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.