This homemade Cranberry Simple Syrup is a vibrant, tart-sweet addition for holiday drinks, desserts, and more. Made with just three ingredients, it brings a festive pop of color and flavor to any cocktail or mocktail.
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Homemade Cranberry Simple Syrup for Drinks
This easy homemade syrup combines the tartness of cranberries with the sweetness of sugar, creating a beautiful, jewel-toned syrup that’s bursting with flavor. Whether it’s for holiday cocktails, a new spin on your favorite mocktail, or a drizzle over vanilla ice cream, this cranberry simple syrup brings a bit of holiday season magic to any dish.
This cranberry simple syrup is not only a beautiful vibrant color but incredibly versatile and a great way to add a little festive flavor. Here are some favorite ways to incorporate it into your holiday season:
Drinks: Add a splash or replace plain simple syrup with cranberry in cocktails like margaritas, mojitos, and martinis, or mix it into a refreshing holiday mocktail or soda.
Hot Beverages: Stir it into tea, cider, or even hot chocolate for a sweet-tart twist.
Desserts: Drizzle over ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, french toast, waffles, or cheesecake for a holiday flair.
Uses For Cranberry Simple Syrup...
Try my Cranberry Margarita or my Cranberry Gin Cocktail.
Add to champagne and orange juice for a cranberry mimosa.
For an easy non-alcoholic mocktails add a little to seltzers, iced tea, or soda.
Substitute this syrup instead of plain simple syrup to make a cranberry moscow mule or cranberry old fashioned.
Equipment Needed
- Medium or Small Saucepan: To cook the cranberries and sugar together.
- Fine Mesh Strainer Affiliate Link: Essential for straining out the cranberry solids to achieve a smooth syrup.
- Rubber Spatula: For pressing the liquid through the strainer and getting every last bit of syrup.
- Airtight Container: For storing your finished syrup in the fridge, a glass jar works best for this.
Ingredients
- Fresh Cranberries - Frozen works just as well if fresh aren’t available.
- Water
- Granulated Sugar - For a classic take on this recipe use white sugar for the best result. If you want to change up the flavor feel free to use brown sugar or maple syrup instead.
Instructions
Combine Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, add the water, sugar, and cranberries.
Heat the Mixture: Set the saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Make sure you stir it so that all the sugar dissolves and isn't just resting on the bottom of the saucepan. Also here is where the cranberries pop.
Simmer: Let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. As it cooks, the cranberries will start to break down and release their color and flavor into the syrup.
Cool: Once done, remove the saucepan from heat and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature. Cooling helps the flavors meld and the syrup to thicken slightly.
Strain the Syrup: Place a fine mesh strainer Affiliate Link over a bowl or measuring cup. Pour the cranberry mixture through the strainer, using a rubber spatula to press down and extract as much liquid as possible. Set the strained cranberries aside (they’re delicious as a condiment or snack!).
Store: Transfer the syrup to an airtight glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. Due to the natural pectin in cranberries, the syrup may thicken and take on a jelly-like consistency as it cools—this is completely normal.
Tips, Tricks and Questions
If you like homemade cranberry syrup you might also like:
Cranberry Apple Shrub
Pumpkin Spice Simple Syrup
Cinnamon Simple Syrup
Sumac Syrup
Cranberry Simple Syrup
Get into the holiday spirit with this Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe. With three simple ingredients this is an easy way to add seasonal flavor to drinks and desserts!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries (or frozen)
Instructions
- Add the water, sugar, and cranberries to a saucepan. Bring to medium heat on the stovetop.
- Once the saucepan is at a light boil reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries should break down during this cooking time.
- Move the saucepan off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Using a fine mesh strainer strain all the cooked cranberries out from the syrup, use a rubber spatula to squeeze all the liquid out. Transfer the Cranberry Simple Syrup to a airtight glass jar for storage. To to the nature of cranberries this syrup will be thick and almost jelly like as it cools down, this is normal.
Notes
You can keep the cranberries from this syrup to eat. Try as is or add as a condiment to other foods.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 ounceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 103Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 0gSugar: 26gProtein: 0g
Nutritional data is automated and might not be 100% accurate, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
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