Celebrate the season with this simple Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria flavoured with fresh cranberries and apples. This one is a crowd-pleaser for any season! Made with cranberry juice and apple cider, this red wine cranberry sangria is one your friends will love.
Any Spaniard will tell you that Sangria is not just a summertime drink. Adding seasonal fruit to red or white wine is an ideal way to celebrate in the fall and winter months too! This Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria tops my list of favourite ways to celebrate the season.
❤️Why you'll love this Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
- This red wine sangria is perfect for Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas or any time you want to celebrate!
- It's not too sweet, but not too tart.
- The base can be made ahead of time. Just add sparkling water when you're ready to serve.
- Adding fruits in season, like apples and cranberries makes it festive!
If you've been a reader of mine for a while, you probably know that sangria is my favourite drink! I sampled it in almost every tapa bar we visited during our trips to Spain, and NEVER tired of it! I've done my best to create different sangria recipes, like this Red Wine Citrus Pomegranate Sangria, ever since.
Jump to:
- ❤️Why you'll love this Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
- 🛒 Ingredients
- 🔪 Instructions
- 👍🏼 Top Tip
- ❓Hard apple cider vs. soft apple cider
- 🍷What kind of red wine should I use?
- ❓Are you supposed to eat the fruit in Sangria?
- Storage instructions
- 🍽 Serving suggestions
- 🗒 Celebrate year-round with these other sangria recipes, too!
- 📖 Recipe Card
🛒 Ingredients
Ready to make a pitcher of cranberry sangria? Before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about the ingredients you'll need and substitutions you can make.
red wine: one 750 ml (26 ounce) bottle.
apple cider: the "soft" non-alcoholic variety. See the note below about the difference between hard and soft apple cider. If you can't find apple cider, you can use pure unsweetened apple juice.
cranberry juice: unsweetened. If you can't find unsweetened cranberry juice, decrease the amount of honey in the recipe below.
Triple Sec: or other orange liqueur (Curaçao, Gran Marnier, Cointreau)
honey: or substitute with simple syrup made by heating equal parts of sugar and water over medium heat until dissolved.
cranberries: fresh or frozen, both will work just fine.
apples: freshly diced red and green apple cubes (no need to peel). You can also add cubes of fresh pear if you'd like.
sparkling water: to top off each glass and add some fizz!
cinnamon sticks: for garnish and a hint of warm fall spice!
This simple-to-make Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria is not too sweet, but not too tart, once you add a little honey or some simple syrup. I used pure, unfiltered cranberry juice and apple cider with no added sweeteners or preservatives, produced locally.
🔪 Instructions
In a large pitcher, combine red wine, cranberry juice, apple cider, Triple Sec, honey, cranberries and apple cubes. Stir and refrigerate.
At serving time, add ice to each glass. Fill the glasses two-thirds full with sangria, making sure each glass has some of the fruit. Top each glass with sparkling water and add a tall cinnamon stick as a stir stick. Enjoy!
👍🏼 Top Tip
While you can make this cranberry apple cider sangria and drink it right away, it's even better if you make it the day before. Let it chill in the fridge to allow the flavours and fruit to blend.
When you're ready to serve, top off each glass with ice and sparkling water.
❓Hard apple cider vs. soft apple cider
Apple cider can be "hard" or "soft." Hard cider is a fermented, alcoholic drink, but soft cider, (also called fresh cider), is unfiltered and non-alcoholic. It differs from apple juice in that it has not been filtered to remove coarse particles, so it appears a little cloudy. It is naturally sweet, but often has more of a tang than apple juice that has been filtered.
It's perfect when combined with cranberry juice in this sangria. However, if you can't find soft cider, you can use apple juice.
🍷What kind of red wine should I use?
You don't need to use an expensive wine in this sangria recipe. However, it should be one that you like! I usually use a Merlot or a Cabernet Sauvignon.
❓Are you supposed to eat the fruit in Sangria?
By all means! The fruit is delicious because it has been soaked in juice and alcohol. However, if it's awkward, it's not considered rude to leave it in your glass.
Storage instructions
If you have leftover Sangria, just pop it in the fridge for another day. Store it in a container with a lid. It will last for several days. The fruit will soften but you can always add fresh fruit and enjoy a glass another time!
🍽 Serving suggestions
Start your afternoon or evening off on a festive note by offering an assortment of finger foods to go with your Sangria! Check these ideas for popular appetizers.
20 Easy Finger Food Appetizers
🗒 Celebrate year-round with these other sangria recipes, too!
📖 Recipe Card
Cranberry Apple Cider Sangria
Ingredients
- 1 750ml (26 oz) bottle red wine
- 3 cups soft apple cider (non-alcoholic)
- 1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- ½ cup Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
- ½ cup honey* (or ½ cup simple syrup made by heating equal parts of sugar and water over medium heat until dissolved)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup freshly diced red and/or green apple cubes
- sparkling water to top off
- cinnamon sticks for garnish
Instructions
- Combine red wine, apple cider (or pure apple juice) cranberry juice, orange liqueur and honey (or simple syrup) in a large pitcher.
- Add cranberries and diced unpeeled apples. Chill overnight if desired.
- Serve over ice, if desired, filling glasses ⅔ full and topping off with sparkling water.
- Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a straw.
Sue Endress
Delicious! I made this for a group at a wine tasting party. Everyone loved it! I will definitely be making this at Thanksgiving, and probably doubling the recipe!
Elaine
That's great to hear Sue! I love this Sangria too, it's just so simple, by simply so good!
Lorilei
Best sangria I've ever had! I make it every Fall, made it last weekend and it will definitely be on the menu for Thanksgiving!
Elaine
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! Appreciated!
Celila
In the video you can see that the honey just fell to the bottom of the pitcher, not sure if anyone has noticed
Flavour & Savour
Yes, the honey will naturally sink to the bottom as it's heavier. You'll see in the Notes section of the recipe card it mentions this fact and recommends giving it a stir before serving. If you don't want to use honey, you'll see in the Ingredients section in the post that I suggested using a sugar-syrup instead. Sure hope this helps you! Thanks for commenting.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Celila, Yes, the honey will naturally sink to the bottom, as it's heavier. You'll see that I mentioned this in the Notes section of the recipe card. Other readers haven't found this to be a problem--just give it a stir before serving. I also included a suggestion to use sugar syrup as an alternative. Hope this helps! Thanks for your comment.
Jde94
I make this every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s always a hit! I use Merlot. Instead of honey, I just buy simple syrup already on the shelf! Best sangria ever!
Elaine
Happy to hear that!
Angie Pokryfki
Would spiced apple cider work for this? I have lots that I made this fall that I would like to use, but not sure about the spices and the wine.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Angie, I've never tried it with spiced apple cider, but I think it would be delicious!! If you try it, I'd love to hear what you think!
Ally
If I would like to double the recipe, can I just double each ingredient? So excited to try for thanksgiving!
Flavour & Savour
Yes! That will work. Happy Thanksgiving!
K8
This looks amazing! I was wondering if you thought sparkling apple cider would work in lu of sparkling water and apple cider? We would be serving it thanksgiving
Flavour & Savour
I’ll bet that will be delicious! I think that will work. It may be a little sweeter, so you might want to reduce the amount of sweetener. Taste and see what you like!
Tracy Greene
I added about 1/4 cup brandy, because my MIL always adds this to her recipe. It was perfect this way.
Flavour & Savour
Hi Tracy, Yes, you can certainly use brandy. In this recipe I used Triple Sec instead of the brandy. Cheers!
Hope
Light, easy, and delicious. Very good!