If you love cranberries, you will love this sweet and refreshing cranberry juice that has a mildly tart taste and a whole bunch of nutritional benefits. This red-colored drink is usually popular during the holiday season, but it can also be made year-round with frozen cranberries. Cranberries are naturally tart so when making your own juice, you have the option to adjust it’s sweetness.
How to Make Fresh 3-Ingredient Cranberry Juice
All you need are these three ingredients:
- Water
- Cranberries
- Sugar
Additional add-ons or Substitutes
- If you like more flavor, you can add freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- If you are staying away from refined sugar, I have also used this recipe with a sugar-free option by substituting the sugar for honey or maple syrup. You can just add it to taste.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- 4 cups water
- 8 oz organic cranberries
- sugar to taste
Just Two Steps in How to Make Homemade Cranberry Juice!
Step 1: Pour water into a large pot, and add cranberries. I use fresh cranberries when they’re in season, but using frozen is fine too. Bring the water to a boil.
Step 2: When it starts to boil, add sugar to make it a bit sweeter since the cranberries are bitter. Add sugar to your taste.
- The cranberries will burst. Boil for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Usually, we enjoy this cranberry juice hot or warm. I like to use this fine strainer, straining it into a thermos so it stays warm to enjoy throughout the days. (You can also serve it cold.)
Health Benefits of Cranberries
I like cranberry juice, especially during the cold season. I started drinking cranberry juice for health reasons. To me, it’s like a superfood. You can consume them in the form of cranberry sauce or juice and still get the benefits of the berry. People use cranberries to treat bladder infections and kidney diseases. Cranberries are also great to treat stomach issues and urine infections (this is a popular one).
Other Homemade Drinks You May Enjoy:
Equipment I Used

Cranberry Juice
Equipment
- pot
- wooden spatula
- thermos
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 8 oz organic cranberries
- sugar to taste
Instructions
- Into a pot add 4 cups of water and 8 ounces of cranberries, then bring to a boil.
- When it starts to boil, add sugar to make it a bit sweeter since cranberries are bitter. Add sugar to your taste.
- The cranberries will be popping. Boil for another 5 minutes, then turn off heat.
- This drink we enjoy hot, I strain it into a thermos so it stays warm to enjoy through the days.
Congratulations Amy!
Great blog! I am loving it!! Will come back again. I am taking your feeds also.
Thank you Bettie!