Dried cranberries, sometimes called Crazens, or craisins, are a tasty alternative to dried raisins. They are popular in trail mix, salads, and hearty breads. They’re an excellent addition to either dried or cooked cereals. Some enjoy simply eating dried cranberries by the handful.

Most dried cranberries, particularly those marketed by large-scale manufacturers do contain added sugar. Many find dried cranberries without sugar a little too tart. Some home drying methods can create these tart little morsels, which might be excellent for use in sweeter breads. Usually, dried cranberries without the addition of some extra sugar are not preferred by most.

Some dried cranberries may also be coated in vegetable oil to keep them from adhering together. This tends to be true of large commercial brands. Natural food stores tend not to use this addition, as it is healthier to avoid adding oil to the product. Natural food makers also eliminate coating dried fruits with sulfur, which may mean that these products aren't quite as visually appealing, but may be healthier because they lack sulfur.

Many home recipes for dried cranberries involve allowing the cranberries to sit overnight in a water sugar solution, prior to freeze-drying or air-drying. This can deprive the cranberries of some natural nutrients that would be contained in fresh cranberries.

The average fresh cup of berries has about 47 calories. Dried cranberries on the other hand have over 300 calories per cup. Part of this has to do with the number of berries. Naturally one can fit more dried berries into a cup than fresh berries. The additional calories also come from added sugar.

Dried cranberries do tend to offer a higher count of dietary fiber, about seven grams of dietary fiber per cup. Fresh berries only yield about four grams. However, if one were to eat two cups of fresh cranberries, one will still only consume a third of the calories, while getting eight grams of fiber. Most people, however, do not eat raw cranberries because they are naturally quite sour.

Fresh berries do have high vitamin A and vitamin C contents, which are lost in most commercial drying processes. Home dehydrators tend to leave a little bit more of the vitamin content than do commercial processes.

Some dried cranberries are dietetic and use an artificial sweetener instead of sugar to accomplish the sweetening process. These berries will be similar in calorie content to fresh berries, compared on a berry-to-berry count.

Even with commercially prepared brands, dried cranberries do offer us dietary fiber, and are considered to have anti-oxidant properties. They are a nice change from raisins, and they seem to be frequent favorites with children. A child who detests salad may change his or her mind, when offered a green salad with dried cranberries and raspberry vinaigrette.