Pickled Cranberries Recipe

By
Marisa McClellan
Marisa McClellan is a food writer, canning teacher, and the voice behind the long-running food blog Food in Jars. She is the author of Food in Jars (2012), Preserving by the Pint (2014), Naturally Sweet Food in Jars (2016), and The Food In Jars Kitchen (2019).
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Updated March 26, 2019
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These pickled cranberries are the perfect treat with holiday turkey or ham. They also work like a charm stirred into sparkling water.

Recipe Details

Pickled Cranberries Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 24 hrs
Serves 24 servings
Makes 3 pints

Ingredients

  • Two 12-ounce bags cranberries

  • 3 cups apple cider vinegar

  • 3 cups white sugar

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

  • 1 teaspoon allspice berries

  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

  • 1/4 teaspoon juniper berries

Directions

  1. Prepare a boiling water bath and three pint jars. Place lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.

  2. Wash cranberries and pick over for any stems or bad berries.

  3. Combine vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add cinnamon sticks to the brine.

  4. Place allspice berries, whole cloves, black peppercorns and juniper berries in a spice bag or tie them up in a length of cheesecloth. Add them to the brine.

  5. Once brine is boiling vigorously, add the cranberries. Stir to combine and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop and the brine has returned to a rolling boil.

  6. When cooking time has elapsed, remove pot from heat. Pull out the spice bag and cinnamon sticks. Break cinnamon sticks in half and set aside.

  7. Using a slotted spoon, ladle cranberries into prepared jars. Cover berries with brine*, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place a cinnamon stick segment into each jar.

  8. Wipe jar rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

  9. When time is up, remove jars from canner and place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and check seals. Any unsealed jars should be kept in the refrigerator.

  10. Let jars sit for at least 24 hours before eating to all the flavors to settle.

  11. *Save any leftover brine. It’s essentially a fruit shrub and is delicious mixed with sparkling water.

Special equipment

canning pot, mason jars

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
83Calories
0gFat
20gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories83
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 2mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 20g7%
Dietary Fiber 1g4%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 4mg20%
Calcium 6mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 41mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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