Warm up with a comforting homemade apple cider! Learn how to make mulled apple cider on the stovetop and in the slow cooker. This easy apple cider recipe includes useful tips for choosing mulling spices and for making alcoholic spiked mulled apple cider. Tasty spiced cider is the quintessential fall drink and a great autumn beverage for a crowd.
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Homemade hot mulled apple cider recipe
If I hadto pick one fall drink recipe other than pumpkinspice latte, it would be mulled apple cider. Fruity, sweet, a little tangy,spiced hot apple cider, simmered to perfection and full of rich autumnflavours. Since I’ve been sharing healthy apple recipes all week long – justsee this applesaucecake or my applepie bars – I figured it was time for an easy apple cider recipe, too.
And thismulled cider recipe couldn’t be any easier. All you need is about 5 minutesprep and few simple ingredients: apple cider, fresh oranges, cinnamon sticksand some other mulling spices. I’ll also share a few alcoholic apple ciderideas and show how to make mulled cider from apple juice. There’s one secretingredient that’ll make your homemade apple cider irresistible. You don’t wantto miss this!
What is mulled apple cider?
Homemadeapple cider is wonderfully fragrant and full of your favourite fall flavours. Butwhat does it mean to mull cider? A mulled drink is made by infusing cinnamon,cloves, and other spices into a beverage, like apple cider, wassail, or mulledwine. Slowly simmering the spices releases their rich aroma and gives this mulledcider recipe character and flavour.
And incase you’re wondering, this easy homemade mulled apple cider recipe is vegan,naturally gluten-free, paleo-friendly and made without refined sugar. In fact,the cider recipe has no sugar added at all.
Apple juice vs apple cider – What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?
I’m avisual person, so I let me show you the difference between apple juice andapple cider in this photo:
Apple cider is an unsweetened, unfiltered, non-alcoholic apple drink that is opaque or cloudy in colour and still contains some fruit pulp. On the other hand, apple juice is an apple beverage, which has been heated and filtered, giving it a clear, darker colour and sweeter taste.
The term hard apple cider describes an alcoholic apple drink made from fermented apple juice. Anyway, let’s move on to make a batch of delicious homemade apple cider with spices.
Easy apple cider recipe ingredients
This hotmulled apple cider recipe has plenty of autumn aromas blending together, theperfect fall drink! Alright, let’s look at the ingredients list for ourhomemade hot apple cider:
- applecider – While you can make apple cider from scratch by slowly cooking freshapples for a couple of hours, it’s quicker and much simpler to use pre-made applecider. A high-quality unsweetened, unfiltered apple cider will give you thebest apple cider. Cider from apple juice is also an option, and I share a fewtips below.
- citrusfruit – Fresh orange slices increase the fruitiness and round out the flavour ofthe other mulled cider ingredients. If your apple cider is very sweet, you canalso throw a few lemon wedges into the mix. And instead of whole oranges orlemons, the easy apple cider recipe can also be made with lemon or orange peel.
- otherfruit – If you want to experiment with the traditional apple cider recipe, makethe apple drink with fresh cranberries, raisins or other dried fruit.
Now thatwe know the basic ingredients for homemade mulled apple cider, let’s talk aboutapple cider spices!
Mulling spices for apple cider
Whatspices go in mulled apple cider? To create depth and richness, use a mix ofdifferent spices. The combination of spices can vary, but usually includescinnamon sticks, anise stars and cloves. Here are a few ideas for mullingspices for apple cider:
- cinnamon sticks
- anise stars
- cloves
- allspice berries
- bay leaves
- cardamom pods
- freshginger slices
- vanilla bean
- ground nutmeg
- peppercorns
Groundnutmeg provides extra warmth, while fresh ginger slices add more tang. I lovecardamom in mulled apple cider as the spice pairs perfectly with the fruits andcreates a complex aroma. Bay leaves and peppercorns are great additions whenyou plan to make an alcoholic apple cider recipe.
Mulled cider with spice mix
By theway, you don’t have to use whole spices. Ground spice mixes work just as great,for example, homemadeapple pie spice or my pumpkinpie spice recipe. Alternatively, use this pre-mixed applespice or pumpkin spice blend. Add 1 tablespoonspice mix for a light spiced apple cider or 2 tablespoons for a stronglyflavoured hot apple cider.
How to make mulled apple cider?
Hot spicedapple cider can be made in different ways. You can go the classic route and cooka stovetop apple cider, or make slow cooker mulled apple cider. Both methods arereally simple and take just a few minutes prep. A lovely side effect is thatyour home will smell amazing, too.
By theway, if you want to learn more ideas to makeyour house smell like autumn, check out Irena’s autumnsimmer potpourri recipe.
Stovetop apple cider recipe
Thistruly is an easy apple cider recipe: all you have to do is adding apple cider,mulling spices and a few slices fresh orange to a heave-bottom saucepan or a Dutch oven. Bring the mixture to a boil, thenreduce the heat to low and let the cider simmer 30 minutes. And there you haveit, quick spiced hot apple cider.
You canfind the step-by-step mulled cider recipe in the recipe box at the end of thepost.
Crock pot/Slow cooker apple cider recipe
A crock pot or slow cooker mulled apple cider is great forhow to serve hot apple cider at a party and to cater for a crowd. The slowcooker/crock pot keeps the cider warm and delicious all night. Put a ladle intothe pot so that your guests can help themselves to this easy apple ciderrecipe.
Again, theinstructions for how to make mulled apple cider in a slow cooker or crock potare in the recipe box below.
How to make apple cider from apple juice
Yes, youcan make apple cider with apple juice. Creating mulled cider from apple juice isan excellent option if you don’t have access to apple cider. Apple cider isn’tavailable everywhere and sometimes only sold as a seasonal product. Simply substituteapple cider with the same amount of apple juice. Again, it’s best to use a good-quality,unsweetened juice.
Ialready mentioned a secret ingredient to make apple cider from apple juice evenbetter: applesauce! By adding applesauce, you’re giving apple juice cider thesame “texture” as real apple cider. When you make apple cider from scratch,you’ll end up with a cider that is thicker than regular apple juice becausehomemade apple cider has still some pulp left.
1/2 cup/ 125 g / 4.4 oz applesauce is enough for the recipe.
How to sweeten spiced apple cider
Applecider can be quite sweet. So, it’s best to cook the cider first and do a tastetest before adding a sweetener. Otherwise, you may think my apple cideris too sweet! 1/4 cup / 50 g / 1.8 oz maple syrup, maple sugar or coconut sugarare natural ways to sweeten apple cider. Brown sugar or regular granulatedsugar are fine as well.
Maplesyrup can simply be stirred into the cider. If using a granulated sweetener,let the cider simmer a little longer, until the sugar has dissolved.
How to make spiked apple cider – Alcoholic apple cider
Whatgoes with apple cider? I don’t drink alcohol and prefer nonalcoholic applecider, but I know many people who enjoy spiked apple cider recipes. So, hereare a few suggestions on how to spike apple cider.
For atasty alcoholic cider recipe, add brandy, apple brandy, calvados, rum, orspiced rum to this easy apple cider recipe. The fruity apple flavour would alsopair well with rye whiskey, bourbon, and tequila.
To make aspiked mulled apple cider, start with 1/2 cup / 120 ml / 4 fl oz alcohol of choice.You can always add more and adjust the alcoholic mulled cider to your taste.
Do you drink spiced apple cider hot or cold?
Both! Traditionally,mulled cider is served hot, but you can enjoy cold mulled apple cider, too.
How long can you keep mulled cider?
Leftovermulled cider can be stored in an airtight bottle in the refrigerator for up to3 days.
Can mulled cider be reheated?
Yes, mulled cider can be reheated. Reheat apple cider in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high flame until boiling. Take off the heat and wait until cool enough to drink.
Mulled Apple Cider - Easy Homemade Hot Spiced Apple Cider Recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Warm up with a comforting homemade apple cider! Learn how to make mulled apple cider on the stovetop and in the slow cooker. This easy apple cider recipe includes useful tips for choosing mulling spices and for making alcoholic spiked mulled apple cider. Tasty spiced cider is the quintessential fall drink and a great autumn beverage for a crowd.
Ingredients
- 4 cups / 1 qt / 1 l / 32 fl oz apple cider or apple juice
- 1 organic orange, cut into slices
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 7 whole cloves
- 3 allspice berries
- 3 cardamom pods
Instructions
Stovetop apple cider
- Pour the cider into a large heavy-bottom saucepan or Dutch oven.
- Add the orange slices and spices.
- Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Taste and optionally sweeten or spike with a liquor of choice.
Slow Cooker/ Crock pot Apple Cider
- Add all ingredients (except liquor if using any) into a slow cooker or crock pot.
- Cover with a lid and cook on low for 2 to 4 hours.
- Optionally, spike the mulled cider with a liquor of choice and sweeten if necessary.
Tip
While whole spices look visually appealing, but to make serving easier, put small spices (cloves, cardamom, allspice) in a tea ball or a sachet made of a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth secured with butchers twine.
Notes
How long can you keep mulled cider?
Leftover mulled cider can be stored in an airtight bottle in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can mulled cider be reheated?
Yes, mulled cider can be reheated. Reheat apple cider in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high flame until boiling. Take off the heat and wait until cool enough to drink.
How to sweeten hot spiced apple cider
Apple cider can be quite sweet. So, it’s best to cook the cider first and do a taste test before adding a sweetener. Otherwise, you may think that the apple cider is too sweet! 1/4 cup / 50 g / 1.8 oz maple syrup, maple sugar or coconut sugar are natural ways to sweeten apple cider. Brown sugar or regular granulated sugar are fine as well.
Maple syrup can simply be stirred into the cider. If using a granulated sweetener, let the cider simmer a little longer, until the sugar has dissolved.
How to spike apple cider
For a tasty alcoholic cider recipe, add brandy, apple brandy, calvados, rum, or spiced rum to this easy apple cider recipe. The fruity apple flavour would also pair well with rye whiskey, bourbon, and tequila.
To make a spiked mulled apple cider, start with 1/2 cup / 120 ml / 4 fl oz alcohol of choice. You can always add more and adjust the alcoholic mulled cider to your taste.
Over to you!
Do you like pumpkin spice season and what is your favourite pumpkin spice recipe? Leave me a comment, I’d really love to know!
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