Easy Red Sangria Recipe for Thanksgiving Dinner

Celebrate the holidays in style with this Thanksgiving red sangria recipe!

glass of red sangria with oranges, apples, cinnamon stick and rosemary

This delicious and easy sangria recipe is made with festive flavors like cinnamon, cranberry juice, apples, and clementines!

Plus, you can easily make this perfect Thanksgiving cocktail ahead of time.

Something I love doing when I am hosting for the holidays is a fun cocktail! Making a big batch of something like a Christmas cosmopolitan or this Thanksgiving red sangria recipe will not only make dinner party prep easier, but your friends and family are sure to remember your party.

close-up of orange slices and cranberries in a pitcher of red sangria

This simple red sangria recipe is made with 9 simple ingredients and it’s bursting with fresh holiday flavors and seasonal fruits. I’ve got a few handy swaps you can make if you don’t have all the ingredients on hand! And, i you’re looking for even more holiday cocktails, you need to try my pomegranate Aperol spritz.

why you’ll love this Thanksgiving sangria

Easy: It takes very little prep work so it’s easy to make and serve for Thanksgiving dinner.
Versatile: You can make easy ingredient swaps according to your personal preferences!
Flavorful: This easy holiday sangria is the best of both holidays, melding Fall flavors with classic Christmas.

Ingredients needed

Red Wine: I recommend using pinot noir or a Spanish wine like a Tempranillo or Garnacha; pick a delicious wine that you like to drink

Honeycrisp Apple: Can’t find honeycrisp apples? Swap it out for another sweet apple like Gala, Fuji or Jazz apple. I don’t recommend using Granny Smith apples here because they tend to be too sour.

Pear: I love the sweetness of pear in this sangria recipe

Clementine: Feel free to substitute with small navel orange slices for the clementine.

Gran Marnier: This orange liqueur adds a festive flavour and you can also use cointreau as a great substitute if needed

Cranberries: You can use fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries in this red wine sangria

Cinnamon: get a hint of cinnamon from a few cinnamon sticks

How to make this red wine sangria recipe

Step 1: In a large pitcher, combine the red wine with the maple syrup, gran marnier and cranberry juice and give everything a good stir to fully combine.

Step 2: Add the cinnamon sticks, chopped or sliced honeycrisp apple, chopped or sliced pear, clementine slices, and cranberries.

Step 3: Stir everything together and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours for the best flavor.

Step 4: Serve the sangria by adding ice to each glass and pouring the sangria over the ice. Make sure each glass gets a little bit of fruit! Garnish with a cinnamon stick, slice of clementine and or rosemary sprig.

Step 5: For a sparkling touch, top each glass with a splash of ginger beer or ginger ale for a little fizz.

How to make Red Sangria Ahead of Time

The reason why we want to make this red sangria ahead of time is so the flavors of the fresh fruit can infuse into the wine and vice versa. By giving it at least a couple of hours, you’re sure to have a flavorful drink! So, you can make this up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.

Tips & Tricks

Don’t have time for the sangria to chill for an hour or two? Then make sure you chill the red wine beforehand! Then this easy recipe only needs to sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, and it’ll still have a good flavor.
You can make this up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge.
Want an extra festive garnish? Dip a sprig of rosemary in simple syrup or water, then roll it in white sugar. I did this with my Christmas cosmopolitan, and it’s such a fun touch!

close up of cinnamon stick and rosemary garnish in a glass of red sangria

Variations

Pomegranates: Swap the cranberry juice for pomegranate juice and the cranberries for pomegranate seeds for a different flavour profile.
Cinnamon sugar rim: Level up the presentation of this drink by making a cinnamon sugar mixture for the rim of the glass. Mix 1/4 cup sugar with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon on a plate. Use a wedge of orange and run it around the outer lip of your glass of choice and then, gently press the rim of the glass into the cinnamon-sugar mixture on the plate to coat.
Mix of fruit: In this Thanksgiving dinner sangria I use fruits available in the Fall season; however, if you prefer apples over pears, swap the pear for another apple for example.
Brandy: I like to use Gran Marnier (or Cointreau) for a festive citrus flavour but you could substitute with an apple brandy or festive bourbon instead based on your tastes to make this your perfect cocktail.

Common questions

Will this recipe work with white wine?

This recipe was developed and tested using red wine, however, I think the flavours would still work with a crisp white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

Can I make this non-alcoholic?

Yes! Make this into a non-alcoholic sangria by using a non-alcoholic red wine and swap the gran marnier for orange juice.

What are the best wines to use for red wine sangria?

Usually I recommend to use whatever you have on hand but make sure it’s the kind of wine you like to drink. I like to use pinot noir or a Spanish red wine like a Tempranillo or Garnacha.

How to store this sangria and make ahead of time

You can make this red sangria up to 24 hours ahead of time. Store in the fridge in a jug or container.

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