Festive, fun and delicious, these beautiful Cranberry Mojitos are perfect for your holiday parties! Lightened up but still every bit as refreshing and tasty as the original.

'Tis the season for lots of cocktails and treats, right?
Over the next month, we will be attending holidays gatherings with lots of fun drinks and tasty treats, people will be baking (I know I will!) and many will have less time to exercise.
We are busier than ever so it's not as easy to prep our healthy meals and sneak in workouts. I know I am just as guilty as the next person.
Do you know that the some people can gain between 7 and 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas? So what does that mean?
No cookies or fun cocktails? No way, that's no fun.
That's why I like to enjoy some guilt free, healthier cocktails during the holidays. You might want to also try my Skinny Peppermint Eggnog and Spiked Apple Cider too.
Or if you are looking for festive non-alcoholic drinks, this Eggnog Latte, Apple Chai Latte and Low Carb Bulletproof Hot Chocolate are both delicious (and kid-friendly!)
My Cranberry Biscotti, One Bowl Blondies and Fudgy Brownies would all be yummy with these mojitos too.
Also, my cookbooks are both on sale now and would make a great gift! The Everything Wheat Free Diet Cookbook and The Greek Yogurt Cookbook are both the lowest prices I have seen!
Why You Should Make This Cranberry Mojito
I'm here to share lightened up treats and cocktails so that you can still enjoy yourself during the holidays without gaining that extra weight!
I made this cranberry mojito recipe two ways, one with unrefined sugar and the other completely sugar free. You can choose which way you want to make them, but either way, they were delicious.
Me personally, I think they taste better without the added sugar, but I don't like sweet cocktails any way. You have to do what works for you.
By the way, don't you just love cranberries? I love their sweet and tart flavor and their pretty, festive appearance.
They really do make every drink, dish and dessert so much better looking, don't you agree?
Did you also know that I typically buy more bags of cranberries during the holidays and freeze them so I can make whatever cranberry recipe I want during the year? Similar to pumpkin, I say cranberry should be all year long, not just around the holidays.
I also love how pretty and festive these cocktails are! This cranberry mojito is perfect for holiday parties and gatherings.
Everyone needs a signature cocktail, right?
The red and green colors are so fun and make the most beautiful presentation. When I am hosting I like to add extra mint and lime to add some more color.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar-free sweetener of choice - I used liquid Monk fruit in this recipe. You can use another liquid sugar free sweetener or whatever sweetener you'd like.
- Lime - Fresh lime juice is crucial to this recipe. Please don't use the bottle lime juice. As much as I like to make things easier and more convenient, please don't skimp on the fresh juice.
- Mint - Fresh mint leaves not only add a wonderful, pungent taste but they really make these cranberry mojitos so pretty and festive.
- Light rum - Light rum has a lightly sweet and subtle favor which is the perfect addition to fun cocktails.
- Cranberry juice - I Use unsweetened cranberry juice in this recipe to help cut back on the sugar. All of of sugar in here comes naturally from the cranberries.
- Plain seltzer - I just love my plain seltzer. It adds some fun bubbles without any taste or flavor.
- Cranberries and mint leaves for garnish - Or whatever you'd like to make these cranberry mojitos fun, festive and pretty.
Tips for Making This Cranberry Mojito
For all of my friends that are looking for a mocktail, go for it! Simply leave out the rum or other alcohol and add some more seltzer.
Just because you aren't drinking alcohol it doesn't mean you can't have some fun. This is for my pregnant friends and to all of those kids out there!
Another pro tip: make sure you drink at least one glass of water in between cocktails. Alcohol generally dehydrates you so you will need to drink even more water.
Try to remember to drink 2 glasses of water for every cocktail you drink to rehydrate after an alcoholic drink.
Hangovers are caused from dehydration from over drinking, so the best way to prevent that is to drink more water. I promise you will thank me later.
Hangovers are no fun at all, especially around the holidays when you have a thousand things to do. And all of that extra sugar doesn't help either if you plan on having more than two.
Now I get to show you just how easy these are to make! Yes, they may appear fancy, but really they only need a few simple ingredients.
I promise, no recipe I make, especially during the holidays will ever have a lot of crazy ingredients nor will it take a lot of time. Who has the time anyway?
Side note: I have also made these with vodka instead of rum, mainly because I rain out of rum! They tasted just as good, but I am a vodka drinker.
Full disclosure though, it didn't really taste like a mojito anymore. Still delicious though!
Related Recipes
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Sparkling Winter Berry Holiday Cocktail from The Busy Baker
Spiked Apple Cider from Lauren Kelly Nutrition
Sugar Free Egg Nog from All Day I Dream About Food
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Cranberry Mojito
Ingredients
- 4 drops liquid Monk fruit sugar-free OR 1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 handful of mint
- 1 ½ ounces light rum
- ½ cup unsweetened cranberry juice
- 4-6 ounces plain seltzer
- ice
- fresh cranberries and mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Place stevia or sugar in a glass with lime juice.
- Add mint leaves and muddle for a minute or two.
- Add the run, cranberry juice, seltzer and ice.
- Garnish with cranberries and mint leaves. Serve immediately.
Stephanie
I made these family friendly and they were a big hit! Cheers!
Angela Wilson Keel
Love this but tweaked it to shorten the steps. I add Ocean spray diet sparkling water and not the plain soda or sweetener. So light and refreshing!
lauren.kelly
Love it! CHEERS!
Nutmeg Nanny
Cranberry mojitos are a major favorite in our house! I love that perfect combo of sweet and tart...yum!
Rose | The Clean Dish
I love that you use stevia in this recipe! It definitely makes a difference. Cranberry Mojitos are such fun, seasonal drinks! Your version sounds like a fantastic, healthy options. We'll definitely try it!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
These are so fun and festive! I love that you included a sugar-free version. And is it bad that I think 7-10 pounds sounds reasonable? I'm going to the US for 3 weeks in December and I'll be so thankful if I can stay under a 10-pound gain. 😀
Heather | All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
These are so pretty and festive, just perfect for the season...and I'm loving the sound of both versions!
Brenda@SugarfreeMom
Love this pretty cocktail and love that you gave a stevia verison as well! Happy Thanksgiving my friend and beautiful pics by the way!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife
This is totally the season for lots of cocktails!! I'm also not trying to gain 10 pounds this holiday! Putting this cocktail on my "must mix" list!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet
Oh, it's totally possible to gain that much weight during the holidays! Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything, ahem 😉 Gorgeous photos!
Martha @ A Family Feast
What a great twist on a classic cocktail! And better yet - guilt free! Thanks for sharing Lauren!
Lisa M.
WOW this looks gorgeous! What a great looking cocktail for Christmas!
Jennifer @NourishedSimply
Love lower calorie cocktails. Liquid calories can really mess up a diet!
lauren.kelly
I completely agree Jennifer!!
Elio
Hi Lauren, This cocktail is supremely delicious. Next time around I would use enough sugar to grind the mint and double the water. Will be making this again. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. 🙂
lauren.kelly
I hope you like it! You can definitely add more sugar if you'd like, have a great day!
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Mmm this looks like the perfect festive beverage!
lauren.kelly
Thanks Arman!
Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life
Love those flavors together...it's such a festive looking cocktail! I'll definitely be trying it this holiday season! Your pictures are gorgeous too! 🙂
lauren.kelly
Thanks so much Michelle! CHEERS!