Cranberry Juice Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 cups of cranberries
• 4 cups of water (more later, distilled will give the best taste. Filtered water works as well)
• ¼ - ½ cup sugar, honey, maple syrup (adjust to taste)

Optional: Lemon juice, orange juice, or cinnamon

Instructions

1. Rinse the cranberries, remove any stems, and damage berries.
2. In large pot combine cranberries and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, until the cranberries begin to burst and soften. This may happen sooner than 20 minutes. As the cook, use a potato masher or back of spoon to gently crush the berries and help extract more juice.
4. Remove from heat. Pour mixture through a fine mess strainer or cheesecloth. Press the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
5. Taste the juice. Adjust the sweetness. If you add more sweetness. Put the liquid back on the stove for 3 minutes to melt the sugar. They can turn gritty if you skip this step.

BEFORE YOU CAN READ THIS: You can use any size jar, including ½ gallon. This juice is very tart. If adding to tea, I suggest using ½ pints. If you want to make a ½ gallon for the shelf, then cut with water or another juice by ½. ½ cranberry juice ½ water or juice. Make a test sample: one tablespoon of mixture and 1 tablespoon of water/juice. Adjust until you like it. Then mix it to your taste.

Canning

WB 25 min for quarts, pints, & 1/2 pints. 30 min for ½ gallon jars.(times are good for all elevations)

December 19, 2025