The Thanksgiving fruit is cranberries. It’s sweet, tart, and jammy, and the perfect addition to, not just Turkey, but coffee and matcha. And what better way than to make a homemade cranberry simple syrup that will make it convenient? You can make this easy cranberry syrup in 3 ways and in less than 10 minutes.

Here’s how to make cranberry simple syrup for cocktails, drinks, and more at home!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s simple and easy to follow, you’ll only need to make it once to remember!
• Makes the easiest cranberry syrup, good with everything.
• Use leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving and make Christmas cocktails!
• You can use it on toast, for cakes, in tea, and more.
• It tastes soooo good.

What is Cranberry Simple Syrup?

Cranberry simple syrup is a cranberry-infused simple syrup made with equal parts sugar and water. The cranberries break down into a thick syrup thanks to their high pectin level. That’s why cranberry sauce or jelly is so easy to make; it’s naturally thick.

On their own, cranberries are extremely tart, but with sugar, it’s much nicer on the palate. You basically douse craberries in sugar to make them edible, haha. But like the sauce, cranberry simple syrup is insanely easy to make and so versatile.

What to Do With Cranberry Syrup

You can use cranberry simple syrup to make your favorite cocktails, mocktails, and punch! It’s the perfect winter party flavor and goes with a lot of fruit and juice. I love a good cranberry and orange mocktail or a cosmopolitan and vodka cranberry.

However, I use this syrup more often for cafe-inspired beverages. I love a cranberry matcha latte or a regular cranberry latte. You can use this in sparkling water or spritzes, lemonade, or even tea. It’s a great sweetener when you want something tangy, citrusy, and sweet.

Where to buy cranberry simple syrup. If you’re in a pinch and need something ASAP, you can buy cranberry syrup online from most flavored syrup brands. I’ve seen it from Monin and 183, but smaller, indie brands also have their version! I rarely see them in grocery stores since the flavor is niche.

Cranberry Simple Syrup: What You’ll Need

Equipment:

• 1 small to medium-sized pot
• 1 mason jar
• 1 small strainer

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, or cranberry juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water

Cranberry Syrup Recipe

1. For Dried Cranberries: Rehydrate the cranberries in a cup of warm water until soft, then follow the steps below without sugar.
2. Cook Syrup. Add fresh cranberries, sugar, and water to a pot, then simmer on low to medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes. Cover the pot with a lid to prevent cranberries from popping and splashing you.
3. Once all the cranberries have popped, use a spoon or potato masher to smash the cranberries down to release any extra juice. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes, then turn the heat off.
4. Strain Syrup. Let the syrup cool slightly before straining out the cranberry pulp. Store the cranberry syrup in a mason jar or another airtight container. Let it cool completely before storing in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
5. For Cranberry Juice: Replace the sugar, water, and fresh cranberries with 1 cup of juice and simmer on medium heat until it reduces to your desired texture.
6. Store and Enjoy! Use this delicious cranberry simple syrup in cocktails, coffee, matcha, and more

How to Store Cranberry Syrup

You want to store homemade syrup in an airtight container or bottle. A mason jar is the perfect example because it has a lid that makes an airtight seal. A syrup pump bottle works as well, but I would remove the pump and screw the cap on for longevity.

Why airtight? You want to minimize exposure to air, so no bacteria or contaminants get in and ruin your syrup. Even a single spore ruins an entire batch!

Syrups should be refrigerated as well to inhibit any bacterial growth. And if you’re not planning to use the syrup in the next week, consider freezing the leftovers. You can freeze the syrup in ice cube trays or in small bottles, then defrost before you need it.

I recommend labeling your container as well, so you know what it is and when you made it.

What to Do With Cranberry Pulp

The cranberry pulp looks so edible… right? Well, luckily it is! It’s basically sweetened cranberry pulp that you can use in oatmeal, yogurt, bars, cookies, etc. It has the texture of a candied cranberry that hasn’t been dried yet.

You could also throw it into melted chocolate for a chocolate cranberry treat. Maybe add it to a smoothie for some extra fiber.

If you don’t want to eat it, you can always compost it, too.

Tips for the Best Cranberry Simple Syrup

• Cover the Pot: If you didn’t know (I didn’t), cranberries POP when you cook them. To protect your skin from hot water, cover the pot when cooking the syrup. Once you don’t hear any more popping, remove the lid and continue cooking the syrup.
• Add More Sugar: Cranberries are super tart and sour. If your syrup tastes a little more sour than you would like, add a little bit more sugar and retaste. You’ll want to add sugar slowly, maybe a tablespoon at a time.
• Add Spices: Cranberries are amazing with spices and other fruits. If you want a festive cranberry syrup, add some pumpkin pie spice or a blend of your favorites. Cinnamon and nutmeg are classic pairings, perfect in a seasonal mocktail or cocktail.
• Use Boiled Water: To jumpstart your syrup, boil some water in a kettle and add it to the fruit and sugar. It will make your syrup even faster to make since you won’t have to wait for the water to boil on the stove. This is my favorite hack!

How to Make Dried Cranberry Simple Syrup

Now, if you don’t have fresh or frozen cranberries available, you can also make syrup with dried cranberries. There’s a ton of sugar in dried cranberries; otherwise, they would be non-edible.

Start by rehydrating the dried cranberries in a cup of warm water; it might take 10 – 30 minutes for them to soak up the water. What you really want is for them to be soft; they don’t need to be fully plump to make dried cranberry syrup.

Once soft, heat the syrup on low to medium heat until jammy. Since dried cranberries are sweet, we don’t need to add sugar. However, if you want it sweeter, feel free to add some sugar! Mash the cranberries if you want more cranberry flavor, then strain to get the liquid syrup.

How to Make Cranberry Juice Simple Syrup

If you don’t have fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries, you can also make simple syrup from cranberry juice. This is probably the easiest and most convenient way to make syrup, as there’s no pulp to deal with.

Add the juice to a pot and simmer on medium heat until it’s cooked down to the consistency you want. This can take up to 10 minutes. Then, it’s ready to use! Beware that it might be extremely sweet since it’s from juice, which has a lot of sugar added.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do cranberries taste like?

Cranberries are tart, sour, and slightly bitter. While they look cute and tasty, they’re actually horrendous without a sweetener. With sugar, cranberries taste like a tangy and sweet candy!

How long does cranberry simple syrup last?

Cranberry syrup lasts about 2 – 3 weeks in the fridge, maybe sometimes up to a month if you store it really well. The main thing is to minimize exposure to air and to be in a chilled environment. You can freeze leftover syrup to use later, too.

Why is my syrup jelly?

Cranberries have a very high level of pectin, a natural plant fiber that binds and thickens liquid. Instead of gelatin, you can use pectin to make gelled foods or sauces. Since cranberries have them naturally, it ends up giving the syrup a gel texture. This is totally normal, and if you give it a shake, the syrup will go back to a semi-liquid texture.

Other Simple Syrup Recipes to Try

Once you make this cranberry simple syrup, you’ll realize just how easy it is to make homemade syrup! And there are so many delicious flavors to make and use in your at-home beverages. Here are some other simple syrup recipes you should try next:

• Rosemary Simple Syrup
• Blueberry Simple Syrup
• Lavender Simple Syrup
• Brown Sugar Syrup