Homemade Apple Cider is a cozy treat perfect for sipping throughout the Fall and Winter months. This easy apple cider recipe is bursting with orchard-fresh apple flavor mulled with cinnamon and warm spices. The cider comes together in one pot (or a large slow cooker) and leaves your house smelling amazing! This cider recipe is delicious for sipping while hot, chilled, mulled with booze, shaken in cocktails, or even for use in baked goods and savory cooking recipes. Enjoy this recipe in a warm mug, baked into doughnuts or transformed into a savory pan sauce for pork or chicken. However you use this recipe, it's sure to taste like an Autumn hug!
When Scott and I were growing up in New England, the Autumn was the most magical time of year. Aside from the crisp air and ruby colored leaves, we were also treated to some of the best apples around. Since moving to Colorado, our annual apple picking trip has been one of the things I miss most about home. Not to mention the cider and doughnuts! In fact, I still remember my Kindergarten field trip where, while seated on a log at Applecrest Farm Orchards, I had my first sip of hot apple cider from a tiny paper cup. This recipe was developed to taste just like that first sip from many moons ago. I hope this recipe brings you as much cozy comfort to your home as it does to ours.
Ingredients for Homemade Cider
Our homemade apple cider recipe is simple to make and consists just of apples, an orange, a little sugar, a touch of fresh ginger, water and some aromatic baking spices.
- Apples: See below for a list of our favorite types of apples for making this recipe.
- Orange: An orange adds a touch of citrus flavor and pairs beautifully with the baking spices.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a subtle spice and makes this cider smell incredible!
- Baking Spices: We used allspice berries, star anise, whole cloves and whole cinnamon sticks. Nutmeg, mace, cardamom and vanilla bean would also be delicious!
- Sugar: You can adjust this cider's sweetness to your own personal preference! We used brown sugar for a little richer flavor.
- Booze? Not pictured & completely optional! This recipe is easily made into a hard cider. Check out the Spiked Cider section below for our suggestions.
What are the Best Apples for Cider?
For the best tasting apple cider around, we recommend making this recipe at the height of apple season and using a variety of apples that range from tart to sweet. If you have the pleasure of picking your own apples (or picking up fresh orchard apples at your farmer's market) use an assortment of different local varietals. There are so many! Always choose fresh apples that are firm, free of blemishes and are brightly colored. Whenever possible, chose apples that are free of preservatives and added wax.
Since we don't have local apples in Colorado, we purchased our apples from the grocery store and used a combination of honey crisp apples and granny smith apples. This combination created a delicious tart cider. Here are some other kinds of apples that would work well for this recipe:
- Sweet Apples: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Red Delicious, Gala, Jazz, Cortland, Braeburn
- Tart Apples: Granny Smith, McIntosh, Pink Lady, Jonathan
How To Make This Recipe
The best part of this apple cider recipe is that it's very easy and the active prep requires very little time. Here's how it's done:
- First, toast the whole spices over medium heat in a large pot (or toast in a skillet and transfer to a slow cooker).
- Then, place apples, orange, ginger, and a little sugar in the pot (or slow cooker), as well. Cover the fruit with cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer (low heat) and allow the fruit to cook for about 90 minutes (3 hours for the crockpot method), until very soft.
- With a potato masher, or large wooden spoon, mash the apples. Simmer for 30 additional minutes. Then, strain out the fruit and spices with a fine mesh strainer.
- To finish, return the cider to the pot (or slow cooker) and add a little additional sugar and water, to taste, as needed. Serve warm, chilled or save for use in other recipes! Enjoy!
Spiked Cider: How To Make Boozy Mulled Cider
If you'd like, this delicious homemade apple cider recipe can easily be made into a hard cider in the final steps of preparation. After the apple cider has been strained through a fine-mesh strainer, it is returned to the pot (or slow cooker). During this step, you can adjust how much sugar (or your favorite sweetener) is added and thin the cider with a little additional hot water, as needed. You can also add alcohol for a holiday-worthy spiked cider.
There are several types of alcohol that would work well in this recipe. Generally speaking, we recommend using brown (oak-aged) liquor that has a richer, caramel-like flavor. This type of alcohol pairs nicely with the apple cider's aromatic spices. Try this recipe with bourbon, rye, aged rum, brandy or Calvados (apple brandy). You can add alcohol to individual servings or spike the entire batch. Be careful not to simmer or boil the boozy cider, or the alcohol content could cook off.
Other Baking, Cooking & Serving Suggestions
There are all sorts of ways you can enjoy this easy apple cider recipe! A simple warm cup of mulled cider and a good book is the perfect pick-me-up in the cooler weather... but it doesn't end there! Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy this recipe:
- Apple Cider Doughnuts - The quintessential Fall baked good! Try cider in other baking recipes, too!
- Icings & Glazes - Use apple cider in place of milk or water for a tangy apple cider icing! For an apple cinnamon glaze, whisk a splash of cider with powdered sugar and cinnamon and drizzle over cookies, doughnuts or muffins.
- Cocktails - Try an Apple Cider Moscow Mule, A cider mimosa or as a fun Fall twist on an Appletini!
- Mocktails - Drink this recipe chilled or make a festive Apple Cider Ginger Beer Mocktail!
- Brine - Use apple cider and fresh herbs as a brine for pork chops or even your Thanksgiving turkey!
- Gravy & Pan Sauces - Add a splash of cider in with the water in your roasting pan for gravy or use this recipe to deglaze a hot pan for a quick apple cider pan sauce! It's perfect with pork, chicken, turkey and duck!
- Dressings - Use apple cider to make a tangy dressing for salads or roasted vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover cider doesn't last very long around here! However, homemade cider can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days.
Apple cider can be reheated on the stovetop over a low flame, in a slow cooker on the low heat setting or in a mug in the microwave for 60 - 90 seconds. If the cider is mulled with alcohol, be careful not to boil the cider.
For the best cider, use a variety of sweet and tart apples. For this recipe, we used 7 Honeycrisp apples and 3 Granny Smith apples.
Share Your Success!
Homemade Apple Cider is the perfect easy recipe to share with friends and family this Fall! We like to have a warm mug ready to great our Thanksgiving guests each year. When this recipe makes its way to your table, be sure to drop us a star rating! And, as always, mention @foodworthfeed or tag #foodworthfeed in your Instagram posts and stories! We’d love to feature you on social! We love having a seat at your table, you’ll always have one at ours. Cheers!
More Fall Recipes You'll Love
- Plum and Apple Crumble: An Easy Autumn Dessert
- The Best Carrot Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
- Raclette Grilled Cheese with Mushrooms and Thyme
- Irish Stout Beer Braised Lamb Pie
Check out our entire archives of Appetizers, Main Courses, Desserts or Drinks for more recipes!
Homemade Apple Cider
Special Equipment
- Potato Masher (or Wooden Spoon)
- Fine-Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 3 whole star anise
- 10 medium apples cored and quartered; We used 7 Honeycrisp apples and 3 Granny Smith apples
- 1 orange halved
- 2 inches fresh ginger root sliced thin
- ½ - 1 Cup brown sugar divided, to taste
- 8 - 10 Cups water plus more, as needed
- 1 - 2 Cups alcohol: bourbon, rye, dark rum, brandy or apple brandy optional
- Cinnamon sticks optional garnish
Instructions
Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven Method
- Gather, measure and prepare the Homemade Apple Cider ingredients as listed.
- Heat a large lidded stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated, add cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, and star anise and toast until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add apples, orange, ginger root, and half of the brown sugar (½ Cup / 100 grams) to the pot. Cover with about 8 Cups (2 liters) cool water or enough to completely cover the fruit. Bring cider to a boil and reduce to simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for 90 minutes.
- Once simmered, use a potato masher (or the back of a wooden spoon) to crush the apples. (They will be very soft). Allow to simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Then, strain cider through a fine mesh sieve and use a spoon or rubber spatula to press the apple pulp to release it's juices. Discard the crushed fruit and spices.
- At this stage, this thick, concentrated cider is perfect for use in baking recipes, cocktails and mocktails. For a drinking cider, or to add optional alcohol: proceed to the next step.
- Return cider to the large pot, dutch oven or slow cooker. Set cider over a low flame to keep warm. Thin the cider to a desired drinking consistency by adding about 2 Cups (500 milliliters) of liquid. For the liquid use hot water, bourbon, rye, dark rum, brandy, apple brandy or a combination of hot water and alcohol, as desired. (See Note: a.) Add additional brown sugar, to taste and stir until completely dissolved. Do not boil.
- Serve cider warm, chilled, or in other beverages, cooking or baking recipes. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Method (Crockpot)
- Gather, measure and prepare the Homemade Apple Cider ingredients as listed.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, and star anise and toast until aromatic, about 1 minute. Transfer spices to a large slow cooker.
- Add apples, orange, ginger root, and half of the brown sugar to the pot. Cover with about 8 Cups (2 liters) cool water or enough to completely cover the fruit. On the high setting, bring cider to a boil. Then reduce heat to the low setting. Cover and allow to slow cook for 3 hours.
- Once simmered, use a potato masher (or the back of a wooden spoon) to crush the apples. (They will be very soft). Allow to slow cook for an additional hour. Then, strain cider through a fine mesh sieve and use a spoon or rubber spatula to press the apple pulp to release it's juices. Discard the crushed fruit and spices.
- At this stage, this thick, concentrated cider is perfect for use in baking recipes, cocktails and mocktails. For a drinking cider, or to add optional alcohol: proceed to the next step.
- Return cider to the slow cooker. Set to the low heat setting to keep warm. Thin cider to a desired drinking consistency by adding about 2 Cups (500 milliliters) of liquid. For the liquid use hot water, bourbon, rye, dark rum, brandy, apple brandy or a combination of hot water and alcohol, as desired. (See Note: a.) Add additional brown sugar, to taste and stir until completely dissolved. Do not boil.
- Serve cider warm, chilled, or in other beverages, cooking or baking recipes. Enjoy!
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