Spiced Hot Apple Cider Recipe
This homemade hot apple cider recipe is made with fresh ingredients and will have your house smelling like a little piece of fall heaven!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 red or pink apples quartered
- 4 green apples quartered
- 2 lemons halved
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 4 star anise
- 1 tablespoon ginger ground
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 5 cups water
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Put all of the ingredients (except the honey) into your Instant Pot.
- Secure the lid and ensure that the valve is sealed. Cook on manual or pressure cook for 15 minutes.
- Perform a quick release of pressure.
- Using a spatula or potato masher, smash the apples and lemons to get all the extra juices out, then pour the mixture through a colander into a large bowl.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of honey and stir until dissolved.
- Serve hot (or chilled) and enjoy!
Crockpot
- Put all of the ingredients (except the honey) into your crockpot.
- Cook on low for 8-12 hours, or up to overnight.
- Using a spatula or potato masher, smash the apples and lemons to get all the extra juices out, then pour the mixture through a colander into a large bowl.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of honey and stir until dissolved.
- Serve hot (or chilled) and enjoy!
Stovetop
- Put all of the ingredients (except the honey) into a large stockpot on the stove.
- Heat over high heat until the liquid reaches a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, or until the apples are soft.
- Using a spatula or potato masher, smash the apples and lemons to get all the extra juices out, then pour the mixture through a colander into a large bowl.
- Add the 2 tablespoons of honey and stir until dissolved.
- Serve hot (or chilled) and enjoy!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t worry about coring your apples or peeling the lemon. Not only does this make prep super easy, but you’ll extract all the flavors from all parts of the fruits.
- Use a spatula or potato masher to mash the mixture after it finishes cooking to get all of the juices out before straining.
- Spiced apple cider is meant to be a “cloudier” beverage, so don’t worry about straining out all of the pulp. You’ll get more flavor there too!
- Use a variety of apples, like pink and green, to get different flavor notes and build complexity.
- Use whole spices during the cooking process to get the full depth of flavor from the spice.
Nutrition
Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg