I made this homemade apple cider recipe last Tuesday because I bought a bag of apples with grand plans of eating them as snacks. Three weeks later, those apples glared at me from the crisper drawer, wrinkly and judgmental. Instead of throwing them away, I put them in my slow cooker with an orange, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and water.
The resulting fall spiced drink made my entire house smell like a candle store without the headache. This easy homemade apple cider from scratch needs little knife work and almost no attention after you start cooking. Here is exactly how I do it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Zero knife skills required: You quarter the apples and discard the cores.
- You control the sugar: You can adjust the sweetness instead of drinking melted candle wax.
- Hands-off magic: This easy homemade apple cider from scratch cooks while you handle the rest of your day.
- Cheap air freshener: The cider perfumes your kitchen with apples and spices.
- Flexible cooking method: You can use a slow cooker or make stovetop apple cider in a large pot.
Tools You’ll Need
Nothing fancy, I promise.
- Slow cooker: The slow cooker handles most of the work.
- Potato masher: A masher breaks down the softened apples.
- Fine mesh sieve: A fine sieve strains out the fruit solids and spices.
- Large pot or heat-safe pitcher: A large container catches the hot strained cider.
Ingredients
- 10 medium apples (use a variety—I use Honeycrisp and Granny Smith) – The wrinklier the better, honestly.
- 1 orange – Peeled and segmented. This adds a nice zip to balance the sweetness.
- 4 cinnamon sticks (or 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon) – Sticks make you look fancier, but ground works if you are desperate.
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves – Do not accidentally use a tablespoon unless you want your mouth to go numb.
- 6 Tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar * – Start here, you can always add more if your sweet tooth demands it.
- water – Just enough to cover the evidence of your neglected fruit.
How To Make Homemade Apple Cider
Set it, walk away, and pretend you did not just outsource a highly impressive beverage to a machine.
- Prep the fruit: 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. Do not stress about making the apple cuts pretty; they are about to be boiled into oblivion.
- Let it cook: 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.) If you are home, low heat is better because it tortures you with the good smell for longer.
- Mash the fruit: 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. It will look like swamp water at this stage, but stay strong, it is totally fine.
- Simmer again: Cook on low heat or high heat for 1 more hour. This extra hour really locks in the flavor.
- Strain the cider: 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. I once rushed this and splashed boiling hot apple sludge on my favorite shirt, so go slow.
- Serve: 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.
♥ The Misfit Tips!
- Peel the orange I once tried to skip peeling the orange because I am fundamentally lazy. My cider turned out incredibly bitter from the pith. Take the thirty seconds to peel it.
- Stovetop method If you want to make stovetop apple cider instead of using a slow cooker, just throw everything in a big pot, simmer on high, drop to medium-low, cover, and let it go for 2 hours before mashing.
- Use whatever apples you have A mix of sweet and tart gives you the best spiced apple cider recipe for fall, but honestly, desperate times call for whatever is rotting in the fruit bowl.
How to Store
- Fridge: Store the cider in an airtight pitcher or mason jar for five to seven days.
- Freezer: Freeze the cider for up to three months.
- Thaw: Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Warm one mug in the microwave for about one minute or heat a batch gently on the stove.
- Boiling note: Avoid violent boiling because it can flatten the delicate flavor.
- Solids: Discard or compost the fruit mush soon after straining.
Homemade Apple Cider
This homemade apple cider recipe turns apples, orange, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and water into a fragrant fall drink. The slow cooker creates a hands-off method, while stovetop apple cider reaches the table faster. You can serve this fall spiced drink at a holiday gathering or make the spiced apple cider recipe for fall on a quiet evening. This easy homemade apple cider from scratch gives neglected fruit a useful and delicious second chance.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 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.