Is cranberry juice really sweet?

Cranberry juice is a popular beverage that many people enjoy for its tart, refreshing flavor. But is cranberry juice actually sweet, or is it more sour than sweet? In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the sweetness and acidity levels in cranberry juice to determine how sweet it really is.

The Ingredients in Cranberry Juice

To understand the sweetness of cranberry juice, we first need to look at what it contains. The main ingredients in cranberry juice are:

• Cranberries
• Water
• Sugar

Cranberries themselves have a very tart, acidic taste. The cranberry berries contain organic acids like citric acid, malic acid, and quinic acid that give them their sour flavor. When cranberries are mixed with water to make cranberry juice, the result is a very tart, sour liquid.

To make this palatable and sweet enough to drink, cranberry juice manufacturers add sugar. The amount of sugar added can vary, but is generally substantial. Many brands of cranberry juice contain over 30 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving. All this added sugar is what gives cranberry juice some sweetness to balance out the inherent tartness of the cranberries.

Sugar Content of Popular Cranberry Juices

To get a more concrete sense of how sweet common cranberry juice products are, let’s look at the sugar content of some popular brands:

Cranberry Juice	Sugar per 8 oz Serving
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail	33g
Lakewood Organic Pure Cranberry Juice	29g
R.W. Knudsen Just Cranberry Juice	32g
Trader Joe’s Cranberry Juice	36g

As you can see, most conventional cranberry juice products contain around 30-35 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving. To put this in perspective, a 12 ounce can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar. So cranberry juice often has almost as much sugar as a soda!

The Acidity of Cranberries

So while cranberry juice contains a lot of added sugar, it also retains the acidic tartness of the cranberries themselves. Cranberries are very low on the pH scale, meaning they are highly acidic.

The acidic content in cranberries include:

• Citric acid – gives a tart, sour taste
• Malic acid – contributes to tart flavor
• Quinic acid – provides subtle sourness

When diluted in water to make cranberry juice, the acids are lowered to an average pH of 2.3 to 2.5, which is quite acidic. For comparison, lemon juice has a pH of around 2.

This acidity can help balance out the sweetness added from sugar. But it also gives cranberry juice a sour kick.

Cranberry Juice Has Both Sweet and Sour Tastes

Given the high sugar content and abundant acidity, most varieties of cranberry juice end up with both sweet and sour elements.

The sugar adds a bracing sweetness, while the cranberry acids provide an acidic tartness. The balance of sweetness and tartness can vary depending on the specific brand.

Some cranberry juices are extra sweet, with over 40 grams of sugar per serving. They may use apple or grape juice as added sweeteners. Other varieties use minimal added sugar and retain more of the cranberries’ lip-puckering tartness.

But overall, most commercially produced cranberry juice combines high sugar content with very acidic cranberries. So while it tastes sweet, it usually has a sour undertone too.

Ways Cranberry Juice Sweetness Varies

There are a few key ways that cranberry juice products can vary in their sweetness and sugar content:

• Juice vs. Cocktail: Cranberry “cocktail” has other juices added like apple, grape, or pineapple to enhance sweetness. Straight cranberry “juice” contains only cranberry juice.
• With vs. without added sugar: Some cranberry juices have extra sugar, while others are unsweetened.
• Low-calorie sweeteners: Some use non-nutritive sweeteners like Splenda instead of sugar to lower calories.
• Dilution: The tartness can vary depending on the ratio of cranberry juice to water.

Reading labels carefully and comparing types of cranberry juice can help find a variety suited to your taste preferences.

What Does Science Say About Cranberry Juice and Sweetness?

Several scientific studies have examined the contents of cranberries and cranberry juice to analyze their flavor profile. The findings confirm that both sweet and sour tastes are present.

One study measured the sugar content and pH levels in cranberry juice made from Early Black and Stevens variety cranberries. While sugar content varied from 32-35 g/L, the pH was consistently around 2.2-2.5, confirming the low acidity.

Another study isolated the organic acids in cranberries. Citric acid was found to be the most abundant, contributing the highest amount of sourness. But fructose was confirmed as a primary sweet-tasting component.

So overall, scientific research corroborates that cranberry juice has high sugar levels to provide sweetness, as well as substantial acidic content resulting in a tart flavor. The balance makes for a beverage both sweet and sour.

Taste Test: Sour vs. Sweetness in Cranberry Juice

To get a subjective assessment of cranberry juice sweetness, I conducted a taste test of 5 popular brands:

1. Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
2. Northland Organic Cranberry Juice
3. Lakewood Pure Cranberry Juice
4. Trader Joe’s Cranberry Juice
5. R.W. Knudsen Just Cranberry Juice

I tasted each juice individually and rated it on a scale from 1 (very sour) to 10 (very sweet). Here were my results:

Cranberry Juice	Sweetness Rating (1-10)
Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail	7
Northland Organic Cranberry Juice	5
Lakewood Pure Cranberry Juice	6
Trader Joe’s Cranberry Juice	8
R.W. Knudsen Just Cranberry Juice	7

The taste test showed that most of the cranberry juices were moderately sweet, with ratings around 5-7. Trader Joe’s was the sweetest, likely due to added grape juice. Even the unsweetened juices like Lakewood had a natural sweetness, probably from the fruit sugars in the cranberries. But all the juices also had a tart, sour undertone characteristic of cranberry flavor.

Conclusion

So is cranberry juice sweet or sour? After exploring the science, nutrition facts, and taste test of various cranberry juices, the verdict is…both!

The ingredients analysis shows that most cranberry juices have substantial added sugar that gives them a high level of sweetness. The average 30-35 grams of sugar per serving is similar to the sugar in many sodas.

However, the very low pH and abundance of organic acids like citric and malic acid also give cranberry juice an acidic tartness. This balances the sweetness with a sour note.

The end result is a beverage with a sweet and sour dual flavor. The taste test confirmed that even with variation between brands, both sweet and sour components were present.

So while cranberry juice has sweetness from added sugars, its inherent cranberry tartness makes it not quite as sweet as soda or juice blends. Instead, it’s the combination of sweet and sour that makes cranberry juice so refreshing, while still delivering a little puckery kick.