Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Juice

Bright, tart homemade cranberry apple juice simmered from fresh cranberries and apples, strained clear and sweetened to taste. Serve it cold over ice or warm with a cinnamon stick for a holiday table.

Easy gluten free vegan dairy free vegetarian

Prep: 10 min Cook: 25 min Total: 155 min Serves: 8

At a glance: This easy drinks and smoothies recipe yields 8 servings in about 2h 35m (10 min prep, 25 min cook). It uses 6 ingredients — including fresh or frozen cranberries, apples, water — and walks through 6 steps. Updated October 24, 2026. Browse more drinks and smoothies recipes or return to all gluten-free recipes.

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Cross-Contamination Warning for Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Juice: When preparing this drinks and smoothies recipe, clean the pot, sieve and cloth well if they were last used for anything containing flour, such as a gravy or a batter. Use whole cinnamon sticks rather than a spice blend.

Gluten-Free Notes for Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Juice: This juice is made only from fruit, water, sugar and lemon, all naturally gluten-free. Many bottled juice cocktails are fine too, but skip blends with added flavorings unless they are labeled gluten-free.

Scale Recipe:

servings

Ingredient amounts update automatically

Ingredients

Shop links on this page are for granulated sugar or pure maple syrup, plus more to taste, cinnamon stick. Buy the package that says gluten-free. A shared production line is the usual risk with these pantry items. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Confirm the product is labeled gluten-free before you buy.

12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries (about 3 cups), rinsed
3 medium apples, such as Gala or Honeycrisp, cored and chopped (no need to peel)
8 cups water
1/2 cup granulated sugar or pure maple syrup, plus more to taste Shop
1 cinnamon stick (optional) Shop
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1 Put the cranberries, chopped apples, water and cinnamon stick (if using) in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
2 Reduce the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20-25 minutes, until the cranberries have all burst and the apples are very soft.
3 Turn off the heat and lightly mash the fruit with a potato masher to release more juice. Remove the cinnamon stick.
4 Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel over a large bowl. Ladle in the fruit and liquid and let it drip through for about 10 minutes. Press gently; pressing hard pushes pulp through and clouds the juice.
5 While the juice is still warm, stir in the sugar or maple syrup until dissolved, then add the lemon juice. Taste and add more sweetener a spoonful at a time.
6 Cool the juice, then refrigerate it in covered jars until cold, at least 2 hours. Keep it refrigerated and use within 5 days. Shake before serving over ice.

Tips & Notes

Sweeten the cranberry apple juice after straining, not before. The tartness varies by batch, and it is easier to add sugar than to fix juice that is too sweet.
Save the strained cranberry and apple pulp. Stir it into plain yogurt, or blend it with a little sugar for a quick fruit spread.
For a warm holiday drink, heat the juice with a fresh cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and an orange slice for 10 minutes, then strain into mugs.

Common questions

What cross-contamination risk is specific to Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Juice?

Check fresh or frozen cranberries , rinsed, apples, such as Gala or Honeycrisp, cored and chopped, water before they go into Gluten-Free Cranberry Apple Juice. Clean the pot, sieve and cloth well if they were last used for anything containing flour, such as a gravy or a batter. Use whole cinnamon sticks rather than a spice blend.

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