Cozy Family Wassail Punch: Best Kid-Approved Budget Recipe
A warm, spiced, alcohol-free punch made with apple juice, orange juice, and whole spices. It’s budget-friendly, kid-approved, and ready in under 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Beverage
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 64 ounces apple juice (not apple cider)
- 32 ounces orange juice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries (optional)
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Prepare the spice bag: Place the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice berries in the center of a piece of cheesecloth. Gather the edges and tie securely with kitchen twine. Leave enough twine to hang the bag over the edge of the pot.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the apple juice, orange juice, brown sugar, water, and the spice bag. Add the orange and lemon slices.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and let the punch simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the spice bag and citrus slices. Serve warm in mugs or heatproof glasses.
Notes
For a lower-sugar version, use unsweetened apple juice and reduce brown sugar to 1/4 cup. You can also swap orange juice for pineapple juice for a tropical twist. If you don’t have cheesecloth, tie spices in a coffee filter with kitchen twine.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 38
- Sodium: 15
- Carbohydrates: 44
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1
Keywords: wassail punch, kid-friendly punch, holiday punch, budget punch, warm punch, apple juice punch