Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Drinks: 12 Punches and Mocktails for the Table

Non-alcoholic Thanksgiving drinks can be as simple as a pitcher of cranberry-orange punch or a pot of warm spiced apple juice. The 12 recipes below make six servings each and there’s a quantity table below for three of the options, scaled to 6, 12 or 20 guests.

Choose one cold punch and one warm drink rather than attempting to do the whole list. You’ll have plenty on your hands when the potatoes come to be drained and someone’s going to ask where the pie is to go. A pitcher which only needs its bubbles added is far easier to deal with than six drinks all being mixed up separately.

Before you start: servings, ingredients and equipment

Each recipe makes about 6 cups before you add ice or garnish, which is enough for six 1-cup servings. Use a pitcher that holds at least 2 litres so you have space to stir. For 12 servings, either make two smaller pitchers or use a bigger food-safe container.

These recipes use US cups and spoons. For conversions: 1 cup is about 240ml, 1 tablespoon is 15ml, and 1 teaspoon is 5ml. The times listed are estimates, and you’ll need extra time for chilling or brewing tea unless it says otherwise.

Use pasteurized packaged juices, and wash fruit and herbs before cutting or adding them. For apple drinks, choose apple juice or clearly labeled non-alcoholic sweet cider. Hard cider is different. The FDA’s juice safety guidanceexplains the risks of using untreated juice and cider.

For cranberry recipes use a cranberry juice blend with no added sugar. Pure unsweetened cranberry juice is much sharper and isn’t a direct substitute at the same volume. The juice blends do contain sugar (the “no added sugar” doesn’t mean sugar free).

Keep the sparkling water and soda chilled, add them in last and stir very gently. Put the ice in the individual glasses so a full pitcher doesn’t get all diluted as it sits.

If you’d rather make drinks to order, our easy mocktail recipes include single-serve options and a mixing guide.

Three Thanksgiving drinks to build your menu around

The first three of these are in the serving size table later in the article.

1. Cranberry-orange Thanksgiving punch

Prep: 10 minutes. Makes six servings. This is the simplest party pitcher if you want a red fruit punch with a ginger mixer.

Ingredients: 2 cups cranberry juice blend, 1 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 cup ginger ale, and 1 3/4 cups plain sparkling water. Add washed orange slices if desired.

Method: Combine the three juices in a pitcher and refrigerate until needed. Just before serving, add ginger ale and sparkling water. Stir gently, add orange slices, and pour over ice.

Host’s note: For less sweetness, replace half or all of the ginger ale with an equal amount of sparkling water. Keep the total mixer volume the same.

2. Apple-pear harvest spritzer

Prep: 10 minutes. Makes six servings. Pear nectar gives this pitcher more body than a clear juice-and-soda drink.

Ingredients: 2 cups apple juice, 1 cup pear nectar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 2 3/4 cups plain sparkling water. Optional garnish: thin pear slices.

Method: Stir the apple juice, nectar, and lemon juice together until evenly mixed. Chill the base, then add sparkling water just before pouring. Slice the pear close to serving time and add it to glasses rather than leaving it in the pitcher all afternoon.

Host’s note: Nectar thickness varies. Stir the still base thoroughly before adding the bubbles so the first glass is not thinner than the last.

3. Warm spiced apple cups

Prep: about 15 minutes. Makes six servings. Use this when guests want a warm drink, and the oven is already occupied.

Ingredients: 4 cups pasteurized apple juice, 2 cups water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 whole cloves, and 3 strips of washed orange peel, avoiding as much white pith as possible.

Method: Put everything in a saucepan and heat gently for about 10 minutes, without a vigorous boil. Taste as the spices infuse. Remove the cinnamon, cloves, and peel. If evaporation has reduced the volume, add hot water to bring the finished drink back to 6 cups. Pour into heatproof mugs.

Host’s note: Serve soon after making it. Leaving the whole spices in the pot for repeated reheating makes their strength harder to control.

More fruit punches for the Thanksgiving table

4. Pomegranate white-grape punch

Prep: 5 minutes. Makes six servings. White grape juice supplies sweetness without a separate syrup.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice, 1 cup white grape juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 3 1/4 cups plain sparkling water.

Method: Chill the juices together in a pitcher. Add sparkling water immediately before serving and stir once or twice. Pour over ice. If you add pomegranate seeds as a garnish, offer glasses without them too; not everyone wants fruit pieces in a drink.

5. Cranberry-lime ginger-tea cooler

Prep: 5 minutes, plus brewing and chilling. Makes six servings. Brew the ginger tea from a food-grade tea bag according to its packet directions.

Ingredients: 3 cups chilled unsweetened ginger tea, 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice blend, 1/4 cup lime juice, and 1 1/4 cups plain sparkling water.

Method: Mix the cold tea and juices. Taste the base before adding the sparkling water, then add it and stir gently. This recipe uses ginger tea rather than ginger ale, so the mixer is not supplying extra sweetness. Serve with lime wedges if you have them.

6. Orange-rosemary table spritzer

Prep: 10 minutes, plus a short chilled infusion. Makes six servings. A little rosemary is enough to give a familiar orange drink an herbal accent.

Ingredients: 2 cups orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 3/4 cups plain sparkling water, and 3 small washed rosemary sprigs.

Method: Lightly rub the rosemary between your fingers and add it to the combined juices. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, taste, then remove the sprigs. Add chilled sparkling water at serving time. Do not crush the woody stems into the drink.

7. Pineapple-apple sage punch

Prep: 10 minutes, plus a short chilled infusion. Makes six servings. This adds another fruit option without buying an alcohol-free spirit.

Ingredients: 2 cups apple juice, 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 1/4 cups plain sparkling water, and 4 fresh culinary sage leaves.

Method: Wash the sage, press it lightly, and add it to the apple juice. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then remove the leaves. Stir in the pineapple and lemon juices. Add sparkling water just before serving. Taste the sage infusion before leaving it longer; leaf size and strength vary.

Tea pitchers, another warm option and a creamy finish

For the tea recipes you simply follow the instructions on the packet for brewing, remove the bags/leaves and chill the tea immediately prior to measuring. Use plain, unsweetened tea so that you can control the other ingredients.

8. Rooibos white-grape cooler

Prep: 5 minutes, plus brewing and chilling. Makes six servings. This gives you a tea-based pitcher with a modest juice portion.

Ingredients: 3 cups chilled brewed rooibos tea, 1 1/2 cups white grape juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1 1/4 cups plain sparkling water.

Method: Stir the tea and juices together and refrigerate. Add sparkling water near serving time. Use plain rooibos for a simpler flavor, or a rooibos chai blend if you want spices. Avoid adding extra cinnamon automatically when the tea already contains it.

9. Still cranberry-hibiscus punch

Prep: 5 minutes, plus brewing and chilling. Makes six servings. A still pitcher is useful when you want to prepare the whole drink before guests arrive.

Ingredients: 3 cups chilled brewed hibiscus tea, 2 cups cranberry juice blend, and 1 cup cold water.

Method: Combine everything in a pitcher, cover, and refrigerate. Taste before adding citrus; both hibiscus and cranberry already bring tartness. If you prefer a less concentrated drink, replace 1/2 cup of the cranberry juice with another 1/2 cup of water. Use food-grade hibiscus tea, not ornamental flowers.

10. Orange black-tea party pitcher

Prep: 5 minutes, plus brewing and chilling. Makes six servings. This is a still iced-tea option rather than another fizzy fruit punch.

Ingredients: 3 cups chilled brewed black tea, 1 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups cold water, and 1/4 cup cooled simple syrup.

Method: Stir all the ingredients together and refrigerate. To prepare simple syrup, dissolve equal volumes of sugar and hot water, cool, then measure 1/4 cup of the finished syrup. Use decaffeinated black tea if preferred. Label the pitcher with its actual ingredients so guests can choose.

11. Warm cranberry-apple cups

Prep: about 15 minutes. Makes six servings. This is the red-fruit alternative to the warm apple recipe above.

Ingredients: 3 cups pasteurized apple juice, 2 cups cranberry juice blend, 1 cup water, 1 cinnamon stick, and 2 strips of washed orange peel.

Method: Warm everything gently in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and peel, then check the volume. Add hot water if needed to restore 6 cups. Serve in heatproof mugs. A cranberry blend is important here; pure cranberry juice would make a much sharper drink.

12. Creamy pumpkin-maple cooler

Prep: 10 minutes, plus chilling the tea. Makes approximately six servings. Save this one for the dessert end of the meal.

Ingredients: 3 cups milk or unsweetened oat beverage, 1 1/2 cups chilled brewed rooibos tea, 1/2 cup plain pumpkin purée, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 3/4 cup cold water, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Method: Blend until smooth, working in batches if necessary. Pour into a covered pitcher and refrigerate until serving. Stir again before pouring because pumpkin can settle. Use plain purée rather than sweetened pumpkin pie filling. Serve cold, and identify the milk or plant-based product on the ingredient label.

For something to serve with it our yoghurt and chocolate dessert recipes are a good starting point, easily portioned into small cups.

How much non-alcoholic Thanksgiving punch do you require?

When planning, count on one 1-cup serving per person for each round. This is just a guideline for punch servings, not a total of what each guest will drink during the event. Make sure water is available, and plan for a second round if needed.

For six guests, you’ll need 6 cups per round; for twelve, 12 cups; and for twenty, 20 cups. If you’re serving two types of punch, you can divide the servings between them. There’s no need to make twenty portions of each unless you want forty drinks.

The table below scales recipes 1-3. All quantities are in ml (using the kitchen 240ml to a cup approximation). Be consistent with metric when using this table. The total for each recipe column is approximately 1.44, 2.88 and 4.8 litres respectively.

Recipe and ingredient	6 guests	12 guests	20 guests
Cranberry-orange punch	1,440 ml total	2,880 ml total	4,800 ml total
Cranberry juice blend	480	960	1,600
Orange juice	240	480	800
Lemon juice	60	120	200
Ginger ale	240	480	800
Plain sparkling water	420	840	1,400
Apple-pear spritzer	1,440 ml total	2,880 ml total	4,800 ml total
Apple juice	480	960	1,600
Pear nectar	240	480	800
Lemon juice	60	120	200
Plain sparkling water	660	1,320	2,200
Warm spiced apple cups	1,440 ml total	2,880 ml total	4,800 ml total
Apple juice	960	1,920	3,200
Water, with extra to replace evaporation	480	960	1,600

For the warm apple recipe, start with 4 cinnamon sticks and 6 cloves for 12 servings, or 6 cinnamon sticks and 10 cloves for 20 servings. These are just starting points for the spices, so you’ll need to taste as it infuses and remove them when the flavor is right. Only a little orange peel is needed.

It’s much easier to handle a cold batch for 20 servings by using several smaller pitchers. Mix the base first, divide it into the right amounts, and add soda or sparkling water to each pitcher as you serve.

What can you pre-prep?

Earlier in the day of the meal, brew and chill the tea, measure out the still juice bases and have the clean pitchers ready. Keep the bases covered in the fridge. Add the herbs just before you’re ready to serve them so that you can taste them and remove them if necessary rather than leaving them to steep for hours unattended.

Keep the sparkling mixers sealed until you’re ready to use them. Slice apple and pear garnishes just before serving. Make warm drinks close to serving time, and stir the creamy pumpkin mixture again after it’s been in the fridge.

Keep perishable ingredients refrigerated at 40°F/4°C or below and follow their storage labels. The FDA’s food storage guidance advises no more than two hours at room temperature for foods needing refrigeration, or one hour above 90°F/32°C. Refill smaller serving pitchers from a chilled supply.

Setting up a Thanksgiving drinks table

Place alcohol-free drinks where guests can easily help themselves. Instead of fancy drink names, use an ingredient label that lists the tea, milk or plant-based beverage, and any sweetened mixer you used.

Set up hot drinks in a separate spot with heatproof mugs. Give each cold pitcher its own spoon or ladle, and let guests decide if they want ice or fruit. Always offer plain water with the punches.

You don’t need bitters, extracts, or specialty spirit substitutes for these recipes. If your guests want to avoid alcohol completely, check product labels. Ask about preferences privately if needed, and always offer a simple option without asking for explanations.

If you are planning the next holiday gathering too, the Christmas mocktail collection has additional seasonal choices.

Thanksgiving drink questions

What is the easiest Thanksgiving punch without alcohol?

The cranberry-orange punch needs three juices and two mixers. Combine the juices in advance, then add the ginger ale and sparkling water before serving. The apple-pear spritzer is another straightforward option if you prefer a drink without cranberry.

Can I use apple cider instead of apple juice?

Use pasteurized, nonalcoholic sweet apple cider if its label confirms those details. It may be cloudier and more strongly flavored than clear juice. Hard cider contains alcohol and is not the ingredient intended here.

How can I make the drinks less sweet?

To make the drinks less sweet, use sparkling water instead of ginger ale, use less syrup in the tea, or replace some juice with plain water. Try one change at a time, stir, and taste. Adding more lemon changes the flavor but won’t reduce the sugar already in the drink.

Can I mix sparkling punch the night before?

Don’t add sparkling mixers until you’re ready to serve. You can measure and chill the other ingredients ahead of time, but adding soda the night before will make it go flat. The cranberry-hibiscus pitcher doesn’t need this last step.

Do I need a punch bowl?

No, you don’t need a punch bowl. A pitcher is easier to cover and keep cold, and using several smaller pitchers lets you refill the table as needed. For six servings, use a 2-liter pitcher. For bigger groups, split the batch instead of filling a container to the top.

Choose your pitcher, label the ingredients, and leave a little space on the table for someone to set down their glass while they pass the potatoes.

Sources

• FDA: What You Need to Know About Juice Safety — treated juice and cider, and produce handling.
• FDA: Are You Storing Food Safely? — refrigeration temperature and room-temperature limits for perishables.