Cranberries vs Redcurrants – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing cranberries to redcurrants, we picked the redcurrants.

Why?

It’s that time of year!

First know: here we’re comparing raw cranberries to raw redcurrants, with no additives in either case. If you buy jelly made from either, or if you buy dried fruits but the ingredients list has a lot of added sugar and often some vegetable oil, then that’s going to be very different.

But for now… Let’s look at just the fruits:

In terms of macros, redcurrants are higher in carbs, but also higher in fiber, and have the lower glycemic index as cranberries have nearly 2x the GI. Thus, a first round win for redcurrants.

In the category of vitamins, cranberries have more of vitamins A, B5, and E, while redcurrants have more of vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, C, and K, In other words, a clear win for redcurrants.

Looking at minerals, cranberries boast a little more manganese; they also have about 2x the sodium. Meanwhile, redcurrants sweep even more convincingly with a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, meaning redcurrants win their third round in a row.

In other considerations, both berries have generous amounts of assorted phytochemicals (especially polyphenols, including flavonoids and others), and/but nothing to set one ahead of the other. So, a tie in this round. Unless…

• if you have a tendency to UTIs, the cranberries win as they are very effective at reducing those
• if you have kidney problems, then redcurrants win as cranberries can increase the risk of kidney stones

…however, since we are adding things up for the readership as a whole, we’ll say those two things cancel each other out, and this declare a fourth-round tie.

Adding up the sections shows a clear overall win for redcurrants, but as for pretty much any berries that aren’t poisonous, both of these are great choices for most people most of the time.

Want to learn more?

You might like to read:

Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out)

Take care!