This Homemade Cranberry Simple Syrup is a great way to use up some extra cranberries this holiday season! Made with just 4 simple ingredients, it's a great way to spruce up your favorite cocktails, like this cranberry old-fashioned.
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We love adding cranberry flavor to our drinks, especially in holiday cocktails. This easy recipe is the perfect way to add a little extra flavor.
We'll show you how simple it is to make this simple syrup with a sugar substitute, but it can also be traditional with regular sugar if you prefer.
Looking for more holiday drinks? Try this pomegranate gin cocktail, this Aperol sour, this pear martini, or this slow cooker mulled wine!
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❤️Why We Love This Recipe
- Perfect for the holiday time of year. When the temperatures start to drop, vibrant red festive cocktails are an incredible addition to any party. Use this simple syrup to mix into drinks for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even New Year's.
- Simple ingredients. You can find what you need for this recipe at any grocery store during the holiday season!
- Make ahead. This recipe is great to make ahead of time to save time when hosting during the holidays.
🍋Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this simple syrup. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Lemon juice. Optional, to preserve the freshness and shelf life of the simple syrup.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this syrup to delight your tastebuds.
- Orange flavor. Add in fresh orange juice, zest, orange peel, or even orange extract for an excellent flavor profile to complement tart cranberries.
- Spiced cranberry simple syrup. Add your favorite mulling spices like cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, nutmeg, or allspice. All of these warm spices will complement the cranberries well.
- Herbed. To lean into some of the savory flavors that are found on your holiday table, you can always add a little bit of fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage in with the cranberries while they boil to infuse it with flavor.
- Vanilla notes. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract once you take the syrup off the heat.
- Use a different sweetener. Experiment with different sweeteners to suit your palate! Honey, brown sugar, agave nectar, or maple syrup would make great options.
- Sugar free. We recommend allulose sweetener (affiliate link) as a zero-sugar option. Please note, that 1 cup sugar is equivalent to about 1 and ⅓ cups allulose, as allulose is slightly less sweet than sugar. Allulose will produce the best results, as it acts like sugar and won't crystallize in the fridge. Other sugar free options like erythritol or monk fruit sweetener can work, but they will begin to crystallize in the fridge.
🔪Prep work
- Squeeze lemon juice.
- Measure out the remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
In a medium saucepan, add cranberries, and water. (Image 1)
Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, until cranberries have softened or popped. (Image 2)
Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. (Image 3)
Pour the cranberry juice mixture back into the saucepan. (Image 4)
✨Pro tip: Don't press down on the cranberries when straining through the fine mesh sieve, or else your simple syrup will become cloudy.
Add in the sugar, (Image 5) and return the syrup to the stovetop over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sweetener.
Pour in the lemon juice. This should take about 5 minutes. (Image 6)
Allow to cool completely before adding to cocktails.
Enjoy it in drinks like this Cranberry Old Fashioned!
✨Tips & tricks
- Keep in mind that the syrup will thicken as it cools.
- Sweeten to taste. If you like your sauce to be sweeter, you can always add more. We recommend starting out with the recommended amount, then adding more as needed.
- Make this up to 10 days in advance and store it in the fridge to save time on the day you plan to mix up drinks.
- Make sure to cool completely before adding to cocktails, or else it will quickly melt the ice in your drinks.
💭Frequently Asked Questions
Allow to cool at room temperature, then store in an airtight container like a mason jar or a glass bottle with a lid in the fridge for up to 10 days.
To freeze, allow the mixture to cool at room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Don't freeze in glass, as it will expand and burst in the freezer.
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More Uses For This Syrup
There are a variety of winter cocktails where this simple syrup can become the key ingredient. Make a cranberry version of your favorite homemade cocktails this season! Here are a few suggestions we have.
- Cranberry Moscow mule - combine ginger beer with vodka, fresh lime juice, and some cranberry simple syrup in copper mugs.
- Cranberry mimosa - Combine sparkling wine and cranberry simple syrup.
- Cranberry vodka sodas - Combine seltzer water with vodka, lime juice, and homemade syrup.
Outside of cocktails, you can make mocktails, sweeten tea, oatmeal, or yogurt with this syrup, or drizzle some over top of ice cream.
Looking for more simple syrup recipes? Try our strawberry simple syrup, this raspberry simple syrup, or this blueberry simple syrup!
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Simple Syrup
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- wooden spoon
- mason jar
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 12 ounces water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (to preserve shelf life)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add cranberries, and water. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, until cranberries have softened or popped.
- Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Pour the cranberry juice mixture back into the saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar, and stir frequently to dissolve. Add in lemon juice.
- Allow to cool completely before adding to cocktails. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days, and freeze for up to 6 months.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Don't press down on the cranberries when straining through the fine mesh sieve, or else your simple syrup will become cloudy.
- Sweeten to taste. If you like your sauce to be sweeter, you can always add more sugar. We recommend starting out with the recommended amount and then adding more as needed.
- Make this up to 10 days in advance and store it in the fridge to save time on the day you plan to mix up drinks.
- Make sure to cool completely before adding to cocktails, or else it will quickly melt the ice in your drinks.
- If freezing, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Do not freeze in glass, as it will expand and burst in the freezer.
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