Easy Cranberry Christmas Punch (with Festive Ice Ring)

This Easy Cranberry Christmas Punch (with festive ice ring) is an easy and festive drink to make and perfect for your Christmas breakfast or brunch, Christmas dinner, Christmas parties, holiday parties, or family gatherings. And it's even more fun with this festive cranberry ice ring!

I'm a little crazy about punch and have a few recipes on this site, including my Sparkling Strawberry Punch, Easter Punch, and Melting Witch Halloween Punch (non-alcoholic)! Punch is an easy and fun drink that just screams P-A-R-T-Y! It's adored by kids and can be spiked for parents, so it's the ideal family-friendly drink. And it's a quick and easy last-minute drink to make for a crowd. This Cranberry Punch with a pretty ice ring is especially popular during the holiday season (Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's) and is the ideal brunch punch for any of these Christmas Brunch Menu Ideas and one the whole family will love. I love serving it with my Christmas Morning Casserole!

🥘Ingredient Notes

For this Christmas morning punch recipe, you'll need:

Cranberry Christmas Punch:

• Cranberry juice (cranberry juice cocktail). Cranberry is the star of the punch show with its bittersweet flavor. I don't recommend using pure cranberry juice (it's too strong).
• Orange juice. Orange juice and cranberry pair well together.
• Ginger ale (not seen in photos). Sweet Ginger ale balances out the tangy juices
• Freshly squeezed lime juice. Lime juice adds a unique flavor to this cranberry punch.
• Sparkling water. I use lime flavored Bubly, but you can use any brand.
• Vodka (optional). If you want to spike this punch, I'd recommend vodka.

Cranberry Ice ring for punch:

You only need 3 ingredients for this punch ring:

• Frozen cranberries. I use frozen cranberries because they are already frozen and it makes sense
• Water. When the water freezes, it freezes into ice (obviously) in the shape of the mold you use. And you don't need any ice cubes in your punch.
• Orange zest. Orange adds a welcome zing to this ice ring! And it pairs so well with cranberry.

And when the ice melts, the cranberries stay afloat and still look pretty in your punch!

*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Ice Ring: You don't have to use a mold if you aren't using a punch bowl for this easy holiday drink. You could simply make this ginger ale cranberry punch in a pitcher and add frozen cranberries and/or ice. The cranberries are an extra fun garnish!

• Alcohol - feel free to spike this cranberry punch with 1 - 2 cups of vodka or white rum. If you're having it as a brunch drink, you may not want to do that (or maybe you do? 🙂 )
• Cranberry juice - you can blend cranberry, apple, grape juice etc...
• Orange juice - you could use other fruit juices such as pineapple juice
• Sparkling water- use any type of lemon-lime sparkling water you prefer or even lemon-lime soda (but this will make it sweeter) - I just happened to have Bubly on hand
• Lime juice - you could use lime juice from concentrate, but only use ¾ tbsp
• Orange - you could add fresh fruit, such as fresh orange slices!
• Cranberries: use fresh cranberries instead of frozen
• Ginger ale - you could substitute ginger beer to make it a bit spicier

🍹How to make Cranberry Christmas Punch

To make this easy Christmas Punch recipe, simply pour the cranberry juice, orange juice, ginger ale, sparkling water and fresh lime juice into a large punch bowl and stir!

*Make sure the ingredients are COLD so they don't melt the ice ring when you add it!

🧊💍How to Make an Ice Ring for Punch

How to make an ice ring for punch:

• Step 1: Fill a 4- 6 cup Jello or metal ring mold with ¾ - 1 ½ inch water (depending on the size of your mold. *I have a 5 cup and I fill it 1 inch. Freeze until solid for about 6 hours.
• Step 2: Place 2 cups frozen cranberries and the zest of 1 large orange on the ice.
  Step 3: Fill the mold with water to top.
• Step 4: Freeze until solid (at least 8 hours or overnight)

• Step 5: To unmold ice ring, briefly dip the bottom of the mold in a bowl half-filled with hot water.
• Step 6: Immediately float the ring in the punch.

Hint: Add the frozen ice ring in the punch just prior to serving and make sure your ingredients are cold so it doesn't melt too quickly.

🍲What to serve with Cranberry Punch

Just about anything you eat for brunch goes well with this Christmas Brunch Punch, but my favorites are my Maple Sausage Brunch Bites (shown), Baileys French Toast, and if you're looking for festive, you'll love my Gingerbread Pancakes!

If you're looking to serve it at a party, it pairs well with Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Meatballs, Turkey Brie Bites Recipe, or my Holiday Chex Mix!

👪 Serving Size

This non-alcoholic Christmas punch recipe is about 24 servings. But you can half, double, or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

How to Make a Healthy, Low-Point Cranberry Punch

If you are tracking your Weight Watchers points during the holidays, you don't have to skip the festive drinks! To turn this into a healthy cranberry punch, try these simple "Lazy Way" swaps:

• The Soda Swap: Use Diet Ginger Ale or Ginger-Lime Sparkling Water instead of regular ginger ale.
• The Bubly Hack: I use lime-flavored sparkling water (like Bubly) to add an extra layer of citrus and fizz without adding any extra sugar or points.
• The Juice Check: Look for "Light" Cranberry Juice Cocktail and "No Sugar Added" orange juice to keep the points as low as possible.
  By making these adjustments, you can cut the points in half, creating a high-volume, low-point treat that keeps you on track through the New Year!

🌡️Storage

Store leftover punch in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight juice jug (affiliate link).

You will need to keep the frozen punch ring in the freezer. You can make this festive ice ring in advance, as it will freeze for up to 3 months.

❔Recipe FAQ's