Top 5 Healthy Spanish Sangria Recipes You’ll Love!

There is nothing better than cooling off in summer with a little sangria. This drink is huge part of Spanish gastronomic heritage, and is sweet, refreshing and versatile.

It is important to know that sangria requires a maceration time of 2-3 hours outside of the refrigerator so that the flavours of the fruits mix with the drink. If you’re going to make it in advance, it’s better to keep it in the fridge to avoid fermentation. Follow on, as today, I’m bringing you Top 5 Healthy Spanish Sangria Recipes You’ll Love!

First a bit of history…There are many theories about how sangria was created. One of them was that the ancient Romans who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula planted many types of grapes to make wine. Later, that wine became combined with various fruits, such as peaches, apples and citrus varieties, and that’s how it evolved.

Another theory is that it was invented by the English and that the term ‘sangria’ comes from the English word ‘sangaree’, from which comes the Spanish word ‘blood’, now to the recipes!

1. Traditional Spanish Sangria (Healthy Version)

The original is made with fruity red wine, orange, lemon, cinnamon sticks, sugar, apple, nectarine, liqueurs and sparkling soda. To make it healthier you can use grape juice instead of wine.

You can also avoid adding sugars and using sweeteners (if you like sweet), however, I do feel that the flavour of the red grapes for example, already has plenty of sweetness. Finally, avoid the use of liquor and substitute sparkling soda for lightly sparkling Perrier or similar water!

2. Melon & Raspberry

The original would normally be made with moscatel wine and has a very sweet flavour. However, to make it healthier, use lemon juice or grape juice and add the following ingredients: different varieties of melon, (common red-flesh melon, cantaloupe, honeydew), water, raspberries and mint leaves.

3. Ginger & Blueberry

For this delicious recipe, you can use a little ginger kombucha, lemon, unsweetened blueberry juice, whole blueberries, some orange slices, cut strawberries and lightly carbonated water like Perrier.

4. Peach, Pineapple & Mango

The original is usually made with white wine. However, we can make a healthier version of this drink by using a fruit juice or fruit juice blend with a little peach, mango and a little water.

5. Strawberry & Lemon

This one is so simple to make that you only need a little squeezed lemon, a few pieces of it, cut strawberries, a little basil and lemon zest. You can also blitz it all together through a blender.

It is important to add ice before serving so that all these beauties are served up very cool. Further for more cultural depth, you can also add spices such as nutmeg, ginger, and clove to enhance the richness of the flavour, the possible combinations are literally infinite! I hope you enjoy these wonderful, healthier versions of our beloved, traditional Spanish drink!

What classy-yet-healthy sangria blends do you indulge in? Let us know in the comments below and join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!