9 Cranberry Juice Brands, Ranked From Worst To Best
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Cranberry juice is a delicious, refreshing beverage with a tinge of tartness. Rich in immunity-boosting vitamins C and E (per WebMD), cranberry juice is derived from small red berries native to North America that grow on low-lying vines, according to Stayful. The unique cranberry harvesting process takes place in late fall in the U.S., which is the world's largest producer of cranberries (per Atlas Big). Cranberries are often associated with Thanksgiving since they were widely harvested and prized by Native Americans as a superfood, according to National Geographic.
Since cranberry juice is naturally low in sugar and typically tart, some producers add sugar and other sweeteners, so carefully read the labels before you buy. You can always add a spoonful of honey for a natural sweetener that takes the edge off cranberry juice's sometimes overpowering tartness. Drink it on the rocks or use it as the tart, juicy base for a mocktail or cocktail, perfect for Thanksgiving. For a non-alcoholic glogg, warm cranberry juice in a saucepan with cinnamon sticks, star anise, and honey to taste.
Even with its benefits, it can be hard to choose which cranberry juice to buy with so many options out there. That's why we tried nine different cranberry juice brands and ranked them from worst to best.
10. Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Juice Drink
Ocean Spray's lighter take on cranberry juice promises a familiar cranberry taste with fewer calories. Sweetened with sucralose, it packs in a mere 50 calories and 10 grams of sugar per one-cup serving. The main ingredient in this juice is filtered water, with cranberry juice derived from concentrate as the second ingredient. That combo gives this lighter juice a watery, thin mouthfeel. The third ingredient, white grape juice, minimizes the tartness of the cranberries but also overpowers the berries' flavor, making Ocean Spray Light Cranberry Juice Drink taste more like grape juice with a touch of cranberry.
The artificial taste of sucralose — an additive with 600 times the sweetness of regular sugar, per WebMD — is also evident in every sip. Since the sugars in juice can send your blood sugar levels soaring, this is a good pick for anyone who craves cranberry juice yet needs to keep watch on their blood sugar levels (per U.S. News and World Report).
9. Amazon's Happy Belly Cranberry Juice from Concentrate
Affordable yet thin on rich cranberry flavor, Amazon's Happy Belly brand Cranberry Juice from Concentrate also features filtered water as its main ingredient, followed by cranberry juice from concentrate, giving this juice a very mild cranberry taste and watery consistency. But if you're looking for an inexpensive cranberry juice, this juice from Amazon's Happy Belly line of generic staples will fit the bill. If you're watching your sugar, note that this cranberry juice contains 25 grams of sugar per cup, clocking in at 110 calories. The lack of cranberry flavor is reflected in the fact that vegetable concentrate is yet another ingredient added to give it that crystal cranberry color (rather than actual pressed cranberries). Each serving does contain 90 milligrams of vitamin C, so if you're looking to increase your vitamin C intake on a budget and don't have to worry about your blood sugar levels, Happy Belly Cranberry Juice from Concentrate makes for a good choice — and is best served over ice.
8. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
Ocean Spray was the first large-scale producer of cranberry juice drinks (per the brand), and Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail was the first cranberry juice to hit the national market in the 1930s. It also appeared in a viral TikTok video (via Inc.) when skateboarder Nathan Apodaca filmed a video of himself sipping on a big juice bottle while lip-synching Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" on his way to work on a skateboard, sending sales skyrocketing.
This juice keeps it natural and contains no artificial flavors or preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup. Yet it also packs 25 grams of sugar and 100 calories per one-cup serving, so it's not a low-sugar juice. The cranberry flavor doesn't come on strong in this juice that notes filtered water as its primary ingredient, plus vegetable concentrate to give it that unmistakable cranberry color minus the richness of actual cranberries. Drink it over ice or use it as the base for an underrated, festive holiday mocktail.
7. Ocean Spray Sparkling Cranberry Cocktail
Ocean Spray's sparkling take on cranberry juice offers a refreshing version of the classic juice. If you're looking for a slightly healthier bubbly refreshment option, this conveniently canned juice contains half the sugar of Coca-Cola because it's made with real cranberry fruit juice. It also has no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. Big bubbles offer a refreshing mouthfeel but the sparkling juice's third ingredient, grape juice, overpowers the tart cranberry taste, making it taste more like a fizzy grape juice with a touch of cranberry flavor.
This soda alternative contains 18 milligrams of immunity-boosting vitamin C, giving it an edge over other standard fizzy beverages. However, it still contains 17 grams of sugar and 70 calories per one-can serving. Its slick, silver cans make it a good choice for on-the-go sipping. Drink it straight from the can or work it into the perfect holiday mocktail.
6. Langer's Cranberry Juice Cocktail
Family-owned Langer Juice Company has been producing quality juices in City of Industry, California since the 1960s. Their signature cranberry juice cocktail contains filtered water as the first ingredient, with sugar coming in second and cranberry juice concentrate third. Each 10-ounce serving contains 150 calories and a whopping 38 grams of sugar (compare that to one 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola, which contains 39 grams of sugar, per HowManyGram). It's a good reminder that some fruit juices can be just as sugary as sodas (per Healthline), and research consistently shows a link between sugary drinks and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Clinical Nutrition.
While it still meets the daily recommended value of vitamin C in one simple serving, Langer's cranberry juice cocktail is over-the-top sweet. This makes for a delightful cranberry juice treat and is a good pick for anyone who can't tolerate the bitterness of cranberries, as the high sugar content erases any trace of tartness.
5. Santa Cruz Organic Cranberry Nectar Juice
Santa Cruz Organic Cranberry Nectar Juice is a bit of a misnomer, as its main ingredient, after filtered water, is organic white grape juice. Super sweet, crisp, and refreshing, this is the juice for anyone who prefers only a hint of cranberry tartness over a full-on punch of cranberry flavor. Because it contains more white grape juice than cranberry juice, it doesn't contain as much vitamin C as a 100% cranberry juice might.
This juice is one of many quality organic juices produced by Santa Cruz Organic, a pioneering organic brand based in California which aims for sustainability and boasts its usage of only organically grown fruit. Though it manages to balance a high sugar content with acidity, each 8-ounce serving of this juice contains a whopping 33 grams of sugar and 150 calories, so this is a juice best enjoyed in moderation if you're watching your sugar intake.
4. R.W. Knudsen Family Sparkling Cranberry Juice
With its crystal pink hue and fine, champagne-worthy bubble factor, it would be easy to mistake a coupe glass filled with R.W. Knudsen Family Sparkling Cranberry Juice for a glass of pink champagne. It's also served in an elegant, champagne-like glass bottle. This delicious, sparkling cranberry juice beverage is the perfect non-alcoholic pick for your holiday table. It's festive, bubbly, and fun, with a hint of cranberry tartness and a lingering sweet yet crisp cranberry aftertaste.
This juice will also work well as a non-alcoholic mixer in your favorite champagne-based cocktail recipe. R.W. Knudsen sticks with simple ingredients in this cranberry bubbly: sparkling water, cranberry juice, and apple juice as the sweetener of choice. This sparkling cranberry juice isn't cloyingly sweet (though it does contain 26 grams of sugar per 8-ounce serving), with a nice balance of sweetness and tartness on the palate, enlivened by the perfectly tiny, effervescent bubbles.
3. Simply Cranberry Cocktail
Simply brand juices packages their juices in transparent carafes (made of 100% recyclable #1 PET plastic, though they could easily be mistaken for glass), and right off the bat, we were struck by the rich garnet color of Simply Cranberry Cocktail. It's also available in two sizes: a 52-ounce carafe that's pretty enough for a breakfast tablescape or a 11.5-ounce bottle perfect for sipping on the go. Using "cocktail" in its brand name is a bit of a misnomer, as it's made with four listed ingredients — 27% not-from-concentrate cranberry juice, filtered water, cane sugar, and natural flavors.
Simply Cranberry Cocktail balances its sweetness with the natural tartness of cranberries. Each 8-ounce serving contains 34 grams of sugar and 130 calories, so it's on the sweeter end of the scale. The cane sugar brings out the cranberry flavor, making this brand a good pick when you're looking to add rich cranberry flavor to a cranberry cocktail recipe or as the key ingredient in homemade cranberry sauce.
2. R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Cranberry Juice
The second spot in our best cranberry juice ranking belongs to yet another R.W. Knudsen product: R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Cranberry Juice.
Rich in tart cranberry flavor, this is the juice for cranberry juice purists, as it only contains two ingredients: filtered water and cranberry juice from concentrate. It contains no added sugars, no added juices, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors, and is certified USDA Organic. Because it has no added sweeteners of any kind, it's naturally lower in calories (70 calories per each 8-ounce serving). And since it's so rich in cranberry flavor, it's a great juice to juice in any recipe that calls for cranberry juice. Its elegant garnet color makes it worthy of being served in a crystal glass.
Tart on the palate, it's also refreshing. Serve it warm in a mug with a spoonful of honey and a cinnamon stick for a late-fall or winter beverage.
1. Georgia's Natural Cranberry Juice
Our top pick for best cranberry juice is by far Georgia's Natural Cranberry Juice. This unsweetened, full-bodied juice boasts a pure, rich cranberry taste with an enjoyable tartness and a touch of natural sweetness. It's also the only juice that contains one simple ingredient, cranberry juice, which is cold-pressed from wild-grown, 100% organic cranberries, per the brand.
If you love cranberries and are looking to reap their many benefits (per WebMD), this is the juice for you. The price tag of this exceptional juice is worth it if you're looking to sip only the purest, richest cranberry juice on the market. Tart on the palate, it does bring a touch of natural sweetness to the palate despite zero added sugar. Each 8-ounce serving contains 81 calories and 14 grams of sugar, so it's the cranberry juice with the lowest amount of sugar out of our nine featured juices. Its beautiful, deep garnet color reflects its cranberry richness.