Sparkling Cranberry-Orange Goji Berry Chia Seed Mocktail (non-alcholic)

This Sparkling Cranberry-Orange Goji Berry Chia Seed Mocktail is a festive non-alcoholic drink made with tart cranberry juice, sweet orange juice, goji berries, chia seeds, and sparkling water. It’s fruity, bubbly, naturally vibrant, and perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and holiday entertaining.

The combination of cranberry and orange is a classic holiday flavor. Goji berries elevates this holiday mocktail by adding another layer of fruity flavor and gorgeous color. Tiny chia seeds suspended throughout the drink make it especially fun and unique, and a sugared rim, fresh cranberries, orange slices, and rosemary turn a simple sparkling mocktail into a beautiful holiday drink. Best of all, this recipe is naturally vegan, gluten-free, alcohol-free, and dye-free, making it an easy festive option that just about everyone at the holiday table can enjoy.

Why You’ll Love This Holiday Mocktail

• Naturally festive. Cranberry juice and goji berries create a gorgeous red color without artificial dyes.
• Light and refreshing. Sparkling water keeps it bubbly rather than overly sweet.
• Easy to make. The cocktail base comes together quickly in a blender.
• Naturally gluten-free and vegan. Perfect for serving to a variety of guests.
• Full of fun textures. Chia seeds and softened goji berries make this mocktail a little different from your typical holiday drink.
• Perfect for entertaining. Dress up the glasses with sugared rims, rosemary, cranberries, and orange slices.

What Are Goji Berries?

Goji berries are small, dried red berries with a slightly sweet and tart flavor. They’re often eaten dried like raisins or added to smoothies, oatmeal, granola, and other recipes. For this mocktail, I like to soak the dried goji berries in hot water first. This softens them so they’re easier to blend into the cranberry-orange mocktail base.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Dried goji berries. The star ingredient! Soaking the goji berries softens them before blending and helps incorporate their flavor and beautiful color throughout the drink.

Chia seeds. The tiny chia seeds give this mocktail its unique appearance and a fun snow-globe-like effect, while adding some nice health benefits!

Cranberry juice. Provides the tart, vibrant red base. I recommend using 100% cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail if you want more control over the sweetness.

Orange juice. Adds natural sweetness and balances the tartness of the cranberry and lime.

Fresh lime juice. A little acidity brightens all of the fruit flavors.

Pure maple syrup. Optional, but helpful if you’re using an especially tart cranberry juice.

Sparkling water. Adds the festive bubbles! Plain sparkling water or seltzer works best so it doesn’t compete with the other flavors.

Ice. Keeps everything cold and refreshing.

Products Used In This Recipe

How to Make a Cranberry Goji Chia Mocktail

1. Soak the Goji Berries

Place the dried goji berries in a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow them to soak for about 10 minutes, or until they have softened. Drain the goji berries well and discard the soaking water.

2. Blend the Mocktail Base

Add the drained goji berries, cranberry juice, orange juice, fresh lime juice, and maple syrup to a blender. Blend until the goji berries are completely broken down and the mixture is smooth.

💡 A note about the froth: Blending creates quite a bit of foam on top of the mixture. After blending, allow it to settle briefly, then use a spoon to skim the froth off the top before assembling the drinks.

3. Add the Chia Seeds

Stir the chia seeds into the blended cranberry mixture. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Assemble the Mocktails

Fill two glasses with ice. Divide the cranberry-goji-chia mixture between the glasses, then top each with chilled sparkling water. Give each mocktail a gentle stir.

5. Garnish and Serve

For an extra-festive presentation, garnish with fresh cranberries, softened or dried goji berries, an orange slice, and a sprig of fresh rosemary.

How to Make a Sugared Rim

A sugared rim is an easy way to make these mocktails look extra festive. Pour a small amount of granulated sugar onto a shallow plate. Run an orange or lime wedge around all or just part of the rim of your glass, then gently press the dampened area into the sugar.

Tips for the Best Mocktail

Drain the goji berries. The soaking water is only there to soften them. Adding it to the blender will dilute the fruit mixture.

Remove the foam after blending. Don’t be concerned if your mixture looks extremely frothy straight out of the blender. Simply spoon the foam off before pouring.

Use cold ingredients. Chill the juices and sparkling water ahead of time so the ice doesn’t melt too quickly and dilute the drink.

Add sparkling water last. This preserves as many bubbles as possible.

Can I Make This Holiday Mocktail Ahead of Time?

• You can prepare the cranberry-goji base a few hours ahead of time and refrigerate it in a covered container.
• I recommend waiting to add the chia seeds until closer to serving. If they sit in the juice for several hours, they’ll absorb considerably more liquid and change the consistency of the mocktail.
• Wait to add the sparkling water until immediately before serving so it stays fizzy.

Can I Make a Pitcher?

Absolutely. For a larger holiday gathering, multiply the cranberry-goji base by the number of servings you need and prepare it ahead of time.

Instead of adding sparkling water directly to the pitcher, I prefer pouring the fruit mixture into individual glasses and topping each one with sparkling water. This keeps every drink fresh and bubbly and makes it easier to control the amount of chia in each glass.

Garnish Ideas

Fresh cranberries and rosemary immediately give this mocktail a Christmas feel, but there are plenty of ways to change the presentation. Try orange wheels, dehydrated orange slices, sugared cranberries, goji berries, a partial sugared rim, or even a rosemary sprig dusted lightly with sugar for a frosted appearance.

A Naturally Colorful Holiday Drink

Holiday drinks don’t need artificial dyes or overly sweet syrups to feel festive. Cranberries and goji berries provide this mocktail with its naturally gorgeous red hue, while orange and lime bring brightness and sparkling water makes it bubbly.

The chia seeds make it especially fun—the tiny seeds floating throughout the red drink give it a whimsical appearance that’s perfect for Christmas, holiday parties, New Year’s Eve, or any winter celebration. It’s festive, fruity, bubbly, and beautiful enough to earn a spot at the holiday table.

I hope you love this easy Sparkling Cranberry-Orange Goji Berry Chia Seed Mocktail recipe! Leave a comment below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for a super festive holiday drink recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or save it for later on Pinterest!

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