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 am currently making this recipe starting a month ago and the last 4 days, it smells yeasty. Can I still eat them?
Hi Jess. Yes, they should be fine, but I would make sure you’re keeping them submerged under the honey.
This is great! I plan to try this. I saw the violet recipe also and it made me wonder, Would this work with wild rose petals or rose hips? We lose petals at the beginning of every summer here, so I’ve been trying to find ways to use them up!
Thanks for the recipe!
I’m not sure it would work with rose petals, but it should work with rose hips!
Dry rose petals for tea. (¿with chamomile?)
Ferment “not sprayed” rose hips.
I made this last fall and I still have my jar of fermented cranberries. However, a lot of the liquid has seemed to be evaporated, I think. Now I have cranberries in the jar that are not covered. This has not seemed to matter as no mold or weird odor has formed. Please advise on what I should do from here…is it ok just to leave as is? Thank you!
I would make sure your lid is air tight. There shouldn’t be any liquid evaporating from the jar. Keep an eye on it and try to use what’s left as soon as you can.
I see in one of the comments that there was a strong alcohol taste in one person’s batch. Does fermentation cause alcohol to develop? I do not want to risk someone’s sobriety if I give it as a holiday gift which I am hoping to do this upcoming season. Thank you for the recipe!
A negligible amount. Cranberries don’t have enough moisture to turn honey into alcohol.
My first time to ferment fresh cranberries in raw unfiltered honey. It has been 3 weeks. I hand chopped my cranberries and used 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice because I did not have fresh oranges on hand. I added 2 cinnamon sticks. To keep cranberries submerged in the honey, I purchased a fermentation weight to place on top, although you will see a some cranberties floating at the top every couple days. I would remove the fermentation weight with an aid of a cocktail fork before shaking the cranberries and place weight back on top. I store my jar in a dark, cool pantry closet.
I just tasted the fermented cranberries with some of its honey syrup with whole milk cottage cheese…it is delicious! The cranberries are crunchy, naturally sweetened from the honey and delicious! I cannot taste the cinnamon though. I was told the taste will be tastier months from now.
TIP: set your mason jar in a bowl or plate with a rim. Somehow, you will have honey dripping down the sides of the jar. To be able to store this fermented cranberries for a year is a bonus.
I’m glad you’re enjoying this recipe. Thanks for the tip!
I love the idea of using honey to ferment cranberries – it adds a unique twist to the traditional cranberry sauce that is usually served during the holidays. Fermenting cranberries in honey not only adds flavor, but it also preserves the cranberries and increases their nutrient content. Plus, the fermentation process adds beneficial probiotics to the cranberries, making them even more beneficial for gut health.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it out for myself!
Hi Kevin! Thank you so much and enjoy!
I did this two weeks ago and have never see any bubbles rising or seem to release any gasses when I burp daily. Is it fermenting? The only thing I did differently was to chop up the cranberries instesd of leaving whole and use a fermentstion weight. Doesn’t smell bad, or seem off, but it’s concerning me because it’s not behaving like the fermented garlic honey I’ve made lots before.
Hi Kristin. You won’t always see the bubbles. Sometimes it can be hard to tell. Have you tried moving your jar to a warmer location?
These are delicious! Do you think I could reuse the honey to ferment more berries? I did have trouble with the berries floating on the honey and being exposed between turns but no mold. Not sure how to keep them fully submerged in the honey while they ferment?
Hi Jean. Because of cross-contamination, it’s not advised to use the same honey to ferment another batch. As for keeping the cranberries submerged, as long as you’re flipping them daily and they don’t have mold, they should be fine not fully submerged at all times.
Is this something to be done regularly? What I mean is that let’s say I make it now and want to use it for Thanksgiving do I have to flip it daily until then? I havent flipped it in a while (I made it a couple months ago and flipped it daily for 3 weeks) and the metal lid to check the seal is still popable and now I am worried it’s a waste even though it looks ok? Thanks
Hi Heather. You only need to flip it for about a month or until there aren’t any more bubbles coming to the surface. It’ll be totally fine and safe to eat for many months. I occasionally check to make sure all the cranberries are still submerged under honey to prevent spoilage.
Can you re-ferment something that has already been in the fridge? We fermented some cranberries, but after sitting a day in the fridge, they have a strong alcohol taste. Can I re-ferment them?
It really depends on how long they fermented before going into the fridge, but you can try sitting them out and see if they resume bubbling (they also don’t need to be refrigerated once fermentation is complete. They’re shelf-stable in a cool, dark pantry).
We just had our cranberries with their first meal. They were very good!
So glad you liked them, Charline!
After fermenting, I don’t need to strain out cranberries. Just an airtight lid and store in pantry?
Exactly!
I tried your recipe last year for these delicious cranberries and absolutely love it!! I am planning to make them again this year. I am curious if you have any ideas for using the leftover liquid after all the cranberries have been eaten. Maybe an addition to a cocktail?
That’s a good idea! You could also add a little vinegar and olive oil, shake, and make a nice cranberry honey vinaigrette for salads!
If raw honey is not available, could I substitute whey for the orange juice?
Hi Joyce. You could try, but I am not entirely sure what you’ll finished product will taste like. If you experiment with it, let me know it turns out!
Can I use ground cinnamon instead of a stick? If so would a tsp be enough?
Also, could I half the recipe to start? I don’t want to waste so much honey if it doesn’t work out for me my first try at this.
Hi Lynn. I haven’t used ground cinnamon in this recipe before, so you’ll need to play with how much to use in your batch. You can half the recipe.
I also didn’t have a sick and used ground cinnamon. A tsp is plenty, and it turned out delicious!
Could I put a water lock on it to avoid the honey dribbling out? Then just stir to coat or remove the lock to rotate?
Sure!
Can I substitute ground ginger for fresh ginger root?
You can, but I would use it sparingly, as the flavor of ground ginger isn’t quite the same as fresh.
I put it all together then looked at my honey label and it doesn’t saw raw… I got it at a local farm. Will it work or what can I do?
Hi Annie. It may still work, but if not, you’ll have cranberry-infused honey, which isn’t necessarily bad!
Do you test with pH strips and add ACV if needed before or after the 30 day fermentation?
I don’t, but you definitely can.
These look amazing, and I can’t wait to make some myself! I would love to share your post on my Saturday Morning Gather post this weekend.
Hi Michele. Thank you! You can totally share this recipe so long as I receive proper credit in the form of a link back to the recipe.
I made this last year and it was amazing! This year my sister will be joining us for dinner and she has a citrus allergy. Do you think I could substitute another type of juice?
Perhaps apple?
I know this was a year ago already but id try juicing ginger because it will still give it an edge. Or really any juice that is also tart like citrus. Maybe tart cherry juice?
Hi Colleen. I love your recipes. When fermenting in honey, can I just use honey that I get from the bulk store? It is usually heated in big urns. Our raw honey supplier has gone out of business.
Hi Trish. Unfortunately, only raw, unpasteurized honey will ferment. Sorry!
This sounds awesome. I am definitely going to make these for the holidays.
I made this last year and was a big hit! Everyone is asking for them again so I’m making a batch today for holiday dining.
We grilled turkey burgers last summer and used the last of the fermented cranberries as a relish. Oh dang those were good!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi! I love this idea and plan to try it. I was wondering if I could use high bush cranberries. They have seeds in them though so I wondered if I do the ferment in honey then strain them out with a mesh strainer and push the pulp through but seeds will be left behind …would that work do you think?
Hi Rochelle. I think that could work!
Do these need to be refrigerated after fermenting like lacto ferments? I’ve never fermented with honey before.
No. Honey is shelf stable at room temperature in a cool, dark space.
With regards to berries being fermented in Honey, would you suppose that Strawberries are also suitable?
Definitely!
I can’t wait to try these! Should I be flipping the jar every few days for the full length of time? (i.e. several months/year)
Hi Kristen. No, after about a month of fermenting, the honey and cranberries will no longer ferment, so there’s no need to continue to release the built up gases or flip them.
Would this work with frozen berries too? I assume I can omit the cinnamon, or not?
Hi Claudia. I haven’t tried it with frozen cranberries, but I think it could work. And yes, you can omit the cinnamon.
Hi Claudia, Did you try using frozen cranberries? I’m thinking I might give it a go with them too. Thank you :)
Hi Jen. It’ll stay good for a week or two refrigerated.
Hello! I’m from Switzerland and tried this fermentation the first time. I did everything as per your description but the top of the cranberries got mold after a week or so :( I’m not sure what went wrong? Any ideas?
Hi there. Did you flip the jar daily to make sure the cranberries were fully coated in honey? The cranberries themselves cannot be exposed to air.
Hello again! Yes, I flipped the jar daily. I think the problem might be that once or twice I also opened the lid, so the cranberries were exposed to air :(
I’ll be more cautious next time.
This is one of my favorite recipes. It’s great on top of yogurt. Or my favorite is a salad topped
with these fermented cranberries, apples, and pecans with a vinaigrette made from equal parts of the honey fermented cranberry liquid, red wine vinegar, and evoo. It is soooooo good! I highly recommend this recipe!
Yum! I love the idea of adding it to your own homemade vinaigrette. I’ll have to try that! Thanks for sharing.
OMgoodness that sounds amazing! I’ve been using them in a salad also but with apple walnuts and homemade maple balsamic vinaigrette made with evoo. I’m going to try your dressing! Goat cheese is also a nice add in. 😉
Hi! I’m from Poland.
I did IT on November 2021 and forgot about the cranberries after christmas. But.. Today I tried them. I’ve never eat something like this! This is completely different than everything else in this World. Masterpiece!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you liked them, Justyna!