Easy Wassail Recipe (Non-Alcoholic)

Ingredients

Here are a few notes on some of the ingredients and preferred substitutions. For amounts, please see the full recipe card below.

• Apple juice or apple cider – You can use regular apple juice for this recipe, which will result in a clearer, sweeter wassail. Or you can use apple cider, which is just unfiltered pressed juice from fresh apples and a little less sweet. My preference is for honeycrisp apple juice or apple cider.
• Cranberry juice – Use an unsweetened cranberry juice that is 100% juice (and not cranberry cocktail), which provides a great tart flavor that makes an awesome substitute for the orange juice. You can also substitute pomegranate juice if you want higher antioxidants.
• Spices – It’s important to purchase whole cloves and cinnamon sticks rather than the ground versions, which wouldn’t give you an infused wassail and may be clumpy in texture.
• Honey – Honey, or maple syrup, is a completely optional choice if you want the recipe to be a bit sweeter. I personally leave this out as I feel the apple and cranberry are sweet enough.

How to Make Wassail (Slow Cooker and Stovetop)

Stovetop Method

1. Place the apple and cranberry juice into a large 6 quart pot (you can also use a Dutch oven for this).
2. Add in the spices and fruit – Add in the fresh apples, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and honey (if using). Stir to combine.
3. Simmer – Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and then immediately turn it down to a low simmer on low heat – this means tiny bubbles will appear around the edges of your pot. Cook for 30 minutes, until the spices have been infused and the house smells amazing. Then strain out the cloves and cinnamon and serve warm.

Crockpot Method

1. Place the apple and cranberry juice into a large 6-8 quart crockpot.
2. Combine the juices with the fresh apples and cranberries, as well as the spices and honey. Stir and cook on low heat for 1-3 hours.
3. Strain the cinnamon and cloves out of the mixture with a mesh spoon, and serve warm.

Serving Suggestions

Because wassail contains such strong flavors, I recommend serving it either with an appetizer, like these cream cheese tortilla roll ups, or at the end of the evening with a dessert, like these rosette cookies. Because it’s the perfect warm drink to have on its own, you can enjoy it while wrapping presents or as a great non-alcoholic drink for driving to look at Christmas lights.

Party Tip

If you plan to keep this warm for a party, you can use the “keep warm” setting on your slow cooker and arrange cups beside it so guests can help themselves. Store a dish to the side of the slow cooker with extra cinnamon sticks, cranberries, or star anise so guests can customize their cranberry wassail however they like!

Storage and Reheating

Wassail can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week in a large container. If you let it cool completely, you can pour it back into the juice bottles for easy re-use.

Freezer – For long term storage, you can freeze the cranberry wassail into ice cube trays or Souper Cubes for up to 6 months. Just pop one out and heat it up whenever you like!

To reheat – Microwave in 30 second increments till warmed through, or reheat slowly over medium low heat on the stovetop till warmed through – about 5 minutes.