Cranberries are popular during the festive season; specifically during Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is because they take about 16 months to fully mature, and so are typically harvested in early fall.
Table of Contents
1. How Are Dried Cranberries Different From Fresh Cranberries?
2. What’s the Nutritional Value of Dried Cranberries?
3. Which Drying Method Ensures Dried Cranberries Nutrition Is Preserved?
4. Are Dried Cranberries a Superfood?
5. What Are the Nutritional Benefits of Dried Cranberries?
6. What’s the Best Way to Consume Dried Cranberries?
7. Are There Any Side Effects of Dried Cranberries?
8. Enjoy an Antioxidant Boost With Freeze-Dried Cranberry Powder
Their long maturity period makes it difficult to find cranberries at any other time of the year.
Fortunately, dried cranberries are a popular way of enjoying the powerful red fruit all-year-round. A delicious tart snack enjoyed by all age groups, from kids to young adults and seniors.
Even in their dried form, cranberries are loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, fibres, minerals, and antioxidants.
Their high nutritional value delivers essential health benefits, such as promoting heart health, aiding in weight loss, and treating urinary tract issues, making them a healthy snack.
Today, we’d like to enlighten you on dried cranberries’ nutrition. We’ll answer some of the most pressing questions that focus on their most essential aspects.
We’ll cover:
Dried cranberries' nutritional difference from fresh cranberries.
The best drying method to preserve dried cranberries nutrition.
Why are dried cranberries a superfood?
Dried cranberries' nutritional benefits.
The possible side effects of eating dried cranberries as a tart snack.
We also suggest some amazing ways to enjoy Freeze-Dried Organic Wild Cranberry Powder and a recommended daily dosage.
Question 1. How Are Dried Cranberries Different From Fresh Cranberries?
Both fresh and dried cranberries are great snacks, loaded with nutrients ranging from vitamins and minerals to antioxidants and anthocyanin.
An interesting fact about dried cranberries: You may encounter the word "craisins", when looking for dried cranberries. Dried cranberries can be called craisins due to the similarity in appearance with raisins. The word "craisin" is a registered trademark of Ocean Spray.
Freeze dried cranberries are typically condensed fruits (like raisins) that have gone through the drying process to remove moisture and increase their shelf life.
The freeze drying process ensures the dried berry snacks retain the same amount of antioxidants, dietary fibres, vitamins, and minerals as fresh cranberries.
Although delicious dried cranberries retain some of their natural sweeteners, depending on the drying process, some suppliers add sugar to their cranberry snacks in order to make them more sweet and palatable.
LOOV's Wild Cranberry Powder is an outstanding product that allows you to enjoy the flavor and benefits of dried cranberries without the negative effects of added sugar, sunflower oil, additives, or preservatives.
Unlike fresh cranberries, dried cranberries pack more calories. There is a loss of volume and moisture during the drying process, which makes cranberry snacks' sugar more concentrated, so they taste more sweet. In addition, some dried cranberry products contain sunflower oil.
Like other dried fruits, dried cranberries pack more fibre than fresh cranberries, delivering up to 9% of your daily fibre intake.
Question 2. What’s the Nutritional Value of Dried Cranberries?
The specific nutritional facts of dried cranberries depend on the brand you purchase. Always read the dried cranberries' bag for nutritional value.
The best dried cranberries are
- free of moisture,
- free of added sugars & sunflower oil,
- rich in vitamin C,
- low in calories.
Cranberry snacks also have essential B vitamins, dietary fibres, and proteins.
You can also get a sufficient supply of your daily potassium requirement as well as flavonoid antioxidants and anthocyanin.
Other trace minerals you’ll find in dried cranberries include zinc, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and phosphorus.
Here’s the nutritional value of the LOOV Food Freeze-Dried Organic Wild Cranberry Powder, per 1 tablespoon (4.8 g):
| Nutrient | Amount | % Of Daily Value |
| Carbohydrates | 4 g | 2% |
| Calcium | 4.46 mg | <2% |
| Potassium | 28.23 mg | <2% |
| Vitamin E | 0.23 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin C | 5.71 mg | 10% |
| Manganese | 1.46 mg | 58% |
| Anthocyanin | 34.8 mg | – |
| Benzoic acid | 5.04 mg | – |
Question 3. Which Drying Method Ensures Dried Cranberries Nutrition Is Preserved?
There are various ways to dry cranberries:
Sun-drying: The most traditional method of drying berries using solar energy. It’s best used when it’s hot and dry, and most effective at temperatures above 30°C. It’s effective but time-consuming.
Hot-air drying: Involves using hot air from a hot air circulation drying oven to remove moisture from berries. The resulting product is affected by hygienic conditions, climate, and equipment use.
Vacuum-drying: The moisture is removed from the cranberries at low temperatures in a low-pressure environment.
Freeze-drying: A sophisticated drying method that utilises vacuuming and flash-freezing to reduce the moisture content in cranberries to under 2%.
Freeze-drying is the best among all the listed methods because it produces delicious dried cranberries with the same quality, nutrients, colour, and flavor as ripe cranberries.
💡 Expert Tip:
Freeze-dried cranberries are snackable and maintain at least 97% of their nutritional value.
Question 4. Are Dried Cranberries a Superfood?
Dried cranberries make the cut as a superfood—food with an exceptional nutrient density of compounds such as antioxidants, fibre, and fatty acids with health-boosting benefits.
Freeze-dried cranberry powder, for instance, has a higher concentration of antioxidants than fresh fruits. These beneficial compounds are mostly concentrated in the skin of the berries.
The antioxidants in dried cranberries have multiple benefits, including neutralising free radical damage in your body to keep it in optimal condition by:
Preventing formation and multiplication of malignant cells,
Reducing body fat accumulation and preserving muscle mass,
Preventing cell membrane damage and accumulation of toxins in the body,
Reducing the onset and progression of malignancy, cognitive impairment, and heart diseases.
💡 Expert Tip:
Dried cranberries are also rich in anthocyanins, which give cranberries their dark-red colour and have anti-irritation and anti-neoplastic effects.
Question 5. What Are the Nutritional Benefits of Dried Cranberries?
Here’s a table highlighting the benefits of the various nutrients in dried cranberries.
| Nutrients | Benefits |
| Vitamin C |
|
| Vitamin E |
|
| Fibre |
|
| Polyphenols |
|
| Proanthocyanidins |
|
Dried cranberries also have a high citric acid content, which helps in the prevention of bladder-related and kidney complications, such as kidney stones.
Amino acids and hydroxyproline present in the dried berries also help keep the skin hydrated and looking young, soft, and vibrant.
Question 6. What’s the Best Way to Consume Dried Cranberries?
Dried cranberries are best when paired with protein-rich food. Pairing them with proteins helps to balance the impact of their nutrients on your blood sugar.
Here are some of our favourite dried cranberry recipes, featuring LOOV Food Freeze-Dried Wild Cranberry Powder:
Cranberry cherry smoothie: A blend of bananas, avocado, fresh cherries, plant-based milk, dates, hemp seeds, and dried cranberry powder.
Raw vegan layered cheesecake: The main ingredients include coconut flour, coconut oil, dates, and almonds for the crust; and coconut milk, coconut oil, agave syrup, and cashews for the syrup. Find the full recipe here.
Zucchini brownies with cranberry cream: Decorate your decadent brownies with cranberry cream made with whipped cream, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and freeze-dried cranberry powder. Here’s a complete recipe for the brownies and the cream.
Vegan quinoa porridge with cranberry powder and almond flakes: Enjoy a protein-packed quinoa bowl for breakfast with a dash of cranberry powder, cinnamon powder, agave syrup, and vanilla extract.
More cran-tastic cranberry recipesin our blog.
Question 7. Are There Any Side Effects of Dried Cranberries?
Dried cranberries are safe to eat provided you enjoy them in limited quantities.
Excessive consumption of dried cranberries may cause an upset stomach, diarrhoea, and nausea. It may also increase the risk of kidney stones in predisposed individuals.
We recommend a quarter-cup of dried whole cranberries and 2 tablespoons of cranberry powder daily. For cranberry juice, you should cap your intake at less than 3 cups a day.
Enjoy an Antioxidant Boost With Freeze-Dried Cranberry Powder
As you can see, dried cranberries are a powerhouse of nutrients.
Get your daily boost of antioxidants with LOOV Food’s Freeze-Dried Organic Wild Cranberry Powder and enjoy the tangy taste, texture, and goodness of cranberries and dried cranberries’ nutrition benefits.
Our freeze-dried cranberry powder is made from hand-picked wild cranberries, harvested from bogs in organic forests in Europe.
The 100% organic dried cranberry powder is nutrient-rich and contains no added sugar, preservatives, colourants, additives, binders, or synthetic ingredients.
“…makes an excellent seasoning for things like oatmeal, plain yoghurt, cottage cheese, and even ice cream. The taste is exactly what I’ve come to expect from freeze-dried fruit; no bitterness, or after-taste, just a pop of the original fruit flavour.”
– CJ
Get your pack of dried cranberry powder and start enjoying it with your cranberry muffins, cookies, smoothies, pudding, snack, or salads today.
You can also try out our Organic Wild Cranberry Juice, made using wild organic cranberries with no added sugar.
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