Fall Sangria Recipe

This easy fall sangria recipe is one of my favorites. It’s seasonal, comforting, and easy to make. I used to think there were just a couple of ways to make a sangria recipe, then a yummy pizza spot near our apartment in Los Angeles opened my eyes to the world of possibility with sangrias.

They only had a license for beer and wine, so they got creative with wine to make a nightly red wine sangria and a white wine sangria. It seems so simple and commonplace now, but 10+ years ago, it was a bit of a new phenomenon. I made a slew of sangria recipes, including raspberry sangria and cherry sangria! I’ve also done ones with watermelon, a brunch sangria, and even a pomegranate one for Christmas time. I told you my world was opened up!

Fall Sangria Recipe

You won’t be surprised to see that I have ground cinnamon in my fall sangria recipe. Is it even a fall recipe if it doesn’t have cinnamon? I’m thinking no! hah. It also has the delicious fall flavors of apple cider or apple juice. And then it all comes together with a sparkling white wine and a bit of rum for that depth every good sangria has.

Is Sangria a Fall Drink

Absolutely! Sangria is a great fall drink because it’s made with wine, fresh fruit, and usually a spirit—and you can easily adapt those ingredients to the season.

This fall sangria recipe uses seasonal fruits like pear and cranberry along with apple cider or apple juice, cinnamon, sparkling white wine, and rum. So yes, we’re sipping sangria in fall (and winter)! We’re good to go.

If you love wine cocktails as much as I do, don’t miss my roundup of easy wine cocktail recipes

How to Make a Fall Sangria

Use a Large Enough Pitcher

The last thing you want is for all your ingredients not to fit, so you need a large pitcher. The liquid ingredients in the recipe come to about 5 cups. Then you’re going to add chopped fresh pear, cranberries, and cinnamon sticks. If your pitcher is a ½ gallon, you’ll be totally fine.

Allow Time for the Sangria to Marry

The thing about sangrias is that they need time to chill and rest. It’s obvious why you’d want it chilled (though maybe not over ice this cooler time of year – totally up to you). The resting period allows the flavors to fully mix. The wine, juice, and rum infuse the fruit and the fruit adds a brightness to the sangria itself.

The cinnamon sticks are as much for appearance as flavor, but the ground cinnamon is what really brings that cinnamon flavor to the drink. And the cranberries are really there for color, but I am here for every single one of them!

Use Room-Temperature Apple Juice or Cider

While you’d think you want everything chilled, having room-temperature apple juice (or apple cider) and rum will help the sugar and cinnamon dissolve and distribute a bit faster. They’ll mix into cold liquid too, it just takes a little longer. There’s no simple syrup in this recipe, but this step is acting like it.

Fall Sangria Recipe Variations

I’m the first person to modify a recipe – just being real as always. There are a few ways to modify the recipe without much work. I’ve already mentioned apple cider rather than apple juice – it has a much fuller flavor, which I always enjoy.

I use a sparkling white wine, but you could use a white wine like a pinot grigio. You could also probably use a red wine, but I’d recommend something lighter like a pinot noir or even a Lambrusco, so the subtle fall flavors come through more.

You could substitute maple syrup for the tablespoon of sugar for a fun, seasonal sweetness. Honey would be fine too, but it doesn’t mix in as easily as maple syrup.

And a yummy idea I’ve been wanting to try is ginger ale (or probably ginger beer) in place of the club soda. I haven’t done that yet, so I’m not sure if it would be sweeter than I normally like, but it’d probably be delicious.

Easy Fall Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

• apple juice/cider
• rum
• granulated sugar
• ground cinnamon
• green pear(or half each of a red and green pear)
• cinnamon sticks
• fresh cranberries
• club soda
• sparkling white wine

Instructions

• Step One: Combine apple juice and rum in your large pitcher. Whisk in sugar and cinnamon until dissolved into and distributed throughout the liquid.
• Step Two: Add pear slices, cranberries and cinnamon sticks to pitcher. Add the club soda and then the sparkling wine. Stir gently being careful not to break up the pears.
• Step Three: Chill well, stir and serve.

How to Store Leftover Sangria

Leftover sangria should be stored in a sealed container. It’ll be fine to drink for 2-3 days though the fruit will start to fall apart. If you’d like to keep it longer, then I’d recommend removing the fruit and storing it in a sealed container.

To refresh the sangria, simply add freshly cut fruit a few hours before serving. Chill again to keep it cool and stir again before serving.

Fall Red Wine Sangria

The great thing about this fall sangria is that you can easily make it with red wine. This recipe calls for a sparkling white wine, so if you want to maintain that effervescence, try a sparkling red wine like Lambrusco. It’s less fizzy by nature, but it’s a great substitute.

If you don’t mind skipping the sparkle, then a Pinot Noir or Cabernet would be good here too. A Pinot Noir will be lighter in flavor than a Cabernet, so you can pick which flavor profile you like.

Thanksgiving Sangria

If you’re making a cocktail for a crowd at Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving), this is a great recipe.

How to Make a Larger Batch

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how much you need for a crowd. And while I didn’t show serving this sangria over ice, it can be a good way to make the cocktail last a little longer among your guests.

How Far Ahead to Make This Sangria

The recipe below says to let this sangria chill well before serving, which is about 2-3 hours. I’d recommend making it at least that far ahead of time before serving.

You can easily make this 12-18 hours ahead of time. I wouldn’t make it much more than a day ahead, though, because the fruit will begin to break down, which isn’t as visually appealing.

How to Serve This Sangria for a Crowd

One recipe for this sangria fits nicely in a large pitcher. Since these pitchers can be a little heavy, you can also divide it into more manageable carafes.

If you plan to make a larger batch, I’d definitely recommend enough of the glass carafes or you can serve it in a beverage dispenser.

PRO TIP: If you don’t have a ton of use for a beverage dispenser, ask friends or in your local Buy Nothing Group to see if you can borrow one!

Fall Sangria FAQs

What Wine Is Best for Fall Sangria?

I love a dry, crisp sparkling wine in this sangria, but you can use a variety of wines. I’d steer away from something too bold as you might lose all the flavors infused here.

Great white and red wine alternatives include:

• Prosecco
• Pinot Grigio
• Pinot Noir
• Lambrusco

Can I Make This Fall Sangria Without Rum?

Yes! The rum adds depth and a little extra warmth, but you can leave it out if you’d prefer a lighter sangria or don’t want to use spirits. You may want to add a little extra apple juice or sparkling wine to replace the volume.

Fall Drink Recipes

There are a number of recipes that are perfect for fall – mocktails and cocktails alike. As I mentioned above, my Christmas sangria is this pomegranate lambrusco sangria – a great option all season long. If you’re looking for something spirit-forward, try this Irish Whiskey cocktail or this apple cider cocktail (with bourbon)! If you like vodka, try this fall vodka cocktail with fresh figs (or easily swap out for another fruit).

Looking for something non-alcoholic? Pomegranate lemonade is one of our favorites and this ginger beer mocktail is all the fancy without the alcohol!

Also, see my roundup of Christmas cocktail recipes!