Mulled Apple Cider is an aromatic and warm beverage full of festive vibes. Hot Apple Cider is popular during fall and winter season especially for Thanksgiving, Christmas and family gatherings. This Homemade Apple Cider can be made from scratch in the Slow cooker or crockpot, stove top or in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.
You will love this amazingly flavorful warm and soothing drink. Similar to Golden Turmeric Milk, Chai Spiced Latte and Homemade Hot Chocolate , this is my favorite cool weather beverage that gives pure comfort vibes every sip!
Mulled apple cider is a warm non-alcoholic beverage prepared with fresh apples cooked in a combination of spices including cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Find out about this holiday drink here.
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Favorite Fall Beverage
This Apple Cider recipe is made with fresh apples, citrus fruits, cranberries and mulling spices. It is sweet and tart with lingering aroma of warming spices.
As September sets in, my mind drifts towards upcoming festivals, holidays, and family time. These are magical months of warmth, love and celebrations.
We are talking about just 8 ingredients and 30 minutes for this MULLED APPLE CIDER DRINK from scratch! You could use unfiltered apple juice instead of water as well.
Holiday Apple Cider
This Holiday Apple Cider is a must have for gatherings and celebrations. The simmering spices fill the house with welcoming aroma. As you sip this delightful drink, you feel the warmth of the festive vibes.
My house smells wonderful and festive as this cider fills the house with warm inviting smells. Citrus fruits along with earthy spices like cinnamon, cloves and star anise blend so well together. It is all natural room freshener too.
Adjust the Sugar and Spices
Best part about making Apple Cider at home is you can adjust the sweetener and the amount of warming spices to your liking.
If you do not want to add too much sugar, use only sweet variety of apples like Honey Crisp, Gala or Fuji. If you like tart flavors, add more green sour apples like Granny Smith.
Same goes for the spices used. If you want to tone down the spice level, reduce the amount of cinnamon, dry ginger and cloves.
Mulled Apple Cider Spice Mix
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Star Anise
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
- Dry ginger
Add these ingredients in water or juice and let them simmer on low heat for few hours. They make aromatic, warming and soothing drink. You can choose all of the spices or use whichever you have handy.
Ingredients for homemade apple cider
Come fall every year, I love to make this Apple Cider from scratch for the family. You only need a handful of ingredients to make this exciting Homemade Hot Apple Cider. Most of the ingredients are always available at home.
Apples – I prefer to use a combination of sweet and tart variety. Granny Smith, Gala and Honey Crisp are top choices but frankly, any variety of apple works.
Citrus fruits – Oranges and Lemon add wonderful citrus taste and zing of freshness. Helpful Hint : Remove the peel otherwise it tastes bitter.
Cranberries – When in season and easily available, I add cranberries to the mix. They look so festive and beautiful and add a depth of tart. But you can leave them out if they are not easily available.
Spices – Cinnamon Sticks, Star Anise and Cloves – Add them to spice your drink. Ginger and Orange Peel is optional. But add them in, if you like a little more warmth in your drink.
Sweetener – Add sweetener of your choice. Brown Sugar, White Sugar, Maple Syrup, coconut palm sugar as well as Honey, Stevia – either of them works well. Choose which ever suits you. If you use ripe and sweet apples, you can skip adding sweetener altogether.
How to make Instant Pot Apple Cider
Put all the ingredients in the Instant Pot. I am using 6 Quart Duo. Add enough water so the fruit is well covered. A lot of it will float on top (which is ok) Tip -Tuck the cloves in the orange or apple pieces. It is easy to remove them later instead of picking one by one.
Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then manually release leftover pressure. To avoid hot liquid spills, do NOT use quick pressure release.
Using a potato masher, mash out all the fruits to extract as much pulp as possible. Strain using a fine mesh. Your apple cider is ready. Serve hot or warm as desired! Enjoy!
How to make mulled apple cider in Slow Cooker
This recipe can be made in a Crock Pot or slow cooker as well. Add all the ingredients to the crock pot. Turn Crock Pot to LOW and cook for 2-3 hours. Mash the fruit and strain as above. Serve hot or cold as desired!
How to make Stove Top Mulled Cider
To make this recipe on the stove top, put all the ingredients in large stock pot. On a medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 hours. After fruit is cooked through, turn heat off.
Mash the fruit and strain the liquid. Serve warm garnished with cinnamon stick and orange wedges.
Storage
Let the cider cool down completely. Store it in an airtight container / mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can warm it up before serving.
Serving Suggestions
When hosting a large holiday gathering or holiday party, I typically make a big batch by doubling (or even tripling) this old-fashioned Mulled Cider recipe. I put the cider into the pot and keep it on the ‘Keep Warm’ mode.
The apple cider thus stays warm all evening long and house smells heavenly like a fall scented candle.
Wow your guests with cozy comforting vibes. Serve this cider drink at your next party, alongside Baked Brie with Cranberry Sauce, Pumpkin Hummus and Mushroom Puff Pastry.
FAQs
Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples. Mulled Apple Cider is heated to a temperature just below boiling with mulling spices such as cinnamon, orange peel, nutmeg or cloves. It is seasonal drink produced in fall or autumn across United States and Canada. It is also called as sweet cider, simply cider or soft cider.
The verb mull means “to heat, sweeten, and spice”. Mulled apple cider is concentrated apple juice that has been simmered with mulling spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. It has comforting aroma and sweet taste. Apple cider on the other hand, is unfiltered, pressed apple juice without any added flavors.
Mulled spices have earthy rich flavors. It is a combination of Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, Allspice, Nutmeg and Dry ginger. You can choose all or just a few , depending upon your flavor preferences.
You can use almost any variety of apples. I prefer to use a combination of sweet and tart variety. Granny Smith, Gala and Honey Crisp are top choices but frankly, any variety of apple works.
I love creating delicious recipes using apples. Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Air Fryer Apple Pie Puff Pastry are our family favorites. For preserving apples, we love savory Apple Ginger Chutney. And Apple Crisp is our favorite apple dessert.
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Mulled Apple Cider
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 Apples I used mix of Granny Smith and Gala Apples. cored and quartered
- 2 Oranges quartered – Remove the peel to avoid bitter taste
- 1/2 Cup Cranberries
- 2 Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Star Anise
- 10 Cloves
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- Enough Water to cover the fruits
Instructions
To Make Mulled Apple Cider In Instant Pot
- Add all the ingredients (apples, oranges, cranberries, brown sugar and spices) to the inner stainless steel pot of the Instant Pot.
- Pour enough water to cover the fruits. I added 8 cups. Secure the lid and turn the vent to sealing position Pressure Cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the leftover pressure by moving the valve to venting. When the silver pin drops, open the Instant Pot Lid.
- Mash the fruits with the potato masher until most of the pulp is squeezed out. Transfer the mashed fruit pulp and the juice through a fine mesh to obtain a smooth apple cider drink.
- Pour the juice in glasses. Garnish with a apple or orange wedges, cinnamon stick, star anise and serve. Enjoy !
To Make Mulled Apple Cider in Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
- Add all the ingredients to the crock pot. Turn Crock Pot to LOW and cook for 2-3 hours. Mash the fruit and strain as above. Serve hot or cold as desired.
To Make Mulled Apple Cider on Stove Top
- Put all the ingredients in large stock pot. On a medium heat, bring to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 hours. After fruit is cooked through, turn heat off. Mash the fruit and strain the liquid. Serve warm garnished with cinnamon stick and orange wedges. Enjoy!
Scarlet
Thanks for sharing this mulled apple cider. I am so in the mood for it now. Updating my shopping list so I will have the ingredients!