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    Home » All Recipes

    Author: Donna | Published: May 25, 2021 | Modified: Sep 24, 2021

    Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter

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    cranberry and vanilla bean butter in a glass mason jar

    Rich vanilla beans and local honey adds sweetness to these tart little berries, making this Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter just perfect for Fall. Enjoy with some plain yogurt, in your morning oatmeal, on toast, or on top of some fresh pumpkin waffles.

    Honey Sweetened Vanilla and Fresh Cranberry Butter served in a glass jar with a pile of waffles in the background topped with the spread.

    Fresh cranberries are great for baking as they add a little bit of sweetness and a gorgeous color! Try using cranberries in this Cranberry and Honey Cornbread Muffin or this Clove and Cranberry Apple Sauce in the Instant Pot.

    Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter

    Jump to:
    • Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter
    • A Note On Ingredients
    • What To Do With Fresh Cranberry Butter: How To Serve Up
    • How To Store Cranberry Butter
    • More Recipes For Using Fresh Cranberries
    • Recipe
    • Recipe

    I love making all kinds of fruit butter with seasonal fruit!

    In summer, we devoured heaps of this homemade Lemon Curd and Peach Butter, and now that Fall is here, we have been enjoying this Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter with everything.

    Homemade fruit butter is so easy to make, and really takes advantage of the natural sweetness of in-season fruit.

    Fresh cranberries are naturally quite a tart fruit, but the addition of honey and vanilla bean here really draws out the sweetness and offsets that tart flavor that can be a bit overwhelming.

    You can try vanilla extract if you don’t have vanilla bean paste on hand (or it is super expensive where you are), but if you can get your hands on the bean paste then do yourself a favor and use that.

    Seriously worth a little splurge.

    Overhead shot of Honey Sweetened Vanilla and Fresh Cranberry Butter served in a glass jar with a pile of waffles in the background topped with the spread.

    A Note On Ingredients

    Cranberries

    You want to use fresh or frozen whole cranberries for this recipe, not dried cranberries.

    Fresh cranberries can be found in the fruit and veg section of a well stocked supermarket in Fall/autumn.

    Frozen cranberries can be found in the frozen fruit section, although these can tend to be seasonal as well.

    If you do end up using dried cranberries, they are more often than not already sweetened, so you will need to adjust the added honey so as not to end up with an overly sweet butter.

    Vanilla Bean Paste

    Vanilla bean paste is a lot more expensive that vanilla extract or vanilla essense.

    The flavour is a lot more luxurious, and definitely worth the little splurge to really balance out the flavour in this cranberry butter.

    In a pinch, you can get away with vanilla extract.

    Close up shot of Honey Sweetened Vanilla and Fresh Cranberry Butter with a small pumpkin in the background

    What To Do With Fresh Cranberry Butter: How To Serve Up

    This spread is super versatile, try out some of these options for serving up:

    • spread on toast;
    • spread on top of some waffles with a dollop of yogurt and some slices of banana (this is what we will be having for our Thanksgiving breakfast this year);
    • dollop on top of some pancakes;
    • pair with some vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt;
    • enjoy on top of your warm morning oats;
    • or add to overnight oats for a great pop of color.

    Simply use homemade cranberry honey butter anywhere you would normally use a jam or other similar spread.

    Stack of waffles topped with cranberry butter and yogurt with a glass jar full of cranberry butter in the background

    How To Store Cranberry Butter

    Vanilla bean and cranberry butter keeps well stored in the fridge for about 3 weeks if it is kept in an airtight container.

    You will need to give it a good stir when you remove it from the fridge, as it takes on a jammy consistency, and can get quite thick.

    Cranberry butter also freezes really well!

    I tend to make a big batch and freeze a couple of jars so I can still satisfy my cranberry fix when the season is done.

    Just make sure you leave some headspace in the container you will be freezing the cranberry butter in to allow for expansion, this is especially important if you will be storing it in a glass jar with a lid, we don't want any cracked glass!

    More Recipes For Using Fresh Cranberries

    If you love baking with fresh cranberries, or your have some leftover cranberries from your Holiday cooking then you might want to check out these recipes:

    • Pumpkin and Fresh Cranberry Bread
    • Orange and Fresh Cranberry Smoothie
    • Cranberry and cornbread mini muffins
    • Clove and Cranberry Apple Sauce.
    • Slow Cooked Cranberry Apple Cider.
    Cranberry and Honey Cornbread Muffins

    Are you a fan of fresh cranberries?

    I would love to know what you think of this cranberry and vanilla bean butter. Be sure to leave a comment, like on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, or pin to Pinterest for later.

    Happy eating.

    xx

    Recipe

    Honey Sweetened Vanilla and Fresh Cranberry Butter served in a glass jar with a pile of waffles in the background topped with the spread.

    Vanilla Bean and Fresh Cranberry Butter

    Whole Food Bellies
    Rich vanilla beans and local honey adds a sweetness to these tart little berries, which is just perfect for fall. Enjoy with some plain yogurt, in your morning oatmeal, on toast, or atop some fresh pumpkin waffles.
    4.92 from 12 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 32 mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine Sweet
    Servings 2 jars
    Calories 20 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 bag cranberries about 3 cups
    • ¼ cup honey
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Add all ingredients to a small saucepan on medium heat. While continuously stirring, bring to a bubbling simmer and reduce heat to low
    • Continue to cook on low until the cranberries have completely broken down, and the mixture resembles a thick jam/butter. This should take about half an hour. Be sure to regularly stir or the honey can stick to the bottom and burn
    • One desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer into glass jars with lids. Store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for a couple of months

    Notes

    Store in the fridge in an airtight container for about 3 weeks.
    Can be stored in the freezer for about 3 months in an airtight container.

    Recipe

     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 20kcalCarbohydrates: 4.9gFiber: 0.3gSugar: 4.3g
    Keyword cranberry butter
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment HERE and let us know how it was!

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    This post has been updated from the original October 2015 post to provide readers with more information.

    « Jumbo Stuffed Shells With Tuna Salad
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura says

      October 01, 2021 at 5:31 am

      The perfect delicious cranberry butter recipe!

      Reply
    2. Cindy says

      November 15, 2016 at 11:42 am

      Help please -- what is the amount of cranberries used in this recipe? Just want to start with the right ratio of berries-to-other
      Thanks

      Reply
    3. Cindy says

      November 15, 2016 at 11:40 am

      I am very interested, but wondering --- What does "1 cups bag cranberries about 3" mean? What sort of measure is that? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 15, 2016 at 1:24 pm

        Hi Cindy, sorry for the confusion - it is one bag of cranberries which equals about one cups. I have just updated a few things on the site and it clearly didn't go as smoothly as intended 🙂 Hope you love the butter!

        Reply
    4. Becca says

      November 02, 2015 at 6:38 pm

      I've never tried one like that, but it looks really good!

      Reply
    5. Jaclyn says

      November 02, 2015 at 4:07 pm

      That sounds absolutely delicious! I do love fresh cranberries, but I haven't had them in a while!

      Reply
    6. ashleigh says

      November 02, 2015 at 4:56 am

      I love how simple this is! Very easy ingredient, I will have to give this a try for breakfast.

      Reply
    7. Meagan says

      October 31, 2015 at 5:50 am

      Yum! Can't wait to try this out. Nice photos!

      Reply
      • Whole Food Bellies says

        October 31, 2015 at 3:46 pm

        Thanks Meagan!

        Reply
    8. Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says

      October 31, 2015 at 2:31 am

      What a fabulous idea! I never would have thought of cranberry butter, but it's a perfect way to add the yummy taste of cranberries to so many other foods!

      Reply
      • Whole Food Bellies says

        October 31, 2015 at 3:47 pm

        Definitely Jamie, I have been adding it to everything - I am sure at this rate I will be sick of cranberries by thanksgiving though 🙂

        Reply
    9. Yona Williams says

      October 31, 2015 at 1:05 am

      I am too curious as to how this tastes. The bold color of it is incredibly appetizing and eye-catching.

      Reply
      • Whole Food Bellies says

        October 31, 2015 at 3:49 pm

        The color is amazing hey! It's super yummy 🙂

        Reply
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    Since I have a part-time job, 3 little kids, and a love of good food (as do you I assume), I have learned how to get the most out of the kitchen in the smallest amount of time.

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