This homemade cranberry juice is sweet, tart, and refreshing. This juice is unlike any you’ll find at the grocery store. Because cranberries are sour, most brands add a lot of sugar to help sweeten the juice. When you make your own, you have the opportunity to control the amount of sweetener you use. That said, I doubt most people enjoy drinking juice with puckered lips – so I wouldn’t suggest drinking it sans sugar. I sweetened my juice with honey which adds a sweet floral touch to the beverage. I also use a couple of freshly squeezed oranges which gives the juice a nice hint of citrus flavor. I’m sure apple juice or apple cider would work well too.
I think moving forward I’m going to call this drink cranade (like lemonade…). Cranade is such a great name for this. This cranade can easily (and obviously) be made into an alcoholic drink. I suggest adding a splash of freshly squeezed lime and a little mint to your drink if you do.
It’s hard to keep up with research these days, but it seems like the consensus (for now) is that drinking cranberry juice now and then is good for you. It can potentially help prevent UTIs, and for men, it can possibly prevent prostate cancer. While I can’t attest to health benefits, I can tell you about the taste. This juice is sweet and tangy and the perfect drink during this festive time of year. 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh cranberries
- 2 oranges freshly squeezed
- 2 quarts water 8 cups water
- Sweeten to taste I used ¼ cup local raw honey - if you can't get local honey, try this: Organic Raw Honey
- cinnamon stick optional
- garnish with mint optional
Instructions
- Wash your cranberries and put them in a crockpot along with your freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Fill the crock-pot with water - enough to barely cover the berries and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- Strain the liquid from the berries - put into a pitcher and add sweetener of your choice.
- Allow the juice to cool then cover and refrigerate until cold.
- Add some alcohol if you'd like.
Notes
Save cranberries to make ice cubes!
Susan says
Very good! Only took 1 quart of water to barely cover 1.6 lbs of berries (had to press down on the berries because they float). Cooked for 4.5 hours, strained, and added 1/4 cup of white sugar. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Susan, great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Shelby says
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s definitely gonna be my go to for cranberry juice. And I love that I know what all the ingredients are! Thanks!
Kruti says
What do you mean by 4-5 hours in crockpot? I have an IP, should I use the slow cook mode for 4-5 hours? Can I pressure cook the cranberries for a shorter time?
Shawna says
Was so delicious! Also made my house small wonderful, I cooked mine with 4 short cinnamon sticks in it…. So good!! I’m on AIP protocol and was tired of tea and water 😁 Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Shawna, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Adam says
Thanks for sharing, this was delicious
My Heart Beets says
Glad you liked it!
Jerilyn says
Just finished setting this up and turning my crockpot on – can’t wait to taste the results. Love cranberries – great for H. Pylori and stomach issues and they taste great too. Hate store-bought sweetened juice. Going to use the leftover pulp for sauce for my pork tenderloin tonight!
My Heart Beets says
Jerilyn, let me know how this turns out for you! I love the idea of using the pulp as a sauce!
Eileen @ Phoenix Helix says
This recipe looks delicious AND it fits the paleo autoimmune protocol. So, thank you! I just started a weekly Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable through my blog, and I would love it if you linked up this recipe. I’m trying to expand resources for the AIP community.