This is a must-make drink when the Fall season starts. This old-fashioned classic uses simple ingredients and can be adjusted for sweetness and spices. You can make it on the stovetop or slow cooker. You can also have apple cider mix ready and make this drink in minutes when the craving hits!
A 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.
Making it at home allows you to control the ingredients that go into it. You can use fresh, natural ingredients and avoid artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives found in store-bought apple cider.
It's super easy to make, with few ingredients. If using the slow cooker (crockpot), it takes several hours, but it's almost hands-off, so it's pretty effortless.
I also want to talk about having an apple cider mix in the pantry. You just stir it with hot water, and you have instant cider! It's almost magical for this time of year.
As with most (or all) of our drinks and beverages, you can adjust the amount of fruit, sugar and some other ingredients to suit your and your family's palate.
FAQ
Yes, you can. Store it in the fridge for several days or freeze it for a month. To delay degradation and spoilage, I recommend glass jars with a tight-fitting lid.
Absolutely! Use sweeter baking apples and maybe more sugar. Or add honey or maple syrup for a different type of sweetness. Always taste and adapt recipes to your own palate; after all, you're the one drinking them.
I like using a mix of sweet and tart apples 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: sweet and juicy, these apples add a lot of natural sweetness to your apple butter.
Gala: mildly sweet and aromatic, they break down easily and blend well with spices.
Golden delicious: they 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.
Pink lady: they are tart but sweet and make great cider, in my opinion.
Ingredient list
- Baking apples: one type or a mix.
- Whole orange.
- White, granulated sugar.
- Light brown sugar.
- Cinnamon sticks.
- Star anise.
- Fresh ginger.
- Cardamom pods.
- Water.
- Unsalted butter: optional to serve, for a richer cider.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
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 it and leave behind the 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.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Simple sugar syrup: you can use it instead of sugar. If you already have some, use ½ cup instead of the sugar. If you want to make it, heat ½ cup sugar with ½ cup water, stir it once to mix and let it come to a boil. Let cool completely and use. It keeps in the fridge almost indefinitely. Always in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Freezing apple cider: it keeps for a month. You can use a freezer-safe container or pour it into ice cube trays as we do for the frozen lemonade concentrate. Then fill a cup with the cider cubes and heat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat and pour it into the cup.
- Stir before serving: The ingredients can settle at the bottom of the jar or pitcher over time. Give it a good stir before serving to distribute the ingredients evenly.
Related recipes you might like:
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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.