Cranberries are little, red, tart berries gathered throughout the holiday season. Indeed, cranberries are commonly accessible during Thanksgiving, with hundreds of dishes benefiting from their taste.

However, due to the popularity of the holidays, your local shop may be out of stock. Worse, cranberries are difficult to get outside of the Christmas season.

If you can’t obtain cranberries for your dish, you’ll need to find a replacement. Cranberry juice, frozen cranberries, cherries, red currants, raspberries, and lingonberries are the finest replacements for fresh cranberries. Let’s find out more about each of them.

Cranberries Substitutes Comparison

What Do Cranberries Taste Like?

Cranberries are tart and refreshing. Because they have a low sugar content but a high acidity, their sour taste is reminiscent of lemons.

Cranberries are incredibly flexible as a result, and they are ideal for establishing a balance between sweet and salty tastes in dishes. They may be found in a wide range of foods, from healthy cereals and salad dressings to delectable sweets and refreshing beverages.

Cranberries Nutritional Value

Cranberries provide more than just culinary variety; they also carry a powerful nutritional punch into every recipe.

One cup of raw cranberries contains:

• 46 calories
• 0.1g fat
• 12g carbs
• 3.6g fiber
• 0.5g protein

Cranberries provide several health advantages. They contain antioxidative capabilities that protect against a variety of ailments. In reality, cranberries are most often used to treat heart problems and urinary tract infections.

Substitutes for Fresh Cranberries

1. Cranberry Juice
2. Frozen Cranberries
3. Cherries
4. Red Currant
5. Raspberries
6. Lingonberries

Cranberry Juice

Do you want to preserve the natural cranberry taste of your cranberry sauce or jelly? Then cranberry juice is an excellent substitute.

The healthy food aisle is a great area to seek for 100% natural, unsweetened cranberry juice. Juices with additional sweets and artificial flavors are more calorically rich and may cause weight gain and other health issues.

Because this replacement contains simply juice and not entire cranberries, you may combine it with other options on our list, such as raspberries, to get a thicker texture.

If you want to use cranberry juice on its own, thicken it with cornstarch and then play around with the taste by adding sugar or freshly squeezed lemon juice to make it sourer.

Frozen Cranberries

In most circumstances, frozen cranberries are preferable than fresh. They have the same flavor and are just as healthful. However, once unfrozen, they have a slightly different texture, which may cause your recipe to change.

Frozen cranberries, for example, are not a suitable option for layering as decoration on top of a cake. That’s because as frozen fruits thaw, they become softer and mushier.

If you need to make the classic holiday cranberry sauce, frozen cranberries are a perfect replacement for fresh cranberries. The same may be said about baked items. Just be sure to drain them after defrosting to avoid ruining the texture of your dish.

Cherries

Cherries are ideal for dishes that need a vivid red color comparable to that of cranberries. As a result, whether you’re preparing a sauce or jelly, the cherry color is great.

Cherry taste is significantly sweeter than cranberry flavor. As a result, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in your meal to prevent making it excessively sweet. If you have sour cherries on hand, they will add a tangier flavor similar to cranberries.

Cherries are bigger than cranberries as well. If your recipe calls for whole cranberries, chop the cherries into smaller pieces.

Red Currants

Red currants are a wonderful replacement for cranberries since they have a similar taste and texture.

Red currants are commonly confused for cranberries. Nonetheless, red currants are smaller and more nutritious than cranberries.

They both have a tart taste and a juicy texture that is great for jams and sauces. Another similarity between red currants and cranberries is that both are picked in the autumn.

As a result, they could be more easily accessible during that time of year. If they aren’t available, look for frozen red currants at your local grocery shop.

Raspberries

Raspberries are another cranberry replacement that may bring back summer memories in the autumn and winter months.

They have a delicate sweet flavor with a tinge of tartness. Their hue is red, although not as vibrant as that of cranberries. They are also considerably softer, which may be lost during baking. If your recipe asks for mashed cranberries, though, raspberries will work just as well.

Raspberries are also sweeter than cranberries, so take track of how much sugar you add when replacing them.

Overall, raspberries are excellent for sauces, smoothies, cheesecakes, puddings, jellies, and a variety of other cranberry-based foods.

Lingonberries

Lingonberries, the Nordic cousin of American cranberries, are our last option. They have a similar taste and appearance to cranberries, and they even come from the same plant family.

The color of lingonberries is a vivid, tempting scarlet. Lingonberries have a tart taste with a tinge of sweetness. These red berries are smaller, juicier, and have softer flesh than their relative, the cranberry.

Lingonberries, like red currants, are not widely available in grocery stores, although they may be found in farmers markets. So, if you want something similar to cranberries but don’t want to buy frozen ones, lingonberries are a great option.

Popular Recipes That Call for Cranberries

Looking for cranberry recipe ideas? These dishes’ delectable tastes are a gourmet’s dream.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Our favorite Thanksgiving side dish is cranberry sauce. You can simply prepare this delectable meal with fresh cranberries and two other ingredients, water and sugar. To make the flavor more deeper, you may add nuts, blueberries, cinnamon, or anything else you choose. The homemade cranberry sauce is a fast and easy treat for your next holiday gathering.

Braised Beef With Cranberries & Wine

This flavorful and delicate braised beef meal pairs well with homemade cranberry sauce. It’s perfect for chilly winter evenings or throughout the holidays. The greatest part is that it is quite easy to make.

The cranberry beef is much better when served with mashed potatoes, fried rice, or anything green, such roasted brussels sprouts, broccoli, or asparagus.

Cranberry Pie

Are you searching for a fall-themed dessert to serve after a holiday meal? Then cranberry pie is something to think about. It includes a thick crust and a creamy interior of cranberries, orange juice, zest, vanilla, and ginger.

That, we feel, is the perfect balance of sweet and savory tastes that will leave your family and friends wanting more.

Conclusion

We really hope that these alternatives helped you find a cranberry alternative for your recipe. When you run out of cranberries, you’ll know just which fruits to replace.

Frozen cranberries are a great way to add flavor. If you want to add texture to your dish, lingonberries are a great choice.

Bonus thought For a luscious festive twist, combine two or more fruits. For the cranberry pie we suggested previously, a mix of cherries and raspberries would be ideal.