It’s easy to make a batch of hot homemade apple cider in a slow cooker. You control the ingredients, so you can make it sweeter or spicier according to your taste. You’ll savor its aroma as it cooks, the delicious ways you can serve it all season long, and the fact that it’s made with real ingredients. I have a feeling you’ll make this recipe an annual fall tradition!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
When it comes to cozy, comforting fall drinks, warm spiced apple cider reigns supreme. And making it at home is a lot easier than you think!
It’s wonderful as a hot beverage, but you can also use it to make apple cider sangria or honeycrisp apple sangria, apple cider donuts, apple cider muffins, and apple cider French toast.
Tell Me About This Homemade Apple Cider
- Consistency: The cider is smooth once you strain out the fruit.
- Flavor: This is nonalcoholic apple cider made with just apples, citrus, cinnamon sticks (just like we use in pumpkin coffee creamer), cloves, sugar, and water. I usually make it so it’s more focused on the spices and not the sweetness, but you can sweeten it to your taste.
- Ease: This is a very simple drink recipe requiring just 6 ingredients.
- Time: Set aside 20 minutes to slice and prep, plus 8 hours for slow cooking.
One reader, Meaw, commented: “My husband initially told me that for the number of apples, the recipe wasn’t worth it… and then he tasted it. He drank his words! This is, hands down, the BEST apple cider we’ve ever had. Simple to make, with a maximum flavor punch. We took it next level with your cinnamon sugar donuts to go along with it, and woah… so delish! ★★★★★“
Ingredients You Need
It’s not much! Perfect after a day of apple picking, or if you have a surplus of fall’s favorite fruit hanging out in the refrigerator.
Best Apples to Use to Make Apple Cider
For the best flavor, we strongly encourage using a variety of apples—some sweet, some tart. We recommend a variety when making apple pie, too!
- Sweet apples we love: Jazz, Honeycrisp, Sugarbee, Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, and Cortland
- Tart apples we love: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
Why the orange? A little citrus balances out the apple flavor and pairs wonderfully with the spices.
You Control the Sugar
Sweeten to your taste. What I love most about homemade apple cider is that you can control the amount of sugar and spices. We all have different preferences, so make sure that you add enough sugar to suit your tastes. We usually add 6 Tablespoons (75g). If you’d prefer it less sweet, use 1/4 cup (50g), or more sweet, use 1/2 cup (100g).
Overview: How to Make Homemade Apple Cider
This is *mostly* a set it and forget it crockpot recipe. The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.
- Place everything in the slow cooker.
- Add water. The amount varies depending on the size of your slow cooker; use just enough to cover the fruit.
- Cook. 6–7 hours on low heat, or 4 hours on high heat.
- Mash the fruits. Use a big sturdy spoon or potato masher and begin mashing up all those warm apples and oranges. (At this point, they should be super soft.)
- Simmer. Allow this liquid mash to cook for another hour.
- Strain. Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the cider. You may want to strain it twice if there are still some solids left behind.
- Serve warm.
You can freeze leftover apple cider. I usually freeze some in an ice cube tray, then thaw small amounts when I want an individual serving, or to make this quick and easy apple cider chicken for dinner!
Here’s what the mixture looks like after cooking all day, and before mashing:
And here’s what it looks like as you mash it:
No Slow Cooker? No Problem.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, use a large stock pot instead. Place all ingredients into your pot and bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat. Once it’s simmering, reduce the heat, cover, and let it cook for 2 hours. Continue with mashing the fruit, cooking for an additional hour, and straining as instructed in the recipe.
Homemade Apple Cider
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: about 1 and 1/2 quarts
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Warm apple cider is a quintessential fall drink and you can make it at home in a slow cooker. For the best flavor, we strongly encourage using a variety of apples such as some sweet and some tart. For stovetop instructions, see recipe Notes below.
Ingredients
- 10 medium apples (use a variety—I use Honeycrisp and Granny Smith)
- 1 orange
- 4 cinnamon sticks (or 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon)
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar*
- water
Instructions
- Peel the orange and place the segments in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Rinse the apples and cut into quarters (discard the cores), and place in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon sticks, ground cloves, and sugar. Add just enough water to cover the fruit.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 6–7 hours, or on high heat for 4 hours. (If you have the option, low heat is better.)
- After this time, the fruit should be very soft. With tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove the cinnamon sticks. With a large sturdy spoon or a potato masher, mash the fruit. Return the cinnamon sticks to the mixture and cover.
- Cook on low heat or high heat for 1 more hour.
- Very slowly strain the chunky liquid though a fine mesh sieve into a large pot or heat-safe pitcher. You can discard the solids. Strain the cider one more time to rid any other solids. Serve the cider warm.
- Leftover cider keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5–7 days. Warm up on the stove before serving or enjoy it cold.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cider can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Slow Cooker (4-quart or larger) | Large Wooden Spoon | Potato Masher | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Sugar: Adjust the sugar to your taste. Use 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for a spicier cider, or 1/2 cup (100g) for a sweeter cider. If you prefer your apple cider on the sweeter side (like the kind you buy at the store), use 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar.
- No Slow Cooker? No Problem! In step 1, place all of the ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Mash the fruit as instructed in step 3, re-cover, and continue with step 4.
- Can I Make This in an Instant Pot? I’m sure you could! I don’t have one, and I have not tested it. Let us know what you try.
- Can I Use Whole Cloves Instead of Ground? You can use 2 teaspoons of whole cloves instead of 1 teaspoon ground cloves. However, we’ve found the color of the cider is much lighter. Of course the flavor does not change, just the appearance.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally! My grandmother is allergic to cinnamon and I’ve never made this before, will it have a large impact on flavor to leave it out? Love the website and recipes 🙂
Hi Cheyenne, you can omit the cinnamon if needed, but yes, the flavor will be lacking quite a bit. You could try swapping with some more warm spices (like ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, etc.). Let us know what you try!
It was fantastic, tasted very warm and I think I preferred it without the bite of cinnamon, thank you so much!
Can I double this recipe to make a bigger batch for a party?
Hi Channing, as long as your slow cooker or stock pot is large enough you should be able to double this with no problems. Your cook time may be longer with more ingredients.
This worked out perfectly! I used my instant pot with the slow cooker setting on low. You just have to be careful to make sure your lid is set to “vent” as the default is to “seal”. I also accidentally ended up pressure cooking them for about 3 of the seven hours it slow cooked for and it turned out fine. Lastly, I strained through cheese cloth as well to really ensure I got all the solids!
Hello,
I was wondering if I could use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. Also, I found another recipe with similar ingredients that cooked in a pot over the stove for half the time. I like your recipe better, but I don’t have a ton of time before I need to serve this. Would this work with your recipe?
You could use brown sugar if you would like. You can cook on the stove top – see Notes after the recipe for details!
Hello All,
Looking forward to giving this a delicious go!
RE: strained fruit
Would this be usable in other baked goods: apple cake, cider donuts, pumpkin cake, cookies, etc.?
thank you!
Hi Laurie! The strained fruit is quite mushy, so we worry it would be difficult to incorporate effectively into other baked goods. If you do any experimenting, though, please do let us know how it goes!
Yum! I’m excited to try it!
Do I need to peel the apples before putting in the slow cooker?
Hi Sarah, No need to peel the apples!
Looks delicious. Is it possible to can the leftovers using the waterbath method? It’s always nice to have some on hand.
Hi Latte, We have never tried to can it, but we can’t see why not (as long as it’s heated to the proper temperature to make it safe for canning).
Add a peeled orange or lemon to up the acid. Should be just fine. Adds a blast of summer brightness to it as well!
Am i able to can this. If so waterbath for how long
Hi Liz, we don’t have much experience with canning, but let us know if you try it!
Great Cider
I used an insta pot cooked for 20 minutes and it was done.
strain and oh so good. I also used 3/4 c of brown sugar because I could 🙂
I used pumpkin pie spices too.
Delicious! I used the Instant Pot, and it worked great. For anyone who wants to try, I followed the directions until cooking it. After mixing it all together, closing the lid and setting it to sealing, I set it on manual for 30 minutes, with a full natural release. I opened the lid and let it simmer for 10 minutes (you can do more if you want). Let it cool down a little and follow the directions starting with number 3. Don’t do step 4 and then just continue with the recipe directions.
Can I replace some of the apples with pears?
Hi Abby, that shouldn’t be a problem. The final taste will, of course, be a bit different. Let us know if you try it!
Can I make this with maple syrup or honey instead of sugar? Thank you!
Hi Lily, we haven’t tested it but we don’t see why not! Just add enough at the end until you reach your desired sweetness. Enjoy!
Made this tonight, using the stockpot method (2 hours simmer with lid, mash, simmer 1 hour). Used a combination of granny smith and ambrosia apples, and just under 1/2 cup sugar. Delicious 🙂
Tip: Have to be careful with the water quantity — apples tend to float, so it’s easy to add too much! Push the apples down to get the ‘just covering fruit’ amount right, and don’t worry when the fruit bobs to the top — it’ll sink down during the cook time.
Hello Sally & Team!
I will be making this recipe on my stovetop and just wanted to confirm that I will not need to add water (I don’t want all of this delicious fruit to burn!).
Thank you in advance!
Sarah
Hi Sarah! At the end of step 1, you will add water. Add just enough water to cover the fruit.
Thank you, Sally! 🙂
I just love your recipes and watching your videos. You are always my go to when I’m searching for recipes and tips. Thank you so much for helping me become the most popular person in the neighborhood!
Can I ask how much cider this typically makes and does anyone know if you can can it to keep longer? Or just freeze it?
Hi Sarah, This recipe will make 1 and 1/2 quarts. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Enjoy!
Delicious! I didn’t use any sugar at all, because I’m using a delicious sweet and sour green apple that grows in my yard- no idea what the variety is. This was delicious. I used a regular kitchen strainer which left some solids in but I wasn’t mad about that. Not sure if it means it won’t keep as long?
Delicious recipe as always, thanks Sally 🙂
Do I use water? I did’nt add water, and I’m doing it on the stove and it started smoking. I took it off the stove, but what now?
Hi Ana, you do not need to add water to the apple cider while reducing on the stove. It sounds like your burner may have been a bit too hot. You can always turn it down if the cider start to boil and smoke.
Hi Ana! I’m not sure if this information will be helpful to you now (hopefully you give this recipe another shot!), but you will add just enough water to cover the fruit (just like in the slow cooker recipe). I hope this information helps you for the next time! 🙂
I don’t have a sieve, but I have a finer “strainer” so to speak. Any thoughts on using a jelly bag instead?
A jelly bag should work here!
Absolutely loved this recipe. Made this tonight and is what amazing. I reduced the amount of cloves to 1/2 tsp and as I only had 6 apples that were going bad. It made a lot, hopefully I can freeze it.
If you are allergic to oranges what other fruits can you use?
Hi Liz, you can just leave them out.
I ran my leftovers through my food mill and made applesauce!
Brilliant!
I want to try this recipe but my son really loves cold apple cider. Can I make this as a cold and hot cider?
Hi Kathy, absolutely, you can enjoy the cider hot or cold once finished. Hope your son enjoys it!
I’m excited to try this recipe! Has anyone tried this with an Instant Pot?
Any ideas or recipes to use the leftover mushy fruit bits for?
Discard in the yard for the bees storing up for winter
This was my first time making apple cider, and it came out AMAZING! I did a smaller portion, 3 Honeycrisp apples, 1 small orange and used allspice instead of cloves and it was perfect. Will definitely share this recipe.
Hi there, can you give me the approximate amount of water you use? I’ll be using my instant pot so I thibk the amount may be different from what you’ve used. Thank you!
Hi Jessica, We’ve never made this in the insta pot but you can certainly try it. You should still need just enough water to cover the apples. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hello! I just wanted to add a note here, be sure you core the apples before you use them. Apple seeds, and seeds from several other fruits, contain arsenic. True it would take a cup full of ground up seeds to poison a person, but I still will not add them to foods I am cooking, making, creating for human consumption..
https://pickyourown.org/apple-seeds-cyanide-arsenic.php
How many apples would you use if using small apples? Making this next weekend for a family get together and thought about getting the 3 or 5 pound bags of apples.
Hi Haley, The 3 pound bag should work well. Enjoy!
Can you make this a day before you want to serve it?
HI Kit, yes, the cider keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
Hi! Mine turned out watery. Any fix-it tips? The flavor is great, just not very strong
Hi Courtney, try reducing it on the stove– simmer over medium heat in a large pot for 10-20 minutes or until slightly reduced. If you ever try the recipe again, you can add another apple or use slightly less water.