One of the more popular festive foods across the western world, cranberries are most often used in sauces and baked goods. They are natural sweeteners but still carry nutritional value, being very high in vitamin C.
Unfortunately, while cranberries are grown all over the US, they are primarily in season around the holidays. So, what other fruit can you use instead?
Our 4 Substitutes for Cranberries
Cranberries are naturally high in sugar, so they are a sweet addition to any recipe. They can be eaten raw or cooked. But they are better when cooked if you want to give your dish that rich, deep red colour that cranberries produce.
Here are our top 4 substitutes for cranberries:
1) Apricots
Though they are a vastly different colour to cranberries, apricots are significantly sweeter and you can still create a delicious dish, even if it looks a bit different.
Apricots are already a common baking fruit, mostly used in crumbles and pies. But they are also a good substitute for cranberries in jam and for adding extra sweetness to savoury dishes.
Due to already being softer than cranberries, apricots will not take as long to stew and turn into gooey jam. Neither will they take as long to cook once in a baked good.
This can considerably cut your kitchen time, leaving you more time to enjoy your goods.
Don’t Mistake Apricots for Peaches
Apricots share an uncanny appearance with peaches. Peaches could also be used in place of cranberries, but apricots are the preferred fruit. So, ensure that you check the label before buying fresh apricots.
2) Apples
Even more common than apricots or cranberries is the humble apple. In fact, you probably already have apples leftover in your fruit bowl, but they are extremely inexpensive if not.
There are lots of apple varieties available that you could use for cooking.
Often, cooking apples are used in baked and cooked dishes – hence the name! That being said, a cooking apple will be too tart and firm to use in place of cranberries.
Instead, use an apple variety that can match the sweetness of cranberries, such as pink ladies. If your dish will fare better with a tarter taste while still being full of sweetness, use a granny smith apple.
Regardless of what type of apple you use, you will need to cook it for longer than you would cranberries to ensure that they are soft enough to eat.
Consider Tartness
Apples with slight tartness but are still sweet pair very well with tender meats. They can be used as stuffing or incorporated into a savoury sauce.
3) Cherries
You can buy cherries in various forms, from canned to frozen to candied. However, the best cherries to use as a substitute for cranberries are fresh cherries.
Fresh cherries will be the healthier option to use as they will lack any additional, unnatural sugar that some canned cherries have. But either way, any kind of cherry can be used in place of cranberries and still yield perfect results.
Cherries are also commonly used in baking but are mostly used for pie filling. This is because cherries are extremely juicy and create the best gooey fillings for baked goods.
The extra juice of cherries can cause a problem in some cake and muffin batters, so they are better used as toppings or finishing touches.
Balance Out Your Flavours
When using cherries that are not fresh, remember to reduce the amount of sugar you use in your recipe to help balance out the extra sugar manufacturers use to store the cherries.
4) Currants
Like cranberries, currants are better in season; they are typically in season during the summer and autumn months when cranberries are usually out of season.
To replicate the texture of a cranberry, use dried currants. Fresh currents tend to not be as juicy, not as soft as cranberries but have an identical texture to dry cranberries when dried.
Currants carry many health benefits in their own right without lacking the sweetness of a cranberry. They are no sweeter nor more bitter but do have their own unique flavour.
Best Used in Jams
Dried currants work well in lots of cranberry recipes. If you are using fresh currants, try to only use them for jams.
Other Substitutes for Cranberries
Cranberries come in a whole range of forms. So, if you do not have fresh cranberries to hand, then here are a few more cranberry based substitutes you can use:
- Cranberry Juice – Made using the juice of hundreds of cranberries, cranberry juice will have a very strong cranberry flavour. You will need to make sure to modify your recipe to accommodate for the extra moisture
- Cranberry Sauce – You can use pre-made cranberry sauce as a substitute in baking recipes so long as you add a little more sugar to make the sauce less savoury. Though only do so if you have nothing else to hand
Summary
Cranberries are a much-loved holiday classic but are hard to get fresh when out of season. Instead, other popular baking fruits will make great substitutions. Especially apricots when used in pies or tarts.
Of course, you can always use other cranberry products too.