17 Ways To Use Raisins In Cooking

Raisins can have a bad reputation. The dried fruit may conjure up images of biting into what you thought was a chocolate chip cookie, only for it to be a disappointing oatmeal raisin cookie. Or maybe you have memories of digging through your bag of trick-or-treat candy excited for a chocolate bar, when you found an unwanted box of Sun-Maid. 

Personal tastes aside, raisins are simply dried fruits made from sun-drying or dehydrated grapes. They have been around for thousands of years and have contributed to cuisines across the globe. But recently, the demand has been dwindling. As of 2019, the raisin industry is worth approximately $500 million, but research suggests millennials are consuming fewer raisins than generations before them, according to The New York Times. 

To combat this, raisin companies have worked to increase their product creativity, target millennials in advertising, and find new and interesting ways to promote using their products — all to convince consumers they're worth a spot in their pantry. After all, raisins bring great texture, sweetness, and fruitiness to tons of different dishes. 

You can find rice dishes on nearly any menu from all over the globe. It's a core ingredient for Japanese sushi, Spanish paella, Italian risotto, West African Jollof rice, and so much more. But some of the best dishes use contrasting flavors and textures, like sweet and salty or chewy and crunchy, for a perfect bite. To do this, many traditional recipes call on a touch of sweetness from raisins to complete a rice dish, bringing flavor balance to savory spices and herbs. 

But unlike sweeteners, like honey or sugar, raisins also bring a unique textural element that contrasts crunchy nuts or firm rice. Some examples of rice dishes from around the world include Afghani Kabuli pulao, a pilaf dish with lamb and spices that is topped with carrots, raisins, and almonds, Saudi Arabian Kabsa, a spiced rice dish with chicken and raisins, and Curaçao's curried rice with raisins.

Strudels hail from central and western Europe and are well known for their delicate, flakey pastry dough and delectable fillings. Though any fruit filling is acceptable, apple strudel is likely the most popular. The sweet pastry is commonly associated with Austria and Germany and has a warming, cinnamon apple filling. It's a perfect example of a sweet-tart dessert with green apples folded into a sugary syrup of butter, sugar, and spices.

But one common addition is dried fruit — specifically raisins. Not only do the raisins soak up some of the liquid filling, but they also provide extra sweetness and a textural contrast to the crisp apples. Raisins are typically mixed in when the apples are done cooking, and they'll sit and soak up the liquids while the mixture cools. You can use any type of raisin in an apple strudel, but the longer they sit in the filling, the more plump and delicious they'll get.

There are so many ways to use raisins in sweet dishes, but these little plump dried fruits are actually an excellent addition to savory stews, braised meats, and sauces. This technique is especially popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. The dried fruit pairs well with warming spices and fresh herbs popular in the cuisines of the area.

Adding dried fruit to these dishes can help thicken stews, bring a touch of sweetness, and aid in making them feel extra hearty and stick-to-your-ribs delicious. Start off with really plump, fresh raisins. Then, the trick is to rehydrate the fruit in warm water for a few minutes before adding the drained fruit to a brothy base. And don't forget about that incredible rehydrating liquid. Add some to the sauce to bring extra sweetness throughout. The final dish will have pops of soft, sweet fruit in each spoonful that contrast some of the more savory flavors of the dish.

Bread pudding is a very common dessert from all over the world perfect for the holiday season or any chilly winter day. The dish starts with bread soaked in a custard of milk or cream, eggs, butter, sugar, spices, and other mix-ins. Once the bread is soggy and has soaked up the mixture, it is baked to create a spongy, thick pudding-like treat. Bread puddings take just a few minutes to throw together, are a great way to use up leftover bread, and can easily feed a crowd.

But the dessert can be incredibly rich from the cream and butter, so many bread pudding recipes opt for the addition of raisins to help cut some of the richness and bring acidity and fruitiness to the bake. For example, Britain's favorite bread pudding, called spotted dick, is a steamed bread pudding that requires raisins or currants to bring the iconic spots to the final dish. You can even add a mixture of golden and traditional raisins for more variety in flavor and color. 

Kugels come in a variety of styles — potato, matzo, noodle, vegetable, apple, and more. But whether you grew up eating kugel at every family gathering or you saw it once at a friend's holiday party, you likely know these recipes are unique from family to family.

Noodle kugels, for example, often start with egg noodles that are baked in a custard-like liquid made from eggs, dairy products, and additional mix-ins. The ingredients vary greatly with some recipes calling for cottage cheese, sour cream, walnuts, dried fruits, pineapple, apples, and more to create the iconic sweet-and-sour casserole.

But raisins are non-negotiable for many noodle kugel connoisseurs. This is because the little nuggets of dried grapes help to absorb some of the kugel's liquid while simultaneously plumping up to provide little pops of fruity sweetness. Plus, many kugels can be quite heavy with dairy-based ingredients, and these sour, tangy bites bring some much-needed balance.

Caponata is a stewed eggplant-based dish from Sicily similar to French ratatoille. It's best known for its sweet and sour flavors from ingredients like roasted eggplant, olive oil, garlic, red tomatoes, capers, olives, vinegar, and sugar. The key is to cook the eggplant long enough that it loses any bitterness and softens to soak up all the flavors like a sponge.

Every Italian grandmother makes a different version of this crowd-pleasing dish, with creative ingredients like red bell peppers, pine nuts, or celery. But new variations include raisins in the mix to bring that sweet and sour flavor forward. Plus, it's a great recognition of the autumn when eggplant season comes to an end and the grape harvest begins.

Serve it as a main straight out of the skillet, a side dish alongside chicken or fish, or an appetizer with some crusty bread for dipping and spreading. Some say it tastes even better the next day, so consider meal prepping this in advance for a dinner party.

At its core, chutney is a condiment, similar to a blended, chopped, or ground relish, that is often served with Indian dishes. It can be made from any ingredients, like herbs, chilies, spices, fruits, nuts, and dairy products, and vary in consistency, technique, and flavors. The variety of chutney comes from the vast styles of cooking across India. The condiment is mostly used to help balance out some of the more savory or spicy flavors in Indian cuisine.

In the modern day, many chutneys have become more mainstream beyond Indian cuisine. They are found in supermarkets across the globe and recipes for chutney include ingredients not typically found in India. Some fruit-forward chutneys will lean on dried fruits, like raisins, for their ability to pair beautifully with deep, savory ingredients like ginger, tamarind, and spices. They help create rich flavor and can help elevate a simple chutney. Just serve it up with your favorite dosas or samosas for a delicious treat.

Whether you bake a casserole dish of dressing on the side or stuff your turkey on Thanksgiving morning, stuffing is a must for any holiday spread. It's carb-heavy, herby, and the perfect vessel to soak up all that turkey gravy and cranberry sauce. But on a plate alongside the creamy mac and cheese, heavy pumpkin pie, and fatty mashed potatoes, super bready stuffing can be a bit much. 

Instead, mix in a cup of raisins to your usual stuffing for a touch of brightness, sweetness, and acid that can help balance out your plate. Start by letting the raisins soak in some warm water while you assemble the rest of the stuffing. Then, just mix the drained raisins in and bake. You can use some of the soaking liquid in place of some chicken stock for a little extra sweetness. As a bonus, the raisins soak up all that liquidy goodness to create plump pops of sweetness without crossing the too-sweet line.