This Cranberry Simple Syrup is a delicious and easy homemade syrup, perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It comes together in less than 30 minutes and it's amazing in cocktails, mocktails, and more! If you're looking for a festive holiday syrup, definitely give this one a try! It's easy to make and freezer-friendly!
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Why You'll Love This Cranberry Syrup
Perfect for the holidays - Just like homemade Cranberry Sauce, this cranberry simple syrup is a delicious addition to your holiday dinner! It's perfect for Thanksgiving and you can make countless festive cocktails and mocktails with it. The options are endless but I love it in this Cranberry Orange Margarita!
Amazing cranberry flavor - Forget store-bought syrups, this cranberry syrup is bursting with flavor! It doesn't have any flavorings, added colors, or preservatives. Just cane sugar, water, and fresh cranberries! It's so simple but so good. This syrup has a beautiful red color and the flavor will shine in any cocktail.
Simple and easy to make ahead - This syrup takes less than 30 minutes to make and it has only 3 ingredients. You can store it in the fridge for 2 weeks and it's freezer-friendly as well! Make it ahead of time for your holiday party to make shaking up your cocktails a breeze!
Ingredients
- Cranberries - You can use fresh or frozen cranberries and there's no need to defrost them! I like using frozen cranberries because it allows you to make this syrup practically any time of the year.
- Cane sugar - I use cane sugar in most of my syrup recipes because it has a very neutral flavor and it's less processed than white sugar.
- Water - Use filtered water whenever possible for the best flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
- A different sweetener - You can use brown sugar or maple syrup to add more flavor to the syrup. Maple syrup is my favorite option, it's such a great sweetener for fall and winter. I also used it in this Orange Maple Cranberry Sauce.
- Cranberry juice - If you don't have cranberries or want to save time straining the cranberries, you can skip them and use 100% cranberry juice instead of the water in the recipe!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add water, cane sugar, and cranberries to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer stirring constantly just until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer the syrup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and let the syrup rest for 10 minutes before straining through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring jar or a bowl.
- Push on the cranberries a little bit with a spoon to release more of their juices and the syrup.
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- Pour the syrup into an airtight jar and wait for it to cool before closing with a lid.
- Store the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Expert Tips
- This syrup has almost a jello-like consistency once cooled, similar to canned cranberry sauce. This is due to cranberries being high in pectin. They burst as they simmer and release their pectin into the syrup. This is unavoidable because you have to simmer them to give the simple syrup a cranberry flavor. When you stir the refrigerated syrup, it loosens up and becomes easier to scoop or pour out of the jar again.
Serving Suggestions
- Cocktails - This syrup is delicious in practically any holiday cocktail! Try it in this Cranberry Orange Margarita or any cocktail with bourbon, whiskey, dark rum, vodka, or tequila.
- Mocktails - You can make any cocktail you'd use this syrup in into a mocktail or try it in a mocktail of your own! It's delicious mixed with lemon juice, orange juice, and sparkling water (try it with cranberry LaCroix). You can even mix it with herbal syrups like this Thyme Simple Syrup or this Sage Simple Syrup.
- Sodas and lemonades - Why not make a cranberry lemonade? Or just mix it with orange juice and lots of ice for a refreshing drink! Add some rose
Storing
You can store this syrup in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Always use a clean spoon to prevent it from going bad sooner. If you don't think you'll use up all of it, I recommend freezing the syrup while it's still fresh. You can store it in a freezer-safe container for 2-4 months.
Keep in mind that if you skip the cane sugar and make this syrup sugar-free, it probably won't keep as long in the fridge because sugar acts as a preservative here.
FAQs
If you don't have time to make your own syrup or want to be able to store it at room temperature, I like Monin Cranberry Syrup. Torani is also another popular syrup brand but I've never tried it.
Yes, you can! You don't have to defrost them either! Just use them the same way as you would fresh cranberries.
Cranberries tend to be very tart so it will take a lot of sugar to make the syrup just sweet and not tart. If you taste the syrup right after cooking and you find it's not sweet enough, stir in 1 or more tablespoons of cane sugar while it's still hot. The sugar will dissolve and make the syrup sweeter. No need to simmer it again.
Similar Recipes
If you love this syrup and want to try some similar ones you can use during the holidays for your Thanksgiving or Christmas cocktails, try the four below! To see all the latest ones, head over to Flavored Syrups.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Simple Syrup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 ⅓ cup 1x
- Category: Flavored Syrups
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Cranberry Simple Syrup is a delicious and easy homemade syrup, perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It's amazing in cocktails, mocktails, and more!
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
- Add water, cane sugar, and cranberries to a medium saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer stirring constantly just until the sugar dissolves.
- Lower the heat and simmer the syrup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and let the syrup rest for 10 minutes before straining through a fine mesh strainer into a large measuring jar or a bowl. Push on the cranberries a little bit with a spoon to release more of their juices and the syrup.
- Pour the syrup into an airtight jar and wait for it to cool before closing with a lid.
- Store the syrup in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Jello-like syrup: The more you push on the cranberries when straining through the fine mesh strainer, the more cranberry puree will be in the syrup. This will cause the syrup to have a jello-like consistency, similar to canned cranberry syrup. This isn’t a quality issue, you will just have to stir the syrup every time to make it pourable.
Storing: Store the syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Store it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2-4 months.
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