This white Christmas sangria sparkles with seasonal colors, is splashed with bubbly apple cider, and turns your favorite white wine into the best holiday drink.

There’s nothing like a pitcher of red sangria to gather all your wine lovers together during the holidays. It’s easy to make and can easily become a part of your dinner table centerpiece. But if you prefer a lighter, white sangria you’ll love this fun, festive white Christmas sangria!

With delicate slices of green apple and pear, handfuls of ruby red cranberries, and fresh rosemary sprigs, it’s the perfect accompaniment to  Christmas dinner with beautiful red and green hues. All you need to do is slice the fruit, add it to a pitcher, and give it some time to chill.

What’s In This Sangria?

Just a handful of simple, easy-to-find holiday ingredients.

• White Wine: the best wine for this sangria is one you thoroughly enjoy drinking on its own. So choose your favorite, from sauvignon blancs, to pinot grigios, chardonnays, or rieslings.
• Sparkling Apple Cider: while there’s different ways to turn your sangria into a delightfully fizzy one, I’m using sparkling apple cider. It adds just the right amount of sweetness with delicious apple notes.
• Fruits: to make the best of seasonal fruits, I’m using green apples, winter pears, and of course cranberries. Not only is this a refreshing combination, but the colors are bright and merry.
• Rosemary & Star Anise: I love a sprig of rosemary along with star anise for the ultimate holiday touch.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below

How To Make This White Christmas Sangria

Making a pitcher (or bowl) of sangria couldn’t be any easier. Just slice, mix, and let it chill to perfection.

• Slice the fruits. You can slice with either a knife or a mandoline. The mandoline will give you those perfectly thin, even slices.
• Add to a pitcher or bowl. Pour the wine and apple cider into a pitcher first, then layer in the fruits. If you have time to spare, layering the fruits makes for a beautiful presentation. But you can simply just mix it all together.
• Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. This is a crucial step! You want to give your sangria time to let the flavors meld together. Otherwise all you’ll taste is just straight wine.
• Serve it up right! While you can pour sangria into a glass and call it a day, dressing it up with garnishes makes it much more fun to drink. Keep on reading for a few more ways to spruce up your glass.

Ingredient Variations

The beauty of a sangria is how adaptable it is, letting your creativity play a part in the process. The best sangria is made up of your favorite ingredients. So here’s a few ways to switch things up to your liking.

• Add different fruits. Since this is a Christmas drink, red fruit is a must. But feel free to add in red apples, strawberries, or blood oranges instead.
• Remove the fizz. If you don’t fancy bubbles in your drink, just omit the apple cider. You can also add a cup of cranberry juice instead to keep the sweetness level the same.
• Add a different garnish. You can always swap the rosemary for thyme, and you can add a cinnamon stick to each glass to boost that festive touch.

Make This Sangria Ahead Of Time

Giving the sangria time to let the fruit infuse with the wine will give the best results. Which makes it perfect for making it ahead of time and saves you time Christmas day to prep the rest of your dinner menu.

If you have leftovers by the end of the night, this will last for 3-4 days in the fridge. Just make sure to keep an eye on the fruit as that will start to go bad before the wine does!

Yes To More Holiday Cocktails

There’s nothing like a delicious cocktail to make the holidays a bit more merrier. Cozy up with a creamy eggnog or make a festive margarita if you love tequila – you’ve got plenty of options to enjoy this season.

• Homemade Eggnog
• Pomegranate Margarita
• Moscato Sangria
• Mojito
• Classic Margarita

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.