Homemade apple cider is one of the easiest ways to bring fall flavors into your kitchen. If you've never made it from scratch, you'll be surprised how easy it is: just apples, water, a hint of citrus and a few pantry spices.
You can make it on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, control the sweetness, skip anything artificial, and adjust the spices to match what you like. It's everything store-bought cider tries to be, but fresher.
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Must-make Fall drink
There are many reasons to make this classic, and one of them is that it's good at any temperature. I do make apple cider year-round if you must know.
Making it from scratch has the advantage of controlling the ingredients that go into it. You can use fresh, natural ingredients and avoid artificial colors, flavors, and all of those pesky things found in store-bought apple cider.
From there, you can use it for quick apple cider sangria (strain it well with a fine-mesh strainer or just go with a cloudier drink), or add a splash to these caramelized baked apples.
I also want to talk about having an apple cider mix in the pantry. You simply stir it with hot water, and you have instant cider! It's almost magical for this time of year.
Testing Notes
Adjust the sweetness depending on the fresh apples you use. They can vary a lot in tartness, so use more or less sugar to balance them.
I love the stovetop version I've been making for years, but if you regularly use the slow cooker (crockpot), this is a fantastic recipe to take advantage of it, as it's almost hands-off, so pretty effortless.
Freezing apple cider: something I've been doing lately is pouring it into ice cube trays, as I do for the frozen lemonade concentrate. It lasts longer than just refrigerating it in an airtight container (which you can of course). Then, heat the cider cubes in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat, and pour the mixture into the cup.
Stir before serving: This is important as the ingredients can settle at the bottom of the jar or pitcher over time. Give it a good stir before serving to distribute the mixture evenly.
Use simple sugar syrup instead of sugar. If you're like me and usually have some in the fridge, use ½ cup instead of the sugar. If you want to make it, heat ½ cup sugar (use white and brown for a caramel flavor) with ½ cup water, stir it once to mix, let it come to a boil and remove from the heat. Let cool completely and use. It keeps in the fridge almost indefinitely. Always in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Turning your homemade cider into a classic Wassail takes it up a notch. It's an old-fashioned holiday punch that's richer and spiced a little differently; the perfect vintage-style Christmas drink: cozy, aromatic, and made for sharing.
You'll need brewed black tea and brandy or rum. Plus a little honey if you like it sweeter, and just a few extra spices. Here is the full old-fashioned Wassail drink recipe if you're interested.
Best apples for cider
I like using a variety of apples, sweet and tart, like Fuji and Granny Smith (the green ones) that are flavorful and cook down well. Tart apples add a nice tang, while sweeter apples reduce the need for added sugar. These are favorites that I use depending on what's available.
Fuji apples are sweet and juicy; these apples add a lot of natural sweetness to your apple butter.
Gala are mildly sweet and aromatic; they break down easily and blend well with spices.
Pink lady: They are tart but sweet and make great cider, in my opinion.
Golden Delicious apples have a nice balance of sweet and tart flavors.
McIntosh: tart and soft, they cook down quickly and add a nice tang to the apple butter.
Granny Smith: While tart, they can be mixed with sweeter varieties for a balanced apple butter. They add a nice acidity to balance the sweetness.
Variations & substitutions
Feel free to experiment with different ingredients and flavors to create your own unique cider recipe.
- Cranberry: incorporate them fresh or frozen into the cider while it simmers for a tart flavor and unique color.
- Vanilla: go heavy on it, adding a vanilla bean or vanilla paste (stronger than extract) to the simmering cider.
- Caramel: stir in some caramel sauce when serving it. Go easier on the sugar when making the cider so it's not overly sweet.
- Spiked cider: add bourbon, rum or whiskey for a festive adult version.
Steps to make homemade cider
Cooking
Simply combine all ingredients in the pot or slow-cooker and cover with water. The rest is waiting time until it softens and flavors meld.
Mashing
The apples and ingredients will be soft and lacking color. This is when you process everything (you might want to remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise) and then strain it.
Strain
Use a colander to drain cider into a bowl and discard solids. Apple cider is a bit cloudy, but you can strain it twice with cheesecloth to get it as clear as possible.
How to store apple cider
- Store it in an airtight container: transfer the apple cider to a clean (ideally glass) container or bottle with a tight-fitting lid or cover.
- Keep it refrigerated: if you plan to consume the cider within a week, the cold will help prevent bacterial growth and keep it fresh.
- Freeze it: this is an option for longer storage. Pour it into freezer-safe containers, leaving some space at the top to allow for expansion. Ice cube trays can also be used for smaller portions. When you're ready to drink it, thaw it in the refrigerator or at room temperature or gently warm it on the stove.
- Check for signs of spoilage: If your cider or fruit looks cloudier than normal, has an off odor or taste, or shows signs of mold, discard it immediately.
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Spiced Homemade Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baking apples, about 6 large
- 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- 4 cardamom pods
- water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional, for a richer drink
Instructions
- Wash 2 pounds baking apples and 1 orange, then slice or cut them into small pieces. Remove the seed pods from the apples.
For the slow cooker:
- Place the fruit in the crockpot.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons white sugar and 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and add 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise, 2 slices fresh ginger and 4 cardamom pods.
- Cover completely with water.
- Cook in the crockpot for 3-4 hours or until the fruit is soft and fragrant.
- Mash the fruit (with a potato masher) or process it a little with an immersion blender, but don't turn it into a smoothie.
- Taste and adjust for sugar or spices. Continue cooking for another 1 hour.
On the stovetop:
- Put the fruit in a large pot.
- Add 3 tablespoons white sugar, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise, 2 slices fresh ginger, 4 cardamom pods and cover with water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
- Cover the pot and let it simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally and check the liquid level, adding more water if necessary to keep the apples submerged.
- Mash the fruit (with a potato masher) or process it a little with an immersion blender.
For both methods:
- Strain the apple mixture into a bowl, leaving the solids behind. You might want to remove the cinnamon sticks and star anise first. Press down on the solids to extract more juice. If it's too cloudy, strain it again.
- Stir until melted 2 tablespoons unsalted butter if you want a richer drink.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze it for longer storage.
Heather Duyck says
I’ve never seen anything like this…I can’t wait to try it!!!
Heather Duyck says
I made this last week. I have a large family so I wanted a double batch. I wasn’t sure how much water to put in and probably had too much because the apples floated. I ended up adding more fruit to triple it. At first taste I was skeptical, because I thought it tasted watery, but I had only strained 1/3 of it. After I finished straining all of it I found that I really enjoyed it the flavor and texture. It was a little thicker than spiced cider made from apple juice. Overall it was very nice. I’m thinking of making it for our Thanksgiving gathering.