably won’t like the end result as much. If you’re used to eating it fresh, you may be better off to freeze it if you’re able.
Robin L Buck
I realize that sugar lends viscosity to the canning syrup, however I don’t consume sugar.. Do you think this would work with stevia, my preferred sweetener?
Administrator
You would want to can them using water or unsweetened fruit juice and then add your stevia when serving.
Robin Buck
Thanks!
Leslie..from Wyoming
Very good article..as you explained the benefits of a hot pack…..the half full jar is not a rewarding with the raw pack..as you noted…more cost with the lids..and time heat cost you. I think I will make my light syrup with the addition of Chokecherry syrup instead of the amount of other sweeter.as I use that anyway when I make my sauce..
Administrator
Sounds great! Glad you enjoyed the post.
Roxana
Our seasonal tradition is a nice big batch of Cranberry Liqueur with a bit of lime in it. If I grab the first bag of cranberries that come on to grocery shelves, I usually has just enough time for it to age out by Thanksgiving, but canning the cranberries would let me make it in plenty of time. Thanks!!
Administrator
You’re welcome. So glad you enjoyed the post. I bet that cranberry liqueur is amazing!
Donna
I would never have thought to can cranberries! But I love them and I enjoy cooking with them – so right after Thanksgiving I’ll be canning!
I so enjoy and appreciate your timely/seasonal posts.
Thank you!
Administrator
That’s great to hear. So glad you enjoyed the post.
Ann
I do not do WB due to the mess do you know or guesstimate the processing time for pressure canning?
Administrator
There isn’t a tested processing time for pressure canning cranberries. My guess is that they may not hold their shape during pressure canning.
Jennifer
Do you have any suggestions for freeze drying cranberries? Or is it even possible? I have a Harvest Right machine that I use all the time, but I have yet to freeze dry cranberries….
Administrator
I found this article from Harvest Right that might help. https://harvestright.com/blog/2015/freeze-drying-cranberries-for-holiday-use-and-beyond/ The cranberries are chopped in this article and according to Harvest Right, whole cranberries don’t freeze dry well.
Owl
I enjoyed this article and saved the recipe for the cranberries currently in my freezer. I sure would love to have your cranberry orange bread recipe to go with it! Most of the recipes I find online call for ridiculous amounts of sugar.
Alice Bedwell
Have you canned them using erythritol or other keto sweeteners? Or can you point me in the right direction to find out?
Ashley Adamant
That’s a good question…I haven’t done it, so I can’t speak from experience.
From a safety perspective, artificial sweeteners are not tested, the major extension services and university research stations that work on canning do not recommend them. There’s a discussion of that here: https://extension.psu.edu/canning-with-less-sugar
Doing a bit of research, it looks like a lot of people are doing it anyway, and there’s a discussion of how to use erythritol in canning in the comments of this post: https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101-can-you-preserve-with-artificial-sweeteners/
Basically, it crystalizes if used in too high a concentration, so use with caution.
Just because they’re not tested (yet) doesn’t mean they’re not safe, it just means that the research has not been done yet, so you’re doing it at your own risk.
As I said though, I’ve never used them, so I can’t really advise you here.
Jenny
What are your thoughts on using the hot pack method but starting with frozen cranberries? Your method only addresses using fresh. I’m assuming the only difference would be that the berries won’t have as nice of a shape? I’ve used frozen blueberries to make a honey sweetened, chunky syrup, and then water bath canned. Maybe cranberries would act the same? I have a bunch of bags of cranberries from last November that I just threw in the freezer and now I want to free up space.
Also, thanks for the inspiration to try growing my own cranberries!
Administrator
They will most likely not hold their shape as you mentioned but other than that it shouldn’t be a problem.
Pam
My jars are sealed, but the cranberries are all stuck together, and it looks like a decent amount of water is not in there anymore. I’m not sure what happened or if they’re even safe. Appreciate any help!
Administrator
It’s sounds like you have had a bit of siphoning happen. As long as it was processed correctly and it hasn’t lost more than half of its liquid then it’s just a cosmetic issue and totally safe to eat. There is some more information in this post on canning corn that can help you to avoid it in the future. https://practicalselfreliance.com/canning-corn/
Yaakov
I really like your style with explaining protocols. I have this Cranberry article saved and it will be used extensively during Cranberry season. Thank /you!
Administrator
You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed it.
Kat Hall
I stumbled upon your site because I have to can more cranberries. There’s a Cranberry farm near me that one day a year is open to the public. I bought a HUGE bag of berries, froze ’em & finally canned ’em. They’re about gone & I need more. But my old mind has forgotten, Can I simply cook ’em up & seal the jars& invert ’em until cool (everything being hot) & that will work ?
Or must I water-bath ’em to make sure they are sealed & no mold, etc can form??
Everything you wrote is good knowledge. Thank you. Now I must get started or those 8 12oz bags will just sit there.
So… cook, fill, & invert until cool? or cook, fill & water bath?
kat
Administrator
The cranberries do need to be processed in a water bath canner to be considered safe. I would recommend using the direction for the hot pack method in this post.
Kait Hall
Ah Thanks. I had a rather interesting day canning & wrote a story about it for our local newspaper. they loved it. Some days are some Daze. We really enjoyed the feast that the Werda’s & friends prepared for one and all on Thanksgiving at the VFW Hall I intended to write about it, but food puts me to sleep. Next day it was still on my mind, but then so was canning the Cranberries. Here’s the report from ‘Over the Hill’.
Thanksgiving Morning, I roamed into the kitchen around ten & hauled out the sack with eight 12 oz bags of cranberries to process into Cranberry Sauce – or whatever I do to them. But it being Thursday, & me not being a union shop, I never got beyond hauling the canning equipment upstairs from the fruit cellar. When I hit the hay that night, it was still sitting where I left it on the counters & table.
She who is pushing 83 is acknowledging that she is not SUPERWOMAN. She is tired. She gets winded. She doesnotgiveahoot. No one was free to come eat at the Kat-House Cafe, & so she purred to the Olde Marine that “maybe we might consider eating at the VFW?” He being an enlightened one agreed. There were a couple of mind changes, but I kept my mouth shut & as there was no sign of activity in the kitchen, he pronounced that “we should think about heading out to the Post around 4 pm”. I acquiesced. 😉
The Werda family has been “doing” Turkey Day at the VFW for around five years. They do the whole thing and they do themselves proud, BLESS THEM!
We went, and relished the time interacting with all the others who were enjoying all the varieties of salads, pies and more in addition to the traditional Thanksgiving Day Meal and just being with the cross section of our town who shared the meal with us.
I saw a number of folks I knew from my various lives here in Thunder Bay Country: One dear lady from my volunteer days at St Vincent’s Thrift store; another, a fellow who came home from Arizona but is heading back to the ‘warm’& a range of other people. Most have no one to share their day with; many are in our situation – reluctant to work all day fixing all the stuff for the two of us or for only one?
Friday the canning supplies greeted me when I drifted down around nine ayem. I hitched up my Gitchees & began the rituals. Put the glass jars in the Dishwasher on Glass Express – What a positive change from washing & sticking ’em in the oven to keep warm! Then get down to the nitty gritty of making Cranberry Sauce.
Being who I am, I multi-tasked. Down to the basement & after snooping in the freezer, decide that I should can the Tomatoes I had frozen last summer, too. The freezer was getting crowded. Back upstairs I opened a desk drawer looking for something, & when it didn’t jump out of the drawer, determined it was TIME to ORGANIZE the drawers.
Now it just happens that directly behind my desk chair I have my Mid-century Modern Sears Sewing Machine open & stuff on it, pinned & waiting for my Seeing Eye dog to thread the needle. I used the top to sort the contents of the drawers.
About the time I got a good start on sorting, I remembered that I had the burner on & the Berries needed stirring! Um, the first batch will definitely be solid. Better luck next batch.
I wandered over to the cupboard & noticed this little half pint jar of what once was a container full of red liquid that tasted like the Cinnamon Red-Hot candies we used to stick in baked apples. Hmm, hardly anything left in the jar, & it’s thick & solid. Wonder if I added a tad of water & nuked it if it would return to liquid? It did not. But it did soften a bit, so I added another quarter cup of water & stirred it into submission, then dumped it on top of batch number two of Cranberries. This time I clock watched & Batch Two will pour nicely into and out of the jars.
I multi-tasked my way through a couple of drawers in the Dining Room Buffet, thawed the frozen Tomatoes & managed to get a little screen time in on my computer.
Himself announced he was heading out the door to BINGO. Wow! It’s two o’clock already? The games don’t start until six, but like all BINGO aficionado’s it is Important to get YOUR SEAT at whatever BINGO Hall you are headed to. Once you have claimed your seat, and set your tools down on the table, it is safe to depart to the parking lot if weather permits & read. Smoking regulations dictate actions.
Meanwhile back at the kitchen, the Cranberries were being processed through the assembly line and things were looking Good!
I actually found time to check out my BLACK FRIDAY E-Mails & clean out my inbox without Charter/Spectrum knocking me off line because I took too long. Good Day.
It’s nearly bedtime, but that’s okay. All the jars of Cranberries are lined up on their towel & I have no idea which ones have what in them. Opening them will prove to be a gustatory adventure. The tomatoes are blended with stuff & will make the next batch of Chili or soup tastier. The kitchen is clean & I am warming my hands on the mug of tea I reheated in the Microwave.
It’s been another fine Navy Day. No Earthquakes, Hurricanes, or Tidal Waves! All’s well with my world. Now to line up my list for Giving Tuesday! And so to bed. Good Night.
KEMMH-