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    Home » Drinks

    Homemade Cranberry Juice

    Published: Sep 6, 2020 · Modified: Oct 25, 2023 · 4 Comments

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Save Recipe Saved!

    This easy homemade cranberry juice is made with fresh or frozen cranberries and water. No juicer or blender needed!

    homemade cranberry juice in a serving pitcher

    I really love cranberry juice.

    It's a little bit bitter and 100% delicious.

    My favorite cranberry juice is just that, only cranberry juice and no added sweeteners or other fruit juices. Depending on where you shop, that can sometimes be tricky to find at the grocery store!

    Happily, you don't need to buy it at the store, because homemade cranberry juice is incredibly easy and it tastes much better than store-bought juice.

    And no, you don't need a juicer.

    Want more juice recipes? Try making homemade ginger juice!

    Why Drink Cranberry Juice?

    Cranberries are packed with healthy anti-oxidants, are thought to help with urinary tract health, heart health, and more.

    In short, they're fabulous little berries that deserve a place in your diet.

    Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Cranberries?

    Either will work perfectly.

    Stock up on fresh cranberries when they're in season this fall.

    Make your favorite cranberry treats (like cranberry tarts, pear cranberry sauce, Instant Pot cranberry sauce, bourbon cranberry sauce, and cranberry baked Brie), and then toss extra bags of cranberries in your freezer.

    When you're ready to make juice, pull out the frozen cranberries and get started!

    How to Make Homemade Cranberry Juice

    Start with two cups of cranberries and five cups of water.

    Add the berries and water to a large pot and bring the water to a boil.

    Bring Cranberries + Water to a Boil
    Bring Cranberries + Water to a Boil

    As the berries cook in the hot water, they'll begin to burst.

    Once they start bursting, use a potato masher to mash the berries and release more of their juices. I own both this potato masher and this OXO ricer-style potato masher, and either would work perfectly here.

    Mash the Berries with a Potato Masher
    Mash the Berries with a Potato Masher

    After mashing, continue to boil the berries for about five minutes.

    Next, strain out the cranberries by pouring the liquid through a mesh sieve.

    Strain Through a Sieve
    Strain Through a Sieve

    At this point, you can sweeten the juice if you want to by stirring in your favorite sweetener (such as honey). If you like, you could also mix in other types of fruit juice (like apple juice) to sweeten the cranberry juice.

    I recommend tasting it before sweetening though, because (in my opinion) homemade cranberry juice is a little naturally sweeter than store-bought.

    Ways to Use Cranberry Juice

    I like to drink the juice on its own!

    It's also delicious in a glass with sparkling water (seltzer water), and cranberry juice is one of the main ingredients in the classic cosmopolitan cocktail.

    homemade cranberry juice in a serving pitcher

    This recipe is inspired by a cranberry mors recipe in the book Wild Drinks and Cocktails by Emily Han.

    homemade cranberry juice in a serving pitcher
    Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 4 votes

    Homemade Cranberry Juice

    This easy homemade cranberry juice is made with fresh or frozen cranberries and water. No juicer or blender needed!
    Author: Sarah Trenalone
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Chilling Time1 hour hr
    Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings: 5 people
    Calories: 18kcal
    Freezer Friendly?
    Yes
    Will It Keep?
    1 Week (Fridge), 1 Year (Freezer)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 5 cups water
    • 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
    • ¼ cup sugar, honey, or other preferred sweetener (Optional) Or sweeten with another juice (like apple or orange juice)

    Instructions

    • Add water and cranberries to a large pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
      Bring Cranberries + Water to a Boil
    • When cranberries begin to burst, use a potato masher to crush the berries. Boil for about 5 more minutes.
      Mash the Berries with a Potato Masher
    • Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve or strain through cheesecloth.
      Tip: Cheesecloth will yield the clearest juice without sediment, but a fine mesh sieve will catch most of the sediment.
      If desired, sweeten the cranberry juice.
      Strain Through a Sieve
    • To drink cold, cool to room temperature and then move the juice to the fridge to chill. (This juice is also delicious hot.)
      Store the strained cranberry juice in the fridge and use within a week or freeze and use within a year.
      homemade cranberry juice in a serving pitcher

    Notes

    Yields about 5 cups of cranberry juice.  This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
    Nutrition information assumes 1 cup of juice per serving, and does not include the optional sweetener.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 18kcal (1%) | Carbohydrates: 5g (2%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 1g (2%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Sodium: 13mg (1%) | Potassium: 34mg (1%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 2g (2%) | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 5mg (6%) | Calcium: 10mg (1%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!

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    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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    Comments

    All commentsQuestions
    1. Martin says

      January 20, 2021 at 2:02 am

      Its no big deal but when do you add the sugar.. Step 1 ,2 after you strain it..

      Reply
      • Sarah Trenalone says

        January 20, 2021 at 8:55 am

        Hi Martin, you could do either, but I prefer to sweeten after straining out the cranberries (because otherwise you're probably straining out some of the sweetener). It's in step 3 🙂

        Reply
    2. Linda Purl says

      May 05, 2021 at 6:35 am

      If I try this recipe in the blender so it gave the same taste?

      Reply
      • Alisha Trenalone says

        May 05, 2021 at 8:49 am

        Hi Linda! It won't have the same taste in the blender, because the berries actually need to boil. Otherwise they'll be bitter if they're not cooked. Hope this helps!

        -Alisha at Champagne Tastes

        Reply
    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

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