DRINK RECIPES

Cranberry Juice

Updated

Homemade cranberry juice made from simmered cranberries, water and sugar, strained clear and chilled. A bright ruby drink for Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings.

Prep
5 min
Cook
25 min
Total
3 hr 30 min
Yield
About 6 cups
Illustration of Cranberry Juice
AI-generated illustration, not a photo of this recipe.

Making cranberry juice from scratch is mostly hands-off: the berries simmer until they pop, the liquid drips through a cloth, and a little sugar rounds out the tartness. The result is a clear, deep red juice, and because you add the sugar yourself, it can be as tart or as sweet as you like.

This recipe from the KitchenSimplicity archive is a natural fit for the holidays, when fresh and frozen cranberries are easy to find. Pour it over ice for a Thanksgiving table, mix it half and half with ginger ale for a festive Christmas punch, or keep a pitcher in the fridge for the whole week.

Tips

  • Sweetness is personal: start with 1/2 cup sugar, taste after it dissolves, and add more a spoonful at a time.
  • Two 12-ounce bags of cranberries (680 g) work well in place of 600 g; the juice will simply taste a little stronger.
  • For a holiday spritzer, mix the chilled juice half and half with ginger ale or sparkling water.
  • Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Cranberry Juice

Prep
5 min
Cook
25 min
Total
3 hr 30 min
Yield
About 6 cups

Ingredients

  • 600 g (about 21 ounces, roughly 6 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, or to taste

Steps

  1. Combine the cranberries and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
  2. Lower the heat to medium, set the lid slightly ajar and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the berries have burst and softened.
  3. Line a colander or large sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Pour in the cranberry mixture and let the juice drip through on its own. Do not press or squeeze the fruit, which can make the juice cloudy and bitter.
  4. Discard the cranberry pulp and return the strained juice to the rinsed saucepan. Stir in the sugar.
  5. Bring the juice back to a boil, then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely.
  6. Let the juice cool to room temperature, then pour it into a pitcher or bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

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