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Cranberry Gummies are made from whole fruit — fresh or frozen cranberries. This tangy sweet recipe is free of refined sugars or store bought juice. Instead, this whole food treat is perfect for diets like Paleo, AIP, GAPS, VAD and Vegan, and is even perfect for Keto low carb diets.
Ingredients in Cranberry Gummies
Cranberry Gummies are made with:
- fresh or frozen cranberries
- water
- sweetener of choice: maple syrup, or honey for GAPS, or low carb sweetener for Keto
- gelatin, OR agar-agar powder (here) for Vegan (or if preferred)
Jump to Recipe
How to make Cranberry Gummies
- Slowly cook whole cranberries in water until skins burst and fruit softens, about 9 minutes after the water begins to simmer.
- Cool to warm or room temperature. Purée in blender.
- Dissolve gelatin or agar-agar in remaining water, and heat to dissolve. (The agar-agar version of this recipe will need to be simmered 1 minute. This method is outlined in the recipe below.)
- Combine purée with thickened water and sweetener, and pour into molds.
- Chill 3 hours or longer. Unmold, and enjoy.
You can find all shapes of silicone gummy molds here.
A note about agar agar
You need to use more agar-agar in recipes that contain acidic ingredients, like cranberries, than you would otherwise.
So if you’ve used this thickener in the past and the ratio for how much agar-agar seems higher, that’s why.
How to store Cranberry Gummies
I like to use 4 cup mason jars for gummies. But any storage container with a lid works well.
Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Or, you can also freeze gummies for up to 3 months, and then defrost overnight in the fridge.
Cranberry Gummies (from whole fruit, Paleo, AIP, Keto, Vegan)
Equipment
- pot and stove
Ingredients
- 7-½ to 8 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen, or 2 to 2-¼ cups
- ¾ cup + 1 cup more water divided (1-¾ cup total)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup maple syrup, according to taste or honey for GAPS; for Keto, use a liquid low carb sweetener like allulose.
- ¼ cup gelatin or 4 teaspoons agar agar powder
Instructions
- Pour ¾ cup water into pot. Add cranberries. Bring water to a simmer over medium heat. The cranberry skins may start to audibly POP as they crack. Once they begin to simmer, simmer 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to reduce the heat to medium-low to prevent boiling. Remove from the heat, so mixture can begin to cool.
- When mixture is cooled to warm, pour into blender. Purée until smooth, about 35 to 45 seconds.
- In small saucepan, place remaining 1 cup water. Sprinkle gelatin on top; or stir in agar-agar. Allow 2 minutes for the thickener to bloom (it will absorb the water and become translucent). It's okay if there's a tiny bit of gelatin left that isn't dissolved. For gelatin version, heat and stir over medium low heat until very steamy and dissolved but not yet simmering. For agar-agar version, bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Then simmer for 1 full minute.
- Combine cranberry purée, gelatin mixture and sweetener of choice. Whisk or stir together well.
- Dispense into molds of choice right away, so purée doesn't begin to thicken. (I like to use this glass baster, so I don't have to use the plastic ones.)
- Chill for 3 hours minimum or overnight. To unmold more easily and neatly (especially with small detailed molds), place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Unmold, defrost slightly and serve or store.
Notes
Gelatin *Discount*
- Use this link for a 10% discount at Checkout. Enter the code BEAUTIFUL10.
Nutrition
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Jessie says
This is a great recipe, definitely going to make them!
Megan says
Great to hear, Jessie, thank you! I hope you love them! 🙂
Fred says
Great recipe! What I was wondering, I have made a jar of elderberry syrup with ginger and organic honey and keep it in the fridge. Could I use your wonderful recipe and sub the syrup for the cranberry’s and would the amount of 2 1/2 cups be good as well. I just love your site, you have made a cook out of me. Thank you.
Megan says
Hi Fred, happy to help if I can, and thanks for your kind comments. This recipe was actually a little hard to figure out, so I don’t think it will convert exactly to a syrup. But it might be helpful to know the ratio of gelatin that’s used to make gummies with fruit juice. That ratio is 1 cup juice to 2 Tablespoons gelatin. So if you treat your syrup like juice, you could do 2 cups elderberry syrup to 1/4 cup gelatin, and hopefully that will work. Also, instead of sprinkling the gelatin over the surface of your syrup, I’d whisk it in: sprinkle or fan the gelatin, while you whisk it in, and then let it bloom a bit before heating to dissolve and chilling.