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Homemade Apple Cider Recipe – Easy and delicious homemade apple cider recipe made with apples, oranges, and spices. Simple to make on the stovetop or with my slow cooker apple cider recipe with step-by-step instructions for both methods!
Oh my goodness, you guys! Is there anything better this time of year than apple cider?! Warm cider is one of my most loved drinks as the weather turns cooler.
Wait. Who am I kidding?
I drink it any time of the year. Talk about refreshing over ice in the summertime and steamy hot in mugs that warm your hands throughout the fall and winter. It really is a year-round favorite.
And today, I want to share with you this delicious homemade apple cider recipe.
You can make it on the stovetop or enjoy my even easier slow cooker apple cider recipe with step by step instructions for both methods!
Homemade Apple Cider Recipe
How to Make Homemade Apple Cider
You’ll need these ingredients:
- Apples – use a variety of sweet and tart apples
- Oranges – make sure you peel them for the smoothest, best tasting cider!
- Cinnamon – can use sticks or ground cinnamon
- Cloves – can use whole or ground cloves
- Fresh Water
- Dark Brown Sugar – it’s optional, and sweeten the cider to your taste
- Garnish – also optional, but so festive and appetizing when use apple slices, orange slices or cinnamon sticks!
What Apples Should I Use for Homemade Apple Cider?
The most important part of any apple cider is the apples that you use. I like to use a blend of apples so that the apple flavor is more pronounced with a little more depth.
For my apple blend, I like to use both a sweet and tart apples. For the sweet taste, I like to use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, or Rome apples. For the tart taste, I just don’t think you can go wrong with using Granny Smith apples.
Other Fruits to Include
You would think that you’d just want to use apples in your cider and while they are definitely the key ingredient, adding a bit of orange helps to round out the flavors, I think. But, for the orange, do be sure that you peel it before adding it into the stockpot or the slow cooker as the oils and pith from the orange peeling add bitterness.
Spices to Include
Once you have your blend of apples and your peeled and sectioned orange added to the stovetop or the slow cooker, you’ll want to add your spices. I like to keep it simple by just adding cinnamon and cloves.
I give you the option of using whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves or using ground spices instead. If you use whole cinnamon and whole cloves, I recommend that you add these to a piece of cheesecloth that you tie and place into the stockpot or slow cooker. This makes it much easier to remove these items as you begin to mash your fruit.
Otherwise, if you use the ground spices, they simply blend in with the fruit and there is no reason to remove them. If I am in a hurry and looking for the easiest way to make it, I tend to lean toward using the ground spices. Just a tip. 🙂
You’ll want to make sure to use a fine mesh strainer to strain away the pulp of the fruit from your apple cider. You can also use cheesecloth, but I find that the stability of the fine mesh strainer is most helpful.
After I’m done making my cider, I like to reserve the cooked fruit to make my Homemade Applesauce.
Make-Ahead Apple Cider
Once made, you can store in the refrigerator for up to five days or in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to three months – a perfect little make-ahead recipe for the holidays or anytime you have apples that you need to use!
Other Favorite Recipes with Apple Cider
If you love the comforting flavor and amazing aroma your home has after making this cider (I sure do!), then give these recipes a try too!
Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits with Apple Cider Glaze
Here’s my homemade Apple Cider Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Homemade Apple Cider Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 -12 medium apples assorted such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Rome, and Granny Smith
- 2 medium navel orange peeled and sectioned
- 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves or 2 ¼ teaspoons ground cloves
- about 1 gallon fresh water
- dark brown sugar to taste, optional
- optional garnish: apple slices orange slices, cinnamon stick
Instructions
Slow Cooker Homemade Apple Cider Recipe:
- Wash the apples, core and cut into wedges. Add the apple and orange slices to the slow cooker. Place the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves into a small piece of cheesecloth and place into the slow cooker or add the ground spices to the top of the fruit. Add the water, enough to cover the fruit plus about 1 inch, and cook on low heat for 7 hours or on high heat for 3 hours.
- Remove the cheesecloth of spices, if using, from the slow cooker and mash the fruit with the back of a wooden spoon or with a potato masher as much as possible. Reserve the cooked fruit for another purpose, like apple sauce, or discard.
- Taste your cider for sweetness and add the brown sugar until you reach the desired sweetness.
- Serve your homemade apple cider warm or transfer to a heat safe container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Stovetop Homemade Apple Cider Recipe:
- Wash the apples, core and cut into wedges. Add the apple and orange slices to a stockpot. Place the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves into a small piece of cheesecloth and place into the stockpot or add the ground spices to the top of the fruit. Add the water, enough to cover the fruit plus about 1 inch, and cook on high heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. Add water as needed to keep the fruit covered.
- Remove the cheesecloth of spices, if using, from the stockpot and mash the fruit with the back of a wooden spoon or with a potato masher as much as possible. Reserve the cooked fruit for another purpose, like apple sauce, or discard.
- Taste your cider for sweetness and add the brown sugar until you reach the desired sweetness.
- Serve your homemade apple cider warm or transfer to a heat safe container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Store homemade apple cider in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Apple cider may need to be shaken or stirred before serving as ingredients may settle.
Nutritional Information
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
One of the best things I ever taste!
I don’t know what I did wrong, it’s bitter. I made half the recipe and I peeled the orange first. Is there a way to fix it? I don’t want to throw it out.
I’m not sure what happened, Audrey. This should not be bitter. Did any of the orange rind cook in the mixture? Did you cut the amount of spices in half, too? I’m not sure if adding more brown sugar will help.
Hi-my fruit floats so i can’t gage how much water to use. Any suggestions why this might be happening?
I would use the gallon of water suggested in the recipe, Andrea. When the fruit is less dense than water, it will float.
Hello. This looks so wonderful. Looking forward to making it. I’m searching for glass mugs like the one you have in the picture. Can you let me know where you purchased them. Thank you
Erika, I bought these years ago I think from Target. Maybe you can still find them.