We are in love with this homemade nonalcoholic Fruit Punch Recipe, or party punch! Not only is it easy to make, but this juice tastes amazing and has a great flavor. This is our go-to drink for holidays and get-togethers.
This is one of our family's favorite party punches! This DIY carbonated drink comes together in just 5 minutes and is perfect for holidays from the 4th of July to Christmas. It even pairs great with Thanksgiving dinners, and birthday parties. You can't go wrong with this recipe.
What flavor is in fruit punch? So what's fruit punch anyway? It's the perfect combination of tropical fruits to make a fun drink everyone will love. This kid-friendly, nonalcoholic drink has a smooth flavor of cranberry, pineapple, and apple with a touch of fizz.
A good drink with fun meals and get-togethers is important to us! Along with our Fruit Punch recipe, try these other tried and true drinks: Thanksgiving Punch, Grinch Punch, and Christmas Punch.
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Key Ingredients
What fruit goes in this fruit punch recipe? Fruit punch is the perfect combination of various fruit juices to make a tasty drink. We love garnishing with fresh fruit to give it a fun look.
- Cranberry juice cocktail- Make sure to get the sweetened juice. I made the mistake of buying pure cranberry juice and it was too bitter for the sweet drink that I wanted.
- Pineapple juice- Our favorite pineapple juice to use is Dole.
- Lime juice or lemon- Freshly squeezed lemons and limes will give you the strongest taste, but you can also use bottled juice.
- Sparkling apple juice- We tried making this with regular apple juice, but found that sparkling apple juice is much better for holidays and get-togethers.
- Ice- Keep the drink cold with ice. Be sure not to add too much so you don't dilute the flavor.
For the garnish, these optional fruits add a fun and festive look to this party punch. Try sliced strawberries, oranges, lemons, or whole blueberries.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Fruit Punch Recipe
Learn how to make homemade fruit punch - the ultimate party punch - with these easy to follow, step by step instructions.
- Start by slicing up the fruit you wish to garnish the drink with. Be sure to wash the fruit well because it will be going directly in the drink.
- In a large pitcher combine the pineapple juice and cranberry juice.
- Add the carbonated drinks, ginger ale, and sparkling apple juice. Be sure you add these after the fruit juices so the drink doesn't fizz over the sides.
- Mix everything together and then add fruit for garnish. Serve cold.
Hint: Make sure you add the carbonated drinks right before serving. If you make the punch in advance with the sparkling drinks, the carbonation will go flat before you serve it.
Common Mistakes
If you're using a drink dispenser, avoid garnishing with small berries like blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. They tend to sink to the bottom and can clog the spout, making it difficult to pour. We learned this the hard way, so save yourself the hassle and stick to larger fruit slices or floating citrus!
Top tip
This turns out best if you use cold juices from the start, so you don't have to add as much ice and risk watering it down too much.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Fruit Punch Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the punch:
- 3 cups cranberry juice cocktail
- 1 ½ cups pineapple juice
- ¼ cup lime juice or lemon, see note 1
- 2 cups ginger ale
- 2 cups sparkling apple juice
- 1 cup ice
For the garnish (optional):
- blueberries
- strawberries
- oranges
- lemons
Instructions
- We highly recommend using cold juices to make this fruit punch. Combine the cranberry juice cocktail, pineapple juice and lime juice in a large pitcher. Refrigerate if necessary/ desired. Stir in the ginger ale and sparkling apple juice just until combined before serving. Add ice and garnishes if desired. Serve cold and enjoy!
Notes
- We love the way this tastes with lime juice! It adds the perfect complimentary flavor to the other juices and keeps it from being overly sweet. Lemon juice may also be used if that's what you have on hand.
- This turns out best if you use cold juices to start with, so that you don't have to add as much ice and end up watering it down too much.
- Whatever extra fruit you have on hand works great for garnishes. Just slice it up and stick it in and it will look beautiful.
- Our taste testers all agreed that this was best with pineapple juice, but that orange juice also tasted good in it. Feel free to either add a cup or so of orange juice or switch it out with the pineapple.
Nutrition
How To Serve Party Punch
The best way to serve fruit punch depends on the event. For hot summer days and simple family dinners, I always make this recipe in a pitcher. If I'm serving this for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a large gathering, I like to make several gallons and then add a portion at a time to a punch bowl. Cute drink dispensers work well too!
Substitutions and Variations
Try some of our favorite substitutions and variations for different fun flavors!
- Soda- While we love adding ginger ale and sparkling apple juice, you can replace both with equal parts ginger ale for a fruit punch soda.
- With sprite- Substitute the ginger ale and add equal parts Sprite or your favorite lemon lime soda.
- Lemonade- Mix with equal parts lemonade. Try adding our homemade lemonade.
- Sparkling—To make this drink carbonated, add equal parts sparkling water. This keeps the flavors of the fruit juice without adding additional sweetness from drinks like ginger ale or Sprite.
- Sherbet- To make a fun drink for a kids' party or a dessert drink, add your favorite sherbet flavor right before serving. We love lime, raspberry, or orange for this fruit punch recipe.
Storage
You can absolutely make fruit punch ahead of time. Simply mix together all the juices and store them in the refrigerator. Just wait until right before serving to add any carbonated ingredients so the fizz stays fresh and bubbly.
Leftover fruit punch can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want a fun way to use up extra punch, pour it into popsicle molds and freeze for a refreshing treat. It’s a great way to enjoy fruit punch in a whole new way!
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