Copycat Hawaiian Punch

“Can we make fruit punch from scratch?” my daughter asked me one day, and that very question inspired this recipe. So this was created with the help of my 8-year-old Stella, who loves to make tropical fruit punch as much as lemonade now! I’m always on the lookout for recipes to make with her and love the idea of a beloved childhood favorite that could be made in a healthier way.

Store-bought Hawaiian Punch has only 3% juice, and its second ingredient, after water, is high-fructose corn syrup. Hawaiian Punch is a tropical fruit punch, different from a classic fruit punch—they list their main fruit flavors as pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, and guava, so that’s where we started. I like to try to avoid food dye, but if you want the classic RED of Hawaiian punch, 8 drops of food coloring got me to bright Hawaiian Punch red…but keep in mind it depends on the food coloring you use.

A lot of recipes call for adding a significant amount of water because Hawaiian punch is a more watered-down juice. I prefer to add a lot of ice, but if you prefer to chill it without ice, add 1 additional cup water instead of the ice and chill for a few hours. Feel free to add water to taste if this recipe is too strong for your kiddos.

Other ideas: I like to throw frozen fruit and whatever extra fruit I have on hand in there as well and make it a “kids’ sangria,” a great way to keep the fiber from the fruit in the mix. I like to put frozen diced pineapple in to cool it all down. Also, this makes tasty pops if you end up making more than you want to drink for the week. Just pour them right into the pop molds and freeze them overnight.

Did you try this? Let us know how it went in the comments!