Fruit

Cranberries nutrition, weighed and measured.

46 calories and 0.5 g of protein: that is 1 cup of whole cranberries. The source is the USDA entry “Cranberries, raw”. It is a strong source of vitamin C. Change the amount below for your own portion. The panel and the nutrient breakdown both update.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

USDA FoodData Central record 171722 supply every value here. The calculation happens in this page.

How many calories does cranberries have?

1 cup of whole cranberries supplies 46 calories, which scales to 46 per 100 g. Each serving listed underneath was weighed by USDA rather than estimated.

Cranberries and its protein content

For protein, 1 cup of whole cranberries gives you 0.5 g, which fills 1 percent of the daily 50 g benchmark. Cranberries carries almost no protein. It earns its place in a day through carbohydrate, not through protein.

Divide its calories by source and you get 4 percent from protein, 2 percent from fat and 94 percent from carbohydrate.

Cranberries in the kitchen

Fresh cranberries are tart, glossy red berries. They are sold raw in bags during autumn, or dried and sweetened year-round. Look for firm, plump berries with a deep lustre. Reject any soft, shrivelled, or discoloured fruit. If you squeeze the bag gently, the berries should feel springy and bounce when dropped.

Cranberries contain abundant natural pectin, so they thicken quickly when heated with sugar and water. Apply moderate heat until the skins burst, releasing their sharp juice. Overcooking is the common error; boiling them too long makes the sauce bitter. Stop cooking as soon as the berries pop to keep a bright colour.

Their intense acidity cuts through rich meats. Pair them with roast turkey or game in British roasts, or fold them into stuffing. In Nordic cooking, they accompany meatballs and cheese. Sweetened dried cranberries work well in baked goods, whilst the raw fruit can be minced with orange peel for relish.

Vitamins and minerals in cranberries

What 1 cup of whole cranberries supplies most of: 16 percent of a day’s vitamin C. All rows below respond to the serving you chose.

There are 3.6 g of fibre in 100 g, roughly 13 percent of the daily figure.

Putting cranberries into a day of eating

Budget-wise, 1 cup of whole cranberries costs 2 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and pays back 1 percent of the day’s protein. The TDEE calculator and macro calculator will tell you what those percentages look like against your own targets.

Three ways to use cranberries

These are the Calorie Counter Team’s recipes for cranberries. Their nutrition panels are arithmetic: ingredient weights multiplied through USDA records, divided by servings.

Breakfast · British

Cranberry and Apple Porridge

A warm breakfast porridge made with rolled oats, fresh cranberries, and diced apple.

15 min · serves 2

403kcal

14gprotein

9.8gfat

68gcarbs

Ingredients

• 100g rolled oats 100 g
• 100g fresh cranberries 100 g
• 120g red apple 120 g
• 400g whole milk 400 g
• 25g honey 25 g
• 1g ground cinnamon 1 g

Method

1. Combine the oats, milk, cranberries, apple, honey, and cinnamon in a saucepan.
2. Simmer the mixture over medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Stir the porridge constantly to prevent sticking.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stand for 2 minutes.

6 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Side · British

Braised Red Cabbage with Cranberries

Red cabbage slow-braised with fresh cranberries, red onion, and vinegar for a tart side dish.

50 min · serves 4

153kcal

2.1gprotein

6.3gfat

24gcarbs

Ingredients

• 500g red cabbage 500 g
• 150g fresh cranberries 150 g
• 100g red onion 100 g
• 30g unsalted butter 30 g
• 40g light brown sugar 40 g
• 50g red wine vinegar 50 g
• 3g salt 3 g

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the red onion and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the red cabbage, cranberries, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt.
4. Cover the pan and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.

Built from 7 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Snack · British

Cranberry and Almond Flapjacks

Traditional British oat bars baked with dried cranberries and flaked almonds.

40 min · serves 8

401kcal

5.7gprotein

21gfat

52gcarbs

Ingredients

• 150g unsalted butter 150 g
• 100g honey 100 g
• 75g light brown sugar 75 g
• 250g rolled oats 250 g
• 100g dried cranberries 100 g
• 50g flaked almonds 50 g
• 2g salt 2 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper.
3. Melt the butter, honey, and brown sugar in a saucepan.
4. Stir the oats, cranberries, almonds, and salt into the melted mixture.
5. Press the mixture into the tin and bake for 25 minutes.
6. Cool the flapjack completely in the tin before slicing.

Per serving, from 7 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with cranberries adds up to

One way to build a meal around cranberries, costed from the same records. Substitute freely; the method carries over.

Cranberries against other fruit

Each food is shown per 100 g, in the form named beside it.

Cranberries, asked and answered

How many calories are in 1 cup of whole cranberries?

USDA measures 1 cup of whole cranberries at 46 calories, or 46 calories for each 100 g. The record used is “Cranberries, raw” (FDC 171722).

How much protein is in cranberries?

You get 0.5 g from 1 cup of whole cranberries, equal to 1 percent of the daily reference amount; 100 g holds 0.5 g.

Does cranberries fit a calorie deficit?

It can fit any calorie target; no single food decides the outcome. What matters here is that 1 cup of whole cranberries costs 46 calories and returns 0.5 g of protein, so 4 percent of its energy is protein — useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

Is cranberries high in carbs?

12 g in 1 cup of whole cranberries, of which 3.6 g is fibre and 4.3 g is sugar.

Why do some cranberry recipes require so much sugar?

Raw cranberries are exceptionally tart and have very little natural sugar. You must add sweetener to balance their intense acidity, otherwise the cooked fruit is too sharp for most palates to enjoy.

Can fresh cranberries be frozen for later use?

Yes, they freeze exceptionally well. Spread the unwashed berries on trays until solid, then transfer them to sealed containers. Use them directly from frozen without thawing, as thawing makes them mushy.

Sources

• Cranberries, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171722
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9