Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure PolicyWith just a few ingredients you can make this delicious and seasonal Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup for use during this holiday season to flavor cocktails, desserts, and so much more.
Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup:
During the holiday season, I’m always looking for festive treats and cocktails (find my best Christmas cocktails HERE) that I can put together quickly that also feel special and have a seasonal taste. That is why I created this Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup.
Earlier this year I wrote a blog post all about making simple syrup. I shared some unique ways to flavor it and how I use it in my cooking and baking. I wanted to add a festive variation to my simple syrup repertoire and this Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup is the perfect addition.
Love Cranberry? Want More? Try These:
- Cranberry Orange Marmalade
- Cranberry French Toast
- Cranberry Pecan Pie
- Cranberry Old Fashioned
- Sugared Cranberries
- Cranberry Orange Walnut Tassies
I also have an entire blog post dedicated to my favorite cranberry-inspired recipes. You can find that HERE.
Uses for Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup:
I got the idea to make this simple syrup when I was at a local shop and they were selling what I assumed to be a similar syrup for over $20. (Yikes!) I thought about this product and knew that I could easily whip up something similar with ingredients I had at home and a bag of fresh cranberries.
My goal is to use this Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup to make a Spiced Cranberry Champagne Cocktail. (More on that soon.) But as with any simple syrup, I knew it would have other uses too including:
- cocktails
- lemonade/iced tea
- cakes and dessert
- ice cream topping
- topping for pancakes/waffles
- flavor addition to frosting/icing
I get excited thinking about all of the tasty possibilities!
While I haven’t had the opportunity to try this Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup in all of the listed variations, I did make my Spiced Cranberry Champagne Cocktails (I was wowed by how delicious they were and that they were so easy to make!) I will share the recipe for these in a separate blog post, but if you need it now, it’s just a splash of the syrup (you can add as much as you’d like) topped with your favorite Champagne or sparkling white wine. That’s it!
I garnished mine with fresh cranberries and a cinnamon stick. Voila!
One final thought: You could also give this Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup as a gift by packaging it in small bottles or jars. Then, pop it into a gift basket with some Champagne and beautiful glasses. If you want to go the non-cocktail route, you could package it up with my homemade pancake mix.
The choice is yours, but you’re going to need the recipe first. Let me walk you through the steps.
Kitchen Tools I Recommend for This Recipe:
Whether you’re wondering what equipment you’ll need for this recipe, curious about my favorite utensils, or if you’re just looking to stock your own kitchen, these are the kitchen tools I recommend for this recipe:
Want more? You can find the list of My Ultimate Kitchen Essentials HERE.
How to Make Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe:
In a large saucepan, add the cranberries, water, sugar, bagged mulling spices, sliced orange, and cinnamon sticks. I’ve provided a full list of the ingredients and detailed recipe instructions in a printable recipe card below.
I recommend bagging the mulling spices, but you can make this recipe without the bag as you will be straining the mixture.
I used my homemade mulling spices. You can find that recipe HERE. Perchance you don’t want to make your own, I recommend THESE. You can find the small cloth bags I used HERE.
Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bagged mulling spices.
Add a fine-mesh sieve to a bowl. Strain the syrup through the sieve. Use a wooden spoon to press out any liquid from the cranberries and oranges. Discard leftover solids.
Store the cranberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator (for up to 2-3 weeks).
And that’s it! Delicious and homemade Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup you can use in a variety of ways this holiday season. I hope you enjoy it!
If you give it a try, let me know what creative and flavorful ways you used it.
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Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe:

Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh cranberries
- 4 cups water
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mulling spices in a bag
- 1 orange sliced
- 3 cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add the cranberries, water, sugar, bagged mulling spices, sliced orange, and cinnamon sticks.
- Bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and bagged mulling spices.
- Add a fine-mesh sieve to a bowl. Strain the syrup through the sieve. Use a wooden spoon to press out any liquid from the cranberries and oranges. Discard leftover solids.
- Store the cranberry simple syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator (for up to 2-3 weeks).
This was so delicious! I did not discard the solids though, I used the cranberry mixture to combine with some vanilla yogurt and put it in my Ninja Creami! Best ice cream ever! Thanks for providing the recipe, it’s a double winner for sure. Spiced Cranberry simple syrup on pancakes and waffles are my favorite. I put dried cranberries in the pancake batter. Thanks so much!!
What a yummy syrup! A couple of my small bottles will be gifts. I did not discard the cranberry solids though as they tasted wonderful and will be a great spread on leftover turkey sandwiches!! Thanks so much, Merry Christmas
So easy! So festive! And so delicious! Thanks, Michael! We’ll be having with champagne for Christmas brunch.
Merry Christmas!
Gonna give this a go right now….my son is a huge old fashioned guy and think this add the perfect holiday twist!!!! Thanks so much. Merry Christmas
Love this, cant wait to try