Star anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and a bottle of red dumped into a crockpot sounds like witchcraft OR the best night you’ve had in months. Sometimes it’s both.
The fruit goes soft and jammy in there. The wine gets warm, spiced, and unapologetically boozy. The whole house smells like someone is doing something FESTIVE (!!), even if that someone is just you in sweatpants, doing absolutely nothing… and loving it.
Best Wine to Use for Sangria
- Go with a FULL-BODIED red that can stand up to spices and brandy…. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Garnacha are solid picks.
- Skip the pricey bottles – something in the $10-15 range has plenty of flavor without breaking the bank.
- Avoid heavily OAKED or super tannic wines… they’ll turn bitter after hours in the slow cooker.
- Fruity reds like Zinfandel play nicely with the pomegranate and citrus notes.
Barefoot Cabernet (as the recipe suggests) is a classic budget-friendly choice that absolutely gets the job done here!
Serving Warm vs. Cold
- WARM straight from the crockpot: This is the INTENDED way! The cinnamon, cloves, and star anise release warming aromatics best when hot. Cozy season in a glass….
- ROOM TEMPERATURE works too: Let it sit 20 minutes if the spices feel too intense. The fruit holds shape better, and you’ll taste the wine more clearly!
- COLD is NOT recommended: Chilling mutes everything you slow-cooked into existence. The whole point is the spice infusion, so why undo it?
- Pick the RIGHT glass: Mugs for warm pours, stemmed glasses for room temp. (Presentation counts, even at a crockpot party.)
How to Sweeten to Your Taste
Start with the 3 tablespoons of sugar substitute, stir it in, and TASTE at the 30-minute mark. Too tart?? Add another tablespoon (or two… no judgment here) and stir until dissolved.
Remember, the fruit releases natural sweetness as it cooks, so you can always ADD more later, but you can’t take it back! *(trust me on this one)*. Prefer it drier? Hold back on the sweetener entirely and let the pear and apple do the heavy lifting.
Make-Ahead & Reheating Tips
- Prep fruit 24 hours ahead, store airtight with lemon juice to stop browning
- Mix liquids and sweetener ahead, refrigerate, dump into the slow cooker when ready
- Leftovers keep 3 days sealed tight in the fridge
- Reheat on LOW 30-45 minutes MAX….HIGH heat kills the alcohol and mushes the fruit (seriously, don’t)
- Add FRESH orange slices and a new cinnamon stick when reheating to revive the aroma
- Don’t toss the strained spices….they go right into batch number two
Fun Fruit Variations to Try
The pear, apple, and orange trio is just the starting point. Try these swaps:
- Sliced peaches or nectarines with the pear and apple….they break down into jammy sweetness after 2 hours.
- Fresh cranberries at the start give you deeper color and a real tart backbone.
- Swap orange for blood orange slices (same timing) for a moodier hue and subtle berry notes.
- Stir pomegranate arils in AT THE END only. Cook them and you get mush.
- Toss in a handful of dried figs for winter depth (add with the spices).
- Pineapple chunks in the last 30 minutes hold their shape and add tropical flair.
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 950-1100
- Protein: 3-4 g
- Fat: 0-1 g
- Carbohydrates: 85-100 g
Ingredients
- 51 oz red wine (such as Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 2/3 cup brandy
- 1/3 cup triple sec
- 3 tablespoons sugar substitute
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 pear (cored and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wedges)
- 1 apple (cored and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wedges)
- 1 orange (sliced into 1/4-inch rounds)
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
Step 1: Slice the Fresh Fruit
- 1 pear
- 1 apple
- 1 orange
Core the pear and apple, then slice both into 1/2-inch thick wedges.
Slice the orange into 1/4-inch rounds.
Set the orange slices aside separately from the other fruit, as they’ll be added later.
Having your fruit prepped and ready ensures the slow cooker can start working on building flavor immediately without interruption.
Step 2: Combine the Liquid Base
- 51 oz red wine
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- 2/3 cup brandy
- 1/3 cup triple sec
- 3 tablespoons sugar substitute
Pour the red wine, pomegranate juice, brandy, and triple sec into your slow cooker.
Add the sugar substitute and stir well to ensure it’s fully dissolved.
This liquid foundation will infuse with the spices and fruit over the next couple of hours, developing deep, complex flavors.
Step 3: Submerge Spices and Orchard Fruit
- sangria base from Step 2
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- pear slices from Step 1
- apple slices from Step 1
Add the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and star anise to the sangria base, stirring to distribute them evenly.
Then add the pear and apple wedges, pushing them gently into the liquid.
I like to add the citrus spices early so they have time to soften and release their essential oils into the sangria, creating a warming, aromatic depth that can’t be rushed.
Step 4: Simmer on Low Heat
- sangria from Step 3
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours.
This gentle, extended heat allows the spices to fully infuse into the liquid, the sugar to caramelize subtly with the fruit juices, and all the flavors to meld together harmoniously.
The fruit will soften slightly while still maintaining its structure.
Step 5: Garnish and Serve Warm
- cooked sangria from Step 4
- orange slices from Step 1
After 2 hours, stir the sangria gently and add the reserved orange slices.
I add the oranges at the end because their bright, fresh citrus flavor is best enjoyed fresh rather than stewed—they’ll soften slightly in the warm sangria but maintain more of their character.
Ladle into glasses with some of the fruit and spices, and serve warm or at room temperature depending on your preference.
Spiced Crockpot Sangria
Ingredients
Method
- Core the pear and apple, then slice both into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Slice the orange into 1/4-inch rounds. Set the orange slices aside separately from the other fruit, as they'll be added later. Having your fruit prepped and ready ensures the slow cooker can start working on building flavor immediately without interruption.
- Pour the red wine, pomegranate juice, brandy, and triple sec into your slow cooker. Add the sugar substitute and stir well to ensure it's fully dissolved. This liquid foundation will infuse with the spices and fruit over the next couple of hours, developing deep, complex flavors.
- Add the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and star anise to the sangria base, stirring to distribute them evenly. Then add the pear and apple wedges, pushing them gently into the liquid. I like to add the citrus spices early so they have time to soften and release their essential oils into the sangria, creating a warming, aromatic depth that can't be rushed.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 2 hours. This gentle, extended heat allows the spices to fully infuse into the liquid, the sugar to caramelize subtly with the fruit juices, and all the flavors to meld together harmoniously. The fruit will soften slightly while still maintaining its structure.
- After 2 hours, stir the sangria gently and add the reserved orange slices. I add the oranges at the end because their bright, fresh citrus flavor is best enjoyed fresh rather than stewed—they'll soften slightly in the warm sangria but maintain more of their character. Ladle into glasses with some of the fruit and spices, and serve warm or at room temperature depending on your preference.