How to Make Cranberry Juice from Dried Cranberries?

The sour & bitter taste of cranberry juice may deter many from drinking this potent juice. Whereas commercial Cranberry juice is quite popular during the holiday season and is served with turkey, ham, or other high-protein dishes. But that’s not the only use of cranberries, it can be made into sauce for poultry stuffing or cranberry apple pie filling. However, today we are here to disclose How to Make Cranberry Juice from Dried Cranberries, as dried cranberries are easier to store and can be bought from stores. In this blog post, we will show you how to transform those pesky little dried sour & bitter berries into a delicious glass of fruity goodness that goes perfectly with your holiday meal! 

I tried to simplify the steps that even your kid can follow and enjoy this healthy homemade drink with friends and family.

Read more: IS OCEAN SPRAY CRAN-GRAPE JUICE GOOD FOR YOU?

Ingredients for stove-top method:

First up, we need to round up the ingredients that are required to make this healthy juice.

Equipment:

• A saucepan,
• a medium-sized mixing bowl,
• a mortar and pestle or a food processor.

Direction:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat and then lower the temperature so the water simmers.
2. Add dried cranberries to the saucepan and stir until you get a rough paste.
3. You can add sweetening agents like sugar, maple syrup, or honey and add according to taste.
4. While simmering and stirring, if you boil the water but still have solid cranberries, then add some more water.
5. After you get a good soup and most (if not all) cranberries have mostly broken down, let it cool for a while so that you can easily strain the liquid using a strainer.
6. You will get pulp extracts on the strainer, so take a spoon and try to strain as much of the juice you feel comfortable with.
7. Discard the cranberry pulp and add lemon juice and/or salt, however you like it.
8. Let it cool to room temperature or add ice cubes and serve cold.

What if I want to use a blender:

Using the blender reduces the time it takes to prepare the juice.

1. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of dried cranberry to the blender.
2. Blend till you get a good paste.
3. Transfer this cranberry juice to a pot and add water and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.
4. Add sweetening agent, lemon juice, and/or salt to enhance the taste according to your liking.
5. Let it cool a bit, and strain this juice.
6. You will get much less pulp with this process, so throw away the pulp or use it as a fertilizer.
7. Let it cool and add 2 or 3 ice cubes and serve cold. Enjoy!

What if I have a juicer?

This makes it a whole lot easier but it increases the time to prepare the juice. That is because the cranberries are dry, so you will have to first rehydrate them by submerging them underwater for about 24 hours (that does the trick for me) in a refrigerator.

1. After you have soaked the cranberries for about 24 hours.
2. Place the cranberries in your juicer and switch it On.
3. Slowly add water when you juice the cranberries.
4. Add sweetening agent according how you want it to taste and mix.
5. Drop 2-3 cubes of ice and have a chill drink!

Some cooking tips:

• Cook dried cranberries in a saucepan with water and simmer until the hard fibers in the cranberries break down and somewhat dissolve with the water.
• Reduce cranberry juice by half to reduce the tart flavor of the berries
• Add sugar or lemon juice to adjust the flavor of your drinks
• You can also soak the dried cranberries in hot water for a couple of hours before cooking them or simply add water to the dried cranberries and let them stand for 24 hours in a cupboard.
• You can also use the same methods for fresh cranberries.

Usually, I end up making more than I need. This leads me to think about how to store them, you can read about “how to store fresh juice” and the best method of keeping them in a glass jar with a loose lid to avoid fermentation. And once they have cooled enough tighten them and put them in the deep freezer for longer storage.

Faqs:

In conclusion….

You should be an expert if you have read the article “How to Make Cranberry Juice from Dried Cranberries?”. Whether you use a simple boiling method, blending, or juicing, you know all the ways and select whichever best fits your needs and time.

But remember, everything good comes when you invest enough time in it. I don’t like to waste the pulp, even though I squeezed the juice out of them. They still have their battery taste which I use to enhance the flavors of muffins or bread. But when I just have a bit too much cranberry pulp I bury them in my garden and the good bacteria turn them into fertilizers.

Well, nothing more to say here – Take a chill pill and enjoy the drink ;).