These honey fermented cranberries are a healthy, colorful, and delicious fermented recipe that is perfect for your Thanksgiving or holiday dinner. Fermented honey cranberries are made from nourishing real food ingredients, and are a wonderful recipe for gut health.
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Fermenting Cranberries in Honey
It’s amazing to me how easy fermenting in honey is!
I’ve done all kinds of fermenting, and even have a recipe for fermented cranberries in a traditional brine. But for some reason, it took me a long time to ferment in honey. Well, I can tell you now that has changed and it’s one of my favorite cranberry recipes to make each year.
Here are more fermented honey recipes to try!
When I started my fermented honey garlic a while back, it got me thinking about what else I could ferment in honey.
I have seen recipes for berries in honey, and being that we’re coming up on the holiday season, fermenting cranberries in honey seemed like the natural thing to do.
I’m so glad I did because these fermented honey cranberries are awesome! This is probably how I will make my cranberries every year from now on.
Related: Canning Cranberry Sauce, Simple Spiced Cranberry Sauce, Quick Pickled Cranberries, Cranberry Champagne Cocktail
Fermented Honey Cranberries Recipe
Making these fermented honey cranberries is so easy that it hardly even needs a recipe!
The amounts are variable based on how much you want to make. I used a quart sized jar, and that seemed like a good amount to start with.
Prepare the Cranberries
The first step is to give the raw cranberries a little pop to break their skins and release some juices. Cranberries are tough to penetrate, so this will give the fermentation a bit of a head start.
I did this by poking them with a fork all over, but you could also give them a couple of pulses in a food processor.
Frozen cranberries can be used instead of fresh, but it is best to thaw them before adding the honey.
Add the Honey
Fill the jar with the cranberries, ginger slices, and cinnamon stick, leaving about an inch or so of head space.
Add in the orange juice (and the zest if you’d like as well), then cover the cranberries with raw honey.
It may take a while for the honey to make its way all down to the bottom of the jar, so you may need to wait a bit for it to settle, then add some more.
The cranberries will want to float to the top, but that’s ok.
Cover and Flip
Cover the jar tightly and give it a few turns to coat all of the cranberries in honey.
If you are using a metal canning lid, I recommend putting a piece of parchment paper in between the lid and and jar, as the metal can sometimes react with the fermentation process.
Then loosen the lid and put the jar in a dark corner somewhere. It would be wise to put it on a plate in case there is any honey overflow as it ferments, which is likely.
Every day or so tighten the lid and give the jar a few turns to coat the cranberries in honey again, then re-loosen the lid.
Within a few days to a week you will start to see bubbles forming in the jar! Sometimes the bubbles are very small or unnoticeable, but they usually do show up at some point.
The honey will turn a lovely red color and will become runnier as time goes on. The cranberries will start to lose some of their tartness and will become a bit more wrinkled.
These can be left to ferment for quite a while, several months even, and will be tastier as time goes on. I think the flavor even after just a few weeks was amazing!
Using Fermented Honey Cranberries
You can serve and eat these delicious fermented honey cranberries as is, or you can try putting them in a food processor to grind them up into more of a cranberry sauce.
I think I’m going to try that on Thanksgiving this year. It’s never a bad idea to get some fermented food in during a big meal!
If you are concerned about botulism, which is very rare in this type of ferment, use a pH test strip. Botulism spores can’t reproduce with a pH of less than 4.6. Honey is usually around 3.9, but that can vary between brands. Cranberries are also highly acidic.
If the pH is too high, add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar to add more acidity and retest. This is generally not needed, but I do want to mention it to ease any worries.
Honey cranberries should not be given to babies under one year of age.
Low on time and want an amazing, nonfermented, cranberry sauce recipe? This spiced cranberry sauce with orange and ginger is my favorite!
Have you ever fermented cranberries? What did you think of the result?
More Fermented and Infused Honey Recipes
Enjoy these other honey ferments and infusions!
- Fermented Elderberry Honey
- Herbal Infused Honey
- Fermented Honey Garlic
- Lilac Flower Infused Honey
- Fermented Ginger Honey
- Fermented Jalapeno Honey
- Fermented Honey Blueberries
Fermented Honey Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh cranberries skins slightly crushed
- 1″ knob ginger sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 orange juiced
- 2 cups raw honey or enough to completely cover the cranberries
Instructions
- Break the skins of the cranberries to release some of their juices by either piercing the skins with the tines of a fork, or gently pulsing in a food processor.
- Place the bruised cranberries into a quart-sized mason jar. Add the ginger slices, cinnamon stick and orange juice and stir. Then pour in enough raw honey to cover the cranberries.
- Place the lid securely on the jar, then give it a few turns to coat all of the cranberries in the honey.
- Loosen the lid, then place the jar into a dark place to ferment. Every few days, tighten the lid, give the jar a few turns, then re-loosen the lid.
- Within a few days to a week you will begin to see small bubbles forming in the honey.
- The honey cranberries will ferment for a month or more, but you can eat them at any time. The honey will turn a red color, and will become more runny as time goes on. The cranberries will start to lose some of their tartness, and will become a bit more wrinkled.
- Store in a cool place for many months or even a year or more.
Notes
- It’s important to use raw honey for this recipe, as it has all of the bacteria and wild yeast that is necessary for fermentation.
- The small amount of orange juice will create just enough liquid for fermentation to happen.
- It’s a good idea to put a plate underneath the jar during fermentation, as it will likely bubble up and a little bit of honey could possibly drip out.
- If you are concerned about botulism, use a pH test strip. Botulism spores can’t reproduce with a pH of less than 4.6. Honey is usually around 3.9, but that can vary between brands. Cranberries are also highly acidic.
- If the pH is too high, add a splash of raw apple cider vinegar to add more acidity and retest. This is generally not needed, but I do want to mention it.
- Honey cranberries should not be given to babies under one year of age.
I tried covering the cranberries with the honey, but they are floating. So there is almost an inch of clear honey on the bottom of the jar, and about an inch of cranberries sticking out of the honey on top. Is that OK?
I am SO EXCITED!! I just put this together today and realized that 6 weeks from now is Christmas Day! So I’m going to call these Christmas Cranberries and we’ll taste them for the first time on Christmas Day. Thanks so much for posting this and sharing the idea!!
Hi there, I just put these in yesterday. I pulsed them in the food processor as directed and most are no longer whole. But they are all bruised! lol. I’m hoping that doesn’t matter. What do you serve these on? I’m thinking it could make a nice cocktail.
Does it have to be raw honey? I have pure US grade A fancy clover white honey in the house.
Yes the I’m a treatment free beekeeper and it does matter because the crap in the store is basically expensive liquid sugar anytime you heat real honey over 104 degrees you start killing the pre and probiotics vitamin and minerals enzymes in it. Know your beekeeper if you have Netflix watch season 1 episode 1 of ROTTEN
I don’t have orange juice, can i omit it?
it needs the acid ingredient.
I just started this yesterday. I’m excited to try these when they are ready!
I just made these this past weekend! They are beautiful on my counter…and delicious! I used frozen, as it’s what I had I hand, but it froze my orange juice; next time I’ll use fresh. I am using jars with the wire bail, locking to turn, but then unlock to rest. I weighted the cranberries with a fermentation weight and covered with a towel.
When making a similar honey recipe using garlic, it’s recommended to put a plate or some such ‘catchment’ under the jar as it ‘leaks’ while fermenting. Is that necessary with this cranberry one too?
Yes. It is suggested in the recipe.
Would maple syrup work as a substitute for the raw honey?
I don’t think it would because honey has the necessary bacteria for fermentation, but I’ve never tried it so I can’t say for sure!
The bacteria & yeast for fermentation come from the air. The sugar in the honey feeds it. One can probably substitute distilled water and sugar mixture instead of the honey. The maple flavor may overpower the cranberries. One needs the acid ingredient from the orange juice to prevent spoilage until lactic acid is built up enough to keep mold away. Salt in often added to make the brine in many fermented fruits and veggies recipes. Nourishing Traditions book has helpful information about fermentation one may find useful.
Hi Carol, actually in honey ferments it’s the moisture from the berries or other plant material (like garlic) that awakens the natural yeasts in the honey which causes the fermentation to happen. This is different from lacto-fermenting. I do have a lacto-fermented cranberries recipe that uses a traditional brine.
At what point can I tightly seal the jar for storage or gift giving?
I would wait maybe 6 weeks or more, but know that it will still slowly ferment over time so the jar should be periodically opened to release the pressure.
To stop or greatly retard the fermentation process, refrigerate the jar and keep it refrigerated. Before refrigerating, open the jar to release the pressure. Then tighten the lid back up.
I had so much fun making this! I can’t wait to try these. I was tempted to add cloves to this recipe but I decided to it to the next batch.
Your recipes are fantastic, thank.you!
Your nutritional information for this recipe says one serving is 4 cups, is that correct?!
Oops, no, that is the total amount. I’ve updated the recipe card, thanks!
Does this recipe need to be refrigerated eventually?
Hi Neil! Nope, it can be stored in a cool and dark pantry for months or even years!
I might try this with my high bush cranberries. They are much sweeter than bog cranberries.
Excited to try this. Cranberries went into honey today and I cannot wait to try it.
I’ve also fermented cranberries in honey and after several months, they are now in my refrigerator. They taste wonderful, not tart. However, what do I do with them (besides eating them straight from the jar)? I think they would be good over brownies or cake, but I can’t think of any other way to use them. Ideas?
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but I think it would taste delicious over yogurt, cereal or toast. You said that yours fermented for several months. How did you know when they were ready?
I did a little research. Heidi from Healing Harvest Homestead used cranberries that had been frozen to make a fermented cranberry relish. However she did not use honey. I’m sure your recipe might be best with totally fresh cranberries but in an effort to use what I have, I think I’ll give the frozen berries a try. I can’t wait! haha. But I guess I’ll have to at least until they are fermented. These honey cranberries sound delicious. Thank you for sharing!
I would also like to know if I can use cranberries that have been frozen. I bought extra at Christmas and this sounds like an awesome way to use them if I can use berries that have been frozen.
Yes it is fine to use frozen cranberries! I would thaw them a bit before adding them to the honey though.
I have frozen cranberries.
Does freezing kill natural yeasts?
Frozen cranberries will work. In this recipe it’s the moisture from the cranberries mixed with honey that starts the fermentation process.
I LOVE fermented foods but never thought to ferment cranberries. Hubby and I were on Cape Cod this fall and I bought ~ahem~ a few cranberries (try 2 stuffed full gallon freezer bags and a quart bag), so I still have some frozen ones to use up. I think I’ll try this. Fermented foods are soooo good for gut health, I always feel better when I’m eating them. Thank you.
Dawn – with some of those cranberries try a fermented cranberry apple sauce, it’s fabulous and really nice at Thanksgiving. I’ve made it several times and my favorite batch was a bit chunky, the texture was really nice. :)
I cannot find a recipe for fermented cranberry apple sauce….could you link one, please?
I have a similar recipe that I make and serve fresh that includes chopped pecans. Will adding pecans to the ferment ruin it, or do they ferment well?
I would probably wait to add the pecans until before serving.
I’m on day 3 and as others have experienced, the cranberries are floating. I turn them daily and today flipped them for a while to allow the honey to coat more. I still have some space in my jar – could I fill with more honey?
Yes you could, but they will still float! Sounds like you’re doing everything right :)
Do you have Nutritional information, like carbs per tablespoon?
It would be very similar to just regular honey. Maybe slightly less since it is fermented, but it’s hard to say for sure.
I NEED to make this! About how much ginger do you use!
It really depends how much you like ginger! I used about 3 coin slices per pint jar.
Please e=mail me and tell me if I can use an air lock lid, or must air get in? I just HAVE to make these, so PLEASE tell me, Thanks in advance
Yes you can use an airlock if you wish, but it isn’t necessary. Air does not need to get in for the ferment to happen! Hope that helps.
Is the fermentation hindered in an air-lock vs glass jar…? Is the cover to a Mason jar loosely capped or just tighten to turn every so often? Would a glass weight like one of those things you use in a pot to prevent boiling over, to keep the berries from floating so much? I wonder to add any of those spices mentioned is a nice adage? Like star anise? Thanks in advance
I just love your recipes. Can’t wait to try this. I always host Thanksgiving and this will be at my table this year. Thanks for sharing.
Delicious! I made a sandwich with smoked turkey, cheese and the fermented cranberries. Sooo good!
Do you peel the ginger before slicing and putting it in?
I didn’t, but you can if you want!
Hi,
I made both of the garlic and honey and the cranberries and honey. They look beautiful. They’ve been on the counter for about a month.
My question is: can I use some of the honey and cranberries in my home made fruit leather? Has anyone tried this?
Thank you,
Stephanie
Hi,
Can I just use the fermenting cap, then I I won,t have to worry about leaks.
Thanks,
Carol