Virgin Sangria

A low-FODMAP virgin sangria: unsweetened cranberry juice and brewed tea steeped with grapes, strawberries, and orange, sweetened with maple syrup instead of honey.

Prep 15 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 6

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegan

Ingredients

• 3 cups (720 ml) unsweetened 100 percent cranberry juice (no apple or pear blends)
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) brewed black or rooibos tea, cooled (or substitute water)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, to taste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup (150 g) red or green seedless grapes, halved
• 1 cup (150 g) strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 10 medium)
• 1/2 medium orange, sliced into thin half-moons
• Ice, for serving
• About 3 cups (720 ml) chilled sparkling water or cane-sugar lemon-lime soda, to top

Instructions

Build the base

1. In a large pitcher, combine the cranberry juice, cooled tea, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Stir until the maple syrup dissolves, then taste and add the last tablespoon if you want it sweeter.
2. Drop in the cinnamon stick.

Add the fruit and chill

1. Add the halved grapes, sliced strawberries, and orange half-moons to the pitcher. Press the fruit down gently with a spoon so it sits under the liquid.
2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight, so the fruit steeps and the flavors come together.

Serve

1. Fill wine glasses or tumblers with ice. Pour the sangria base over the ice, spooning some of the soaked fruit into each glass.
2. Top each glass with 2 to 3 ounces of chilled sparkling water or cane-sugar lemon-lime soda. Stir once and serve.

Tips & Substitutions

• Skip the apple and pear. Classic sangria is built on apple and pear slices, which are high in excess fructose and sorbitol. Grapes, strawberries, and orange give you the same look and float without the FODMAP load.
• Choose 100 percent cranberry juice. Cranberry "cocktail" and most bottled cranberry drinks are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup or blended with apple juice, both of which push the pitcher high-FODMAP before you add anything else. Read the label for a single fruit: cranberries.
• Batch it ahead. The fruit and juice need a few hours in the fridge to steep, so this is a make-it-in-the-morning drink for an evening party. Hold the sparkling water until serving so each glass stays fizzy.
• Pick the topper carefully. Plain sparkling or soda water keeps it simple. If you want a sweeter finish, use a cane-sugar lemon-lime soda and check the label for no high-fructose corn syrup, apple juice, or fruit-juice blends.
• For the boozy version. Dry red wine is low-FODMAP at Monash's 150 ml (about 5 ounce) serve. Stir a bottle into the pitcher in place of the tea for a traditional alcoholic sangria that still skips the apple and pear.
• Carbonation can be its own trigger. Even a low-FODMAP soda can aggravate gas or bloating for some people. Top with still water instead of sparkling if bubbles bother you.

Why This Works

• Cranberry juice and grapes carry the flavor. Unsweetened cranberry juice is low-FODMAP in a small glass, and grapes are low-FODMAP at typical serves, so the tart-and-sweet base does the job red wine usually does.
• Strawberries and orange stay in range. Strawberries are low-FODMAP at about 10 medium berries and a whole orange is low-FODMAP, so a few slices of each per pitcher sits well within tested serves. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes.
• Maple syrup replaces the honey. Sangria is often sweetened with honey, which is high in excess fructose. Pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 1 tablespoon and adds the same rounded sweetness.
• Apple and pear are the swap-outs. The classic sangria fruits are the FODMAP problem, not the wine. Building on cranberry, grape, strawberry, and orange keeps the whole pitcher low-FODMAP.

Storage

The fruit and juice base keeps in a covered pitcher in the fridge for up to 2 days at 40°F (4°C) or below, and the flavor deepens as the fruit steeps. Add the sparkling water and ice only at serving so the drink stays cold and fizzy. The soaked fruit is fine to eat or spoon into glasses. Don't freeze the pitcher, since the fruit turns mushy once it thaws.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.