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 whoa… 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.
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.
- 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
- 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.
