Homemade Apple Cider

Why You Should Make Apple Cider From Scratch

• Better than store-bought. With homemade apple cider, you know exactly what goes into it! Just apples, a few spices, and sugar. No added stabilizers, preservatives, or funny ingredients.
• Mulled with citrus and spice. Simmering with fresh oranges, cinnamon, and cloves infuses this cozy apple cider with fall flavor. You can adapt this recipe with seasonal spices in any way you’d like.
• Versatile. I love using this homemade apple cider for cocktails and baking. Of course, it’s a must at our holiday parties, too!
• Serve cold or warm. Enjoy your cider warm from the stovetop or store it in the fridge to enjoy cold the following day.

Choosing Your Apples

When choosing apples for homemade apple cider, the key is to use a mix of sweet and tart:

• High acidity (tart) – Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and McIntosh apples. These apples are generally tart, crisp, and tangy.
• Low acidity (sweet) – Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Gala, and Fuji apples. These are your sweeter varieties, which can balance out the tart apples.

I typically reach for Granny Smith (tart) and Honeycrisp (sweet) for this recipe. I wouldn’t use all Granny Smith apples, as that would make the finished product a bit too tangy. If you prefer a sweeter cider, consider using a mix of Gala or Golden Delicious apples, which have lower acidity.

Cider Ingredients

Scroll down to the printable recipe card to see the corresponding amounts and recipe details.

• Apples – See above. I recommend cutting the apples into quarters so they’ll fit nicely in the pot.
• Orange – Peeled and quartered. Wash and scrub the skin of the orange well beforehand. You can also make this recipe with lemon, grapefruit, lime, or a mix of winter citrus.
• Spices – The spices will steep in the cider while it simmers, so don’t worry about using whole cinnamon and cloves. All solids will be filtered out of the cider after it cooks. You can reduce the amount of cloves for a milder flavor, or add more spices, like nutmeg, star anise, and cardamom.
• Water and Sugar – This creates a sweet base for the apples and spices to steep in. You can adjust the amount of sugar to taste depending on the sweetness of the apples you’re using. Instead of granulated sugar, you could also use brown sugar or honey.

Mulled Cider vs. Apple Cider

Technically, what we’re making today is mulled cider. What’s the difference? Regular apple cider typically uses apples as the sole ingredient, and is often served cold. Mulled apple cider, on the other hand, incorporates fruit and spices in the steeping process. Like mulled wine, mulled cider is meant to be served hot.

That being said, this foolproof homemade apple cider is just as amazing straight from the fridge! You can also easily leave out the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and oranges from this recipe if you’d prefer a traditional apple cider.

How to Make Homemade Apple Cider

A little patience is all you need to make perfect spiced apple cider from scratch. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Combine everything but the sugar. Add your apples, oranges, and spices to a large stock pot with water. Ensure the water completely covers the fruit.
2. Simmer the apples. Bring the pot to a simmer, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 2 hours. The apples will have gone completely soft at this time.
3. Mash and simmer some more. Now, use a potato masher to mash up the softened apples into a pulp, which releases the flavors. Cover the pot again, and simmer the pulp for another hour.
4. Strain and add sugar. Strain the apples and spices through a mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth, and return the strained juice to the pot. Stir in the sugar until it’s fully dissolved, and serve!

Slow Cooker Version

To make slow cooker homemade apple cider, combine all of the ingredients in a 6-8 quart slow cooker and cook the cider on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for 3-4 hours). Mash the apples once they’ve softened, then cook the cider for another hour. Strain and serve! This is a great option whenever I’m making this homemade apple cider for holiday parties, since I can leave it on the slow cooker’s Keep Warm setting until it’s time to serve.

Recipe Tips (Plus Variations You’ll Love)

• Wash the apples. Don’t forget to give your apples a good rinse to wash away any dirt or bacteria that may be lurking on the surface of the fruit. Pat the apples dry with a paper or cloth towel before you quarter them.
• To peel or not to peel. You don’t have to peel the orange if you’d prefer not to. Just note that the cider will taste slightly more tart if you leave the peel intact. Rinse and dry the orange before you cut it if you’re choosing to keep the peel on.
• Don’t let it boil. Make sure that your cider does not reach its boiling point. As soon as it starts to simmer, turn down the heat and cover the pot. Boiling it will cause it to thicken into a syrup.
• Spiked homemade apple cider. Add a splash of bourbon, brandy, rum, or triple sec for a boozy mulled cider.
• Make a version with chai spice. A quick and easy way to infuse this homemade cider with spice is to swap the whole cinnamon and cloves for a bag of chai tea.
• Creamy caramel. Make caramel apple cider and substitute the sugar with homemade caramel sauce. You could also drizzle caramel into your mugs when serving.

Serving Suggestions

You know, when they say that you should have cookies baking so the house smells all sweet and cozy when company arrives? For fall gatherings, I put this spiced homemade apple cider on the stove instead. Greet guests with mugs of cider garnished with a cinnamon stick and orange slices, and a cranberry pecan cheese ball appetizer. Or, serve cider in place of coffee or tea with a slice of apple upside-down cake or pumpkin pie. For a refreshing twist, chill the cider and serve it over ice.

How to Store and Reheat Apple Cider

• Refrigerate. Store leftover apple cider in an airtight container after it has cooled to room temperature. It can then be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Reheat. Enjoy your leftover cider cold, or warm it up over low heat. You could also microwave individual mugs of cider for 60-90 seconds.
• Can you freeze homemade apple cider? Yes! Freeze the cooled cider in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to leave an inch or two of space at the top of the container so the liquid has room to expand as it freezes. Otherwise, your container could deform or break completely. Thaw frozen cider in the fridge before reheating.

More Cozy Drink Recipes

• Easy Homemade Eggnog
• Classic Hot Toddy
• Red Wine Sangria