Hot Spiced Cranberry Tea

Hot spiced cranberry tea is the perfect caffeine-free, alcohol-free drink to make for the holiday season or any occasion on cold winter days. This hot spiced cranberry tea smells and looks like Christmas in a mug.

The smell of cinnamon and other spices, mixed with citrus and cranberries, gives your whole house a warm, cozy, welcoming feel. The bright colours look delicious and elegant in a clear mug on a festively decorated table during Christmas.

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Possible Health Benefits of Cranberry Tea

Along with being pretty and aromatic, cranberry tea is full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and dietary fibre. Cranberries have been used in herbal medicine to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), lower cholesterol levels, protect against intestinal inflammation, and boost the immune system.

There is also some scientific evidence that cranberries help to lower blood pressure and enhance glucose metabolism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3823508/

Follow this easy recipe to make a delicious and healthy fruit tea.

Spiced Cranberry Tea Recipe Ingredients

2 ½ quarts of water (10 cups of water)

4 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries 

1 ¼  cups of white sugar (more if you like sweet tea) see note.

2 juiced oranges

1 juiced lemon

Lemon peel

Orange peel

12 whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

cheesecloth or bouquet garni bag

orange slices for garnish (optional)

lemon slices for garnish (optional)

Combine the water and cranberries, then bring to a boil in a large pot. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. The cranberries will make a popping noise as they cook. 

You can use a potato masher to help squeeze out more cranberry juice, but be careful around the hot steam.

Add the lemon juice, orange juice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks. Place the cloves, orange, and lemon rind in a square of cheesecloth, tied with a string, or in a bouquet garni bag (see note), and add to the pot.

Continue to simmer for another 45 minutes.

Remove the pot from the stovetop.

Place the lid on the pot and allow the mixture to steep for 1 hour.

Put the pot back on the stove and heat it just until warm.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and bouquet garni bag.

Strain the cranberry tea into mugs, adjust the sweetness to taste, and garnish with orange and/or lemon slices and a cinnamon stick.  This tea looks stunning in a clear glass mug.

Leftovers can be stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator. Put it in a pot to reheat, or serve cold over ice. Either way is delicious.

Notes About Spiced Cranberry Tea 

You can also use frozen cranberries in this recipe. Just use the same amount of frozen cranberries as fresh cranberries.

Orange or lemon peel can be used instead of sliced oranges or lemons for garnishing.

Lime juice can be substituted for lemon if you prefer.

This tea can also be prepared in the slow cooker. Just put all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. It makes your whole house smell amazing!

A bouquet garni bag is a small bag, usually made of cheesecloth and used to contain herbs and spices in soups and stews. They can also be used to contain loose-leaf tea or dried herbs for tea making.

You can make this tea unsweetened, then add sugar, raw honey, or stevia to the cup, or substitute stevia for the sugar. Substitute 1 cup of sugar for 18 to 24 stevia sweetener packets, 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon of undiluted stevia powder, or 1 teaspoon of a liquid stevia extract.

Cranberry tea makes a delicious hot drink on a cold day.