Lightly effervescent and loaded up with fruit, this recipe for virgin sangria is extra refreshing and tastes much fancier than just a blend of juices. It's an easy prep-ahead party recipe that everyone can enjoy.
If I'm being honest, red sangria wouldn't be my first choice of beverage at a party. I worry that it'll be too heavy and sweet for my taste, and will take 2+ hours for me to make my way through a glass.
No longer! Would you believe that I actually prefer this virgin sangria over traditional, alcoholic red varieties? It's lighter, more refreshing, and is a fun drink suitable for everyone at the party to enjoy.
(Psst - if you're looking for a singular mocktail, a mojito mocktail or margarita mocktail are two of my very favorites).
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- A few intentional ingredients provide this sangria mocktail with a wonderfully spiced-up flavor that makes this drink taste a lot fancier than it is.
- Requiring several hours to chill to let the flavors meld, this is a perfect prep-ahead drink for a party. Plus it's easy to then just pour out glasses to serve a crowd.
- Mocktails are an excellent option to have available at a get-together. There are so many reasons someone may choose not to drink alcohol on a particular day.
Non-Alcoholic Sangria Ingredients
- Grape juice: Combining purple and white grape juices produces a reddish tint to this non-alcoholic sangria base and makes the grape juice flavor a bit more complex, which is welcome as it's replacing wine. While you can use red grape juice, in my experience this is hard to find in stores, so I just use the more readily available purple and white.
- Pomegranate juice: This provides a tart burst that adds to the "I'm drinking a fancy mocktail" vibe vs. "I'm drinking fruit juice". Look for a variety that's 100% juice with no added sugar.
- Orange juice: Freshly-squeezed is best. Six ounces will come from about three smaller/medium oranges or two larger ones.
- Lemon juice: A duo of citrus juices further adds to the fancier flavor here. Two ounces will come from one large lemon or two smaller ones.
- Fruit: One lemon, orange, and green apple soak in the flavors while chilling for a classic sangria accompaniment.
- Cinnamon stick: An ingredient in traditional sangria recipes, this brings a subtle background spice that ties all of the flavors together.
- Sparkling water: Providing bubbles, this lightens up the juices and makes this virgin sangria even more refreshing. Both sparkling water and club soda work.
- Ginger beer: The other half of the carbonation equation, I *love* the flavor one can of this brings to this drink as it balances the sweetness well. Ginger beer is non-alcoholic. You can replace this with more sparkling water if you prefer not to use.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- First prepare your fruit. Slice a lemon and an orange into rounds, then slice each round into quarters to form thin wedges. Remove the core and seeds from the apple and chop it into small pieces.
- Add the cut fruit to a large pitcher along with a cinnamon stick (pictured is a large cinnamon stick cut in half). With a wooden spoon, lightly press on the fruit to release some juice.
- Pour the grape juices, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and lemon juice into the pitcher and give everything a big stir. Don't add the carbonated ingredients yet as they'll start to go flat in the time this non-alcoholic sangria takes to chill. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and refrigerate for around two hours (or longer) so the flavors meld.
- Once ready to serve, stir in the sparkling water and ginger beer. Pour into glasses over ice.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If you don't have a large enough pitcher for soaking the fruit in the juice, you can use a large bowl. Just cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Once the carbonated ingredients have been added, divide it out (including the fruit) into smaller pitchers for serving.
- I recommend not adding ice to the pitcher as it will dilute the flavor once it melts. Instead add ice to the individual glasses and pour the sangria and fruit over top.
- Have extra pomegranate juice? Consider making pomegranate vinaigrette. This easy dressing tastes so cozy!
Recipe FAQs
What can you do with leftover sangria?
Strain leftover virgin sangria into ice cube trays and freeze. I don't freeze the fruit as the texture would change. Simply let these sangria cubes thaw in a glass in the refrigerator to enjoy at a later date.
How can I change up this recipe?
As with many drink recipes, there's a good amount of wiggle room here. You can use red grape juice, if you can find it, in place of the purple and white juices. 100% juice cranberry juice (not cocktail) can replace the pomegranate juice. If you're not sure you'll like the ginger flavor, add a little, then take a taste. You can add more sparkling water in its place.
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Non-Alcoholic Sangria (Virgin Sangria)
Lightly effervescent and loaded up with fruit, this recipe for virgin sangria is extra refreshing and tastes much fancier than just a blend of juices. It's an easy prep-ahead party recipe that everyone can enjoy.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 127kcal
Ingredients
- 1 medium orange sliced into rounds, then quartered
- 1 medium lemon sliced into rounds, then quartered
- 1 medium green apple cored and chopped
- 1 large cinnamon stick
- 16 ounces (2 cups) purple grape juice
- 8 ounces (1 cup) white grape juice
- 8 ounces (1 cup) pomegranate juice
- 6 ounces (¾ cup) freshly-squeezed orange juice (from 2-3 oranges)
- 2 ounces (¼ cup) freshly-squeezed lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
- 12 ounces (1 ½ cups) sparkling water or club soda or to taste
- 12 ounces (1 ½ cups) ginger beer or more sparkling water
Instructions
- Slice the orange and lemon into thin rounds, then cut each round into four equal segments. Discard the seeds. Remove the core and seeds from the apple, then chop it into small pieces.
- Place the cut fruit and cinnamon stick into a large pitcher with at least a 72-ounce capacity and lightly press down on it with a wooden spoon to release some juices. See notes for what to do if you don't have a pitcher that large.
- Pour the purple and white grape juices, pomegranate juice, orange juice, and lemon juice into the pitcher and give everything a big stir. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to a day in advance, so the flavors can meld.
- Just prior to serving, add the sparkling water and ginger beer to the pitcher and stir to combine.
- Add ice to individual glasses and pour in sangria and fruit to serve.
Notes
Ingredient Notes
Fruit: If your fruit are on the larger side or if you're concerned you may not have enough room for everything, considering not adding all of the cut fruit to your pitcher at the start. Once the liquid has been added you can decide if you'd like to add the rest.
Grape juice: If you can find non-carbonated red grape juice you can use that in place of the purple and white grape juices to cut down on the ingredients.
Pomegranate juice: Look for a variety that's pure pomegranate juice with no sugar added (it's not unsweetened) as this will provide the boldest flavor.
Ginger beer: This is non-alcoholic. Sold in cans, it can usually be found in the soda aisle or near the drink mixers. It has a stronger flavor and much more of a "bite" than ginger ale.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- If you don't have a large enough pitcher to fit everything, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, then portion out into smaller pitchers for serving.
- Add ice to the individual serving glasses rather than the pitcher. If added to the pitcher, it would dilute the flavor as it melts.
- Serving Size: This recipe yields 64 ounces of liquid in total, plus fruit. Estimating eight ounces of sangria per serving, this would yield eight servings.
- Leftover Sangria: This can stay refrigerated for a few days, though you may wish to discard the fruit if it gets too mushy. You can also strain leftover sangria into ice cube trays and freeze to enjoy at a later date.
Nutrition
Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.2g | Protein: 0.6g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 14mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 29.3g | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 1mg
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Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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