Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (2024)

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This cranberry wassail recipe is the perfect drink to serve at any holiday celebration, or just a cozy night at home. It’s sweet, tart, and tangy, with just the right amount of spice.

Cranberry hot wassail is a unique twist on my mom’s classic sugar free wassail recipe. In my opinion, the cranberry kicks things up a notch and turns your wassail a gorgeous festive red. It’s also very healthy with no sugar, non-alcoholic, and filled with nourishing spices and fruits.

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (1)

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail, too,
And God bless you, and send you
A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.

The Wassail Song, 12th century England, author unknown.

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (2)

Apparently, wassail is an old-English word referring to the warm contents of a cup.

My mom makes her comforting classic wassail recipe every year, and it’s one of my favorite things about going home for the holidays. There’s nothing cozier than drinking a warm mug of wassail and watching a Christmas movie.

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (3)

Her traditional wassail recipe includes apple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, and mulling spices. But today we are adding tangy cranberry to the mix! Lots of other wassail recipes include sugar to sweeten, but this one is perfectly sweet with the juice alone.

This easy wassail recipe can be made on the stove top or crock pot. All you have to do is add the ingredients and heat gently, and it’s ready to serve!

More yummy hot beverages to try:

  • Turmeric Tea (a.k.a. Golden Milk)
  • Elderberry Tea

Cranberry Wassail Recipe Ingredients

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (4)

The healthy ingredients in this cranberry wassail recipe make it taste even better! It’s filled with fruit and antioxidant rich spices.

Apple, orange, and lemon juice

These juices are full of vitamin C and other antioxidants, perfect for fighting off winter illnesses. You can use frozen, from concentrate or fresh juices. I definitely recommend fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Cloves

Cloves add the perfect element of warm spice and are also antioxidant-rich, antibacterial, and good for digestion, the liver, and blood sugar (source).

Ginger

Ginger is one of my favorite spicy flavors and its amazing for nausea and inflammation. It’s also cancer fighting, good for the heart, and regulates blood sugar… is there anything it can’t do (source)?

Nutmeg

A little goes a long way with this bold yet delicious spice. It’s actually a potent pain reliever and is known to improve sleep and brain health (source).

Cinnamon

Not only is cinnamon delicious, it’s also amazing for oral health, skin health, allergies, and also inflammation and blood sugar stabilization (source).

Cranberries

Adding cranberries to the mix makes this recipe very unique and even more holiday-esque. I’m loving the tartness and color they bring to this hot wassail!

Cranberries are also filled with antioxidant phyto-nutrients, good for controlling blood sugar and improving cardiovascular health, according to World’s Healthiest Foods. Some studies have also shown cranberries to be great for urinary tract health.

It’s too bad we typically only eat them once a year! I tried to find cranberries in grocery stores at the end of August to decorate my healthy pumpkin roll and couldn’t find a single one. So if you have any cranberries left over, be sure to freeze them and use them in smoothies or other recipes.

BTW – this cranberry wassail would be the perfect companion to ahealthy pumpkin roll! Or, if you want a richer holiday drink, try Homemade Non Alcoholic Eggnog!

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Cranberry Wassail Recipe Notes

  • To some, this wassail may be a bit tart. I love how the tartness and sweetness balance each other out. But, if you like it sweeter, you could always add some raw honey to balance the cranberry or go back to traditional wassail.
  • This recipe is supposed to be simmered for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld. I was in a hurry so I could take photos and accidentally let it boil for a while! It still turned out great.
  • You’ll know the wassail is ready when the cranberries start to burst and release all their yummy goodness. There’s no need to mash them – your wassail will turn a gorgeous red without any effort.
  • Make sure to strain before serving for best results.
  • For fun, serve with a cinnamon stick to stir and a lemon or orange slice!
Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (6)

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (7)

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Healthy Cranberry Wassail

This cranberry wassail recipe with apple, citrus, warm spices, and tangy cranberry is the holidays in a cup! It’s also healthy – non alcoholic & sugar free.

Ingredients

  • 1quartapple juice
  • 1cuporange juice
  • 1/4cuplemon juicefresh squeezed
  • 1cupfresh cranberries
  • 1tbspfresh gingergrated
  • 2stickscinnamon
  • 6wholecloves
  • 1pinchnutmeg

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients into a large pot or crock pot. Heat gently.

  2. Allow wassail to simmer for at least one hour for flavors to meld together. It can be simmered up to 4 hours.

  3. Strain before serving.

  4. Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated.

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Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (9)

Are you crazy for cranberry? Try Lacto-Fermented Cranberry Apple Relish and Ginger Spiced Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange!

Or, if you want your home to smell even more Christmassy – create a Holiday Simmering Potpourri!

Can I ask a favor? If you enjoy this recipe, could you leave a recipe rating in the comments section? I’d really appreciate it!

What’s your favorite holiday recipe? Please pin this post and help spread the wassail-cheer!

With Joy,

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (10)

PIN IT!

Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (11)
Healthy Cranberry Wassail Recipe {the perfect holiday spiced drink} (2024)

FAQs

Is cranberry cocktail healthy? ›

High Vitamin C Content

of cranberry juice cocktail doles out a whopping 178 percent of your daily recommended value of vitamin C. Not only is vitamin C necessary for proper bone growth and muscle development, but it also helps improve your body's ability to absorb iron.

What is wassail drink made of? ›

What is Wassail? Wassail is like the tastier sister to Apple Cider. Traditional wassail was made with hard liquor, apples, brandy, and other spices. This recipe is made with cloves, apples, cinnamon, lemon, orange, ginger, and nutmeg and is a nonalcoholic wassail recipe.

Is cranberry juice good for your kidneys and bladder? ›

It is a long-held belief that cranberry juice supports urinary system health, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. But while cranberries support your lower urinary tract—from the bladder down—there is no known or scientifically confirmed effect on kidney function.

When should you not drink cranberry juice? ›

If you take aspirin regularly, as a blood-thinner, for example, or if you are allergic to aspirin, you should not take cranberry supplements or drink a lot of juice. Other medications: Cranberry may interact with medications that are broken down by the liver.

Is wassail good for you? ›

Because wassail is made with fruit juices and spices such as cinnamon and ginger, it can be soothing for a cold, and may even be helpful in easing congestion.

What's the difference between mulled cider and wassail? ›

There are very few differences between mulled cider and Wassail Punch. Both contain spices and some juice. One of the main differences is that mulled wine is often made with whole oranges. However, Wassail is traditionally made with apple juice.

What is in Trader Joe's wassail? ›

A sweetened blend of black currant, apple, and lemon juices, with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and orange peel, Trader Joe's Winter Wassail is a fruit punch whose flavors and aromas evoke the holidays. You can serve it chilled, over ice with bourbon; or warmed, in a big mug, with a cinnamon stick garnish.

Is Ocean Spray Cranberry cocktail healthy? ›

Enjoy the crisp, clean taste of real cranberries straight from the bog. It's a delicious way to get your daily dose of vitamin C and unique cranberry health benefits. It's good for you and your immune system.

Is ocean spray cranberry cocktail good for you? ›

Research shows drinking Cranberry Juice Cocktail daily can help maintain urinary tract health and help reduce the recurrence of urinary tract infections. In addition, you can get urinary tract health benefits from a variety of other products, including 100% Pure Cranberry Juice.

Which is healthier, cranberry juice or cranberry cocktail? ›

Since cranberries are a great source of vitamin C you'll get plenty in both kinds of juice, but you'll have the added benefit of other vitamins and minerals like potassium in the naturally sweetened cranberry juice, thanks to the added fruit. Both can be used interchangeably in recipes.

Which is healthier, cranberry juice or cocktail? ›

The calorie count and vitamin C amount in both juices is roughly the same, but 100% juice contains more nutrients from the additional fruits. Unless a drink recipe calls specifically for 100% cranberry juice or specifically for cranberry juice cocktail, you should be fine to use them interchangeably.

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