It took several tries to come up with a Non Alcoholic Sangria recipe that I was excited to share with you. The problem with most virgin sangria recipes is that they just taste like sweet fruit juice and lack anything that resembles the boozy component of a classic sangria.
I was after a Non-Alcoholic Sangria that was just as delicious and satisfying as the original Spanish alcoholic punch. And you know what, I discovered the secret. It came down to one unexpected ingredient that mimics the flavor of alcohol - can you guess what it is?
Orange Bitters.
Have you ever tasted them straight? They taste decidedly similar to Triple Sec, a common component in Sangria.
Jump to:
Ingredients You Need to Make Non Alcoholic Sangria
- Hibiscus Tea: I used Tazo brand 'Passion'
- Honey: or maple syrup or agave nectar
- Lemon: for lemon juice and zest
- Orange Juice: fresh orange juice is best!
- Alcohol Free Orange Bitters: I used Fee Brothers brand
- Orange: fresh orange wedges
- Apple: your favorite apple variety
- Grapes: red or green or a mix
What is Sangria?
With roots in Spain and Portugal (traced back to the 18th century), sangria is a refreshing punch made traditionally with red wine, chopped fresh fruit, and often sparkling water and brandy or a flavored liqueur. There are endless variations both with the classic and this non-alcoholic version.
Recipe Options
- Add some sparkle with flavored or plain sparkling water, club soda or sparkling apple cider.
- Bump up your citrus with fresh lime juice and/or fresh grapefruit juice.
- Instead of or in addition to honey, add sweetness with white grape juice or apple cider.
- Splash in some pomegranate juice or cranberry juice (sweetened or unsweetened).
- Experiment with different kinds of fresh fruit: mangoes, pears, or even fresh cranberries are good options.
How to Make Non-Alcoholic Sangria
For the fruit base, I loaded a pitcher with grapes and slices of apples and oranges. For the liquid portion, I started with a base of hibiscus tea, fresh orange juice and a honey lemon simple syrup then added a generous amount of orange bitters - the perfect way to achieve an alcohol-free sangria to get excited about!
How to Serve
If you're serving this sangria mocktail at a casual get-together, people may not mind sipping around large slices of fruit and fishing them out with their fingers. But for more formal holiday parties, consider straining the sangria into ice filled glasses and garnishing each with a cocktail pick strung with bite size pieces of fruit. You can always munch on the sangria soaked fruit after everyone has gone home. 😉
More Delicious Mocktail Recipes
Non Alcoholic Sangria
Ingredients
- 6 tea bags hibiscus tea I used Tazo brand 'Passion,' see recipe notes
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 ½ cups ice cubes
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ lemon juice and zest
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tablespoons alcohol free orange bitters I used this brand
- 1 orange sliced into thin rounds
- 1 apple halved, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup grapes red or green or a mix
Instructions
- Place tea bags in a 4 cup measuring pitcher (or larger). Pour boiling water over and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags, pressing bags against pitcher side with the back of a spoon for maximum flavor. Add ice cubes and stir.
- Meanwhile, add honey and water to a small saucepan over low heat. Heat just until honey liquifies and can easily be stirred into the water. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Set aside to cool.
- Transfer tea and any remaining ice cubes to a large pitcher (64-ounces or larger). Stir in honey simple syrup, fresh orange juice and bitters. Stir to combine.
- Add orange and apple slices and grapes; gently stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least an hour and up to overnight. Serve.
Notes
- If you use loose tea in place of tea bags, use ½ ounce for this recipe.
- Soak the sangria for at least an hour or as long as overnight before serving. Stir just before serving.
- I prefer sangria that's lightly sweet. If you like yours sweeter, double the honey simple syrup. For a vegan version, swap in maple syrup or agave nectar for honey in the syrup. Or sweeten with apple cider, apple juice or white grape juice.
- Many bitters start with base of alcohol, if you prefer to use bitters made without alcohol, these bitters are a good option.
- If you like sparkly sangria, add club soda or even flavored sparkling water: orange, lime, lemon or berry would be delicious!
- Feel free to add more or less fresh fruit or even different fruits to suit your taste. And don't hesitate to experiment with different fruit juices, unsweetened pomegranate juice or cranberry juice would be great.
I found this recipe to make a few years ago for the family matriarchs 85th birthday fiesta and nobody could believe it was not "real" alcoholic sangria! I also made it for a game night with friends so everybody could embibe with no fear when it came time to drive home. Now I am in the middle of a no alcohol 30 day weightloss challenge and feeling the urge for a bit of wine so I just made it again for myself to sip - I LOVE THIS RECIPE- other non alcoholic sangria recipes are basically a lot of sugary juice, THIS recipe is amazeballs and I will turn to it everytime - it is DELICIOUS and best of all, satisfying!
aww...I love to hear this, Jen! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Recipe looks amazing! Love the addition of tea! If going to serve chilled, I recommend freezing the grapes. They won't water drink down like regular ice, look pretty and they taste amazing frozen, if you happen to eat one (or two) before they melt! With this treat, non drinkers and designated drivers will never feel like they are missing out! 😋
Love the idea of frozen grapes! Thanks, Tonya. 🙂
I'm looking to make this recipe tonight but could find orange bitters. If I substitute this with sparkling water do I use the same amount as the orange bitters called for?
Hi there, Jen. 🙂 I'm thinking you mean orange flavored sparkling water? Orange bitters are very concentrated, so you don't need much to go along way. If you're using flavored sparkling water, I would just add it to taste. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I just found this recipe and it does sound really, really good....BUT I am wondering if you could make it in a slow cooker and serve warm for winter parties??? more like mulled wine? I'm looking for something more unique than mulled cider for an open house type event.
Hi Nancy! Sure, I think that would be great. You might toss in a cinnamon stick for part of the time too!
This sounds really great! Great ideas! The only issue is that for someone who is wanting a completely non-alcoholic drink, for personal or religious reasons, it wouldn't work because bitters are made with an alcohol base.... Awesome recipe, though!!! thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Aleina, thanks for your kind words! Many bitters are made with a base of alcohol, but there are good options that are completely alcohol free. Stirrings brand makes great Blood Orange Bitters that are made without alcohol.
You must have missed it. She provided an alternative to bitters made with alcohol in #4 of the instructions, as there are some options for ones without it. 😊
I think it's so great that you've done a non-alcoholic sangria recipe! Pregnant women all over will celebrate! 😉 I would have loved this when I was pregnant in the summers, and I will love it now since I'm nursing and can't go tooo crazy with the alcohol. Wonderful work, Marissa!
Aww, thank you so much, Katherine!
What a great tip about using orange bitters---that's genius! And it's always lovely to provide a festive non-alcoholic drink when entertaining! Pinning this one 🙂
Thanks so much, Liz!
I am definitely making this one! It looks amazing!
Yay! You know that makes me happy! 🙂
I don't mind having some fruit in my glass. Perhaps, that's the best part of any similar coctail. Love this non alcoholic version, Marissa!
I like to munch on the fruit too, Ben! Thanks so much...
how interesting. i don't think i've ever heard of orange bitters before. sounds like a great drink.
The bitters really make it, Sherry! I hope you'll give it a try. 🙂
Great idea to add the orange bitters Marissa! I love that hibiscus tea too. I'll need to get this on our cocktail menu this summer!
Love to hear that, Mary Ann! 🙂
Interesting tip about the orange bitters...I would never have guessed! But as soon as you said it, I was like "yeah, that makes perfect sense actually." We made a batch (actually two) of sangria for a picnic last weekend, and it was tasty. We didn't make a non-alcoholic version, though. Now I'm wishing we had made one for the kids. Next time I'm using this recipe! Thanks for the idea!
Such a fun cocktail to share with friends! And always good to have a non-alcoholic version around for kids and drivers. 🙂 Thank you, David!
Adding orange bitters is genius! I can't drink much alcohol, especially wine, without getting a migraine so I'll definitely be trying this one!
A migraine would definitely take the fun out of drinking wine! I'm excited for you to try this, Kelsie!
Riiiiiight?! So brilliant, Marissa!! This is one beauty of a drink! Like Annie I didn't guess, but now that I know, totally makes sense!
aww, thank you, Dawn!
This looks so tasty and refreshing! Sadly I did not guess the secret ingredient.... So happy you did!
haha, thanks so much, Annie!