Enjoy hot, spiced cider without slaving away at your cutting board! This hot apple cider recipe begins with cold-pressed (store-bought or fresh-pressed) apple juice and ends with spiced whipped cream. Read on for my recommendation when it comes to buying apple juice for cider, and how to easily simmer up a rich, spiced batch.
Jump to:
The Story
I cringe when I walk through the grocery store in the fall and see the countless displays of bottled apple cider. It's not that I don't dig the spiced, appley goodness. It's that many bottles of apple cider lack real spices. And contain more sugar than real juice.
Enter this simplified, scrumptious recipe for making spiced hot (or cold) apple cider from pure apple juice. It's ready in just an hour. And saves all that time spent coring and chopping apples. Time you can spend whipping up a special dessert like these whoopie pies with a pumpkin and cream cheese filling.
The Ingredients
One of the main reasons I especially like making certain dishes at home is to eliminate the added sugar. And in order to do that with apple cider - without a big time investment and endless chopping - start with pure juice.
- Pure apple juice
- Orange peel, white pith sliced away
- Whole and/or ground spices: cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg
- heavy cream, optional (or store-bought whipped cream)
A combination of whole and ground spices gives the finished cider all those fall feels. So use whatever form of each spice you have on hand.
On Buying Pure Apple Juice
To buy the purest apple juice, reach for bottles with only one ingredient (apple juice). And avoid any that include "apple juice concentrate" as this is sugar in disguise. Bottles labeled "cold-pressed" or "100% apple juice" as the only ingredient are your best bet. Evolution (not a sponsored link) is just one brand, but many grocery chains like Kroger sell their own lines of pure juices.
The Method
Because we're starting with high-quality apple juice, this cider simmers up in the time it takes to cook and eat dinner. An hour or two at the most. The longer you simmer the more intense the spice. If you have a few apples on hand, chopping them and adding them in will give this cheat cider a bit of slow-simmered goodness.
And you don't need any special equipment here. Just a large pot and measuring spoons. If you want to use your Instant Pot for this recipe, the best setting (depending on your model) is most likely "Sauté" on "Low" using the glass lid.
The Steps
- Peel large strips off an orange with a vegetable peeler. Then place the peel orange-side down on a cutting board and carefully slice away any white pith. The pith is bitter, and not a friend to apple cider. If you are tossing in any fresh apples, core and chop a couple into inch-size pieces (or save a step and simply cut large chunks away from the core).
- Combine the juice, chopped apples (if you like), and spices in a large pot. I love using my dutch oven, but any large pot works just fine.
- Bring to a strong simmer. Not so much a rolling boil, but bring the juice, spices, and any chopped apples to a good simmer over medium heat. Then let it go for a couple of minutes. This helps the spices release their volatile oils, which are their magical flavor compounds. Turn the heat down to low after three or four minutes.
- Simmer on low for an hour or two. Adjust the burner to maintain a gentle simmer, partially cover the pot with a lid (or foil), and let the cider cook for up to two hours. The longer it simmers, the richer and more complex the flavor. And bonus, it makes your entire house smell amazing.
- Strain. Carefully strain the cider into a heat-proof pitcher or bowl. I like to place the landing zone in the sink, in the event of little spills or an all-out splash down.
- Enjoy! Serve warm with spiced whipped cream and/or a cinnamon stick garnish.
Spiced Whipped Cream
Homemade whipped cream is a fun, quick project for kids (big and little, alike). You can certainly take help from the store. But homemade whipped cream is quick and nothing beats the creamy texture and spice. If measuring individual spices with teaspoons isn't your jive, simply add in couple of spoonfuls of apple pie or pumpkin pie spice.
This spiced whipped cream is also a heavenly garnish for classic and gluten-free vanilla cake or even a magical treacle tart (hand up if you nerd out on Harry Potter 🙋🏻♀️).
Ingredients
- ½ of a cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best!)
- ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
- A pinch of a few granules of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon each of ground cardamom or mace, optional
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar, powdered or granulated, optional
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, optional
Steps
- For best results and the quickest whipping, chill the bowl and beaters you plan to use. This isn't entirely necessary, but the colder the cream stays the more stable it whips up.
- Combine the heavy cream, sugar if using, and all of your favorite fall spices in a large bowl.
- Whip the cream and spices with a hand mixer on medium speed (or you can do this in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until the cream reaches soft peaks. Err on the side of less whipping once it thickens significantly. If a spoonful of cream can almost stand up on its own, it's ready. Beat in vanilla extract, if using.
- Serve the cream on top of hot apple cider.
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Beat any extra again to revive it before serving.
Storage
Apple cider can be served warm, or cold (my boys don't seem to care). Store the cider in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a week or a little more. Fresh whipped cream is best served immediately. But can be stored chilled for a couple of days. For the best texture, beat any whipped cream leftovers again briefly before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
The beauty of apple cider from pure apple juice (or homemade juice) is that it's mildly sweet from the natural sugars in the apples. But if you want a sweeter treat, dissolve a little honey or granulated sugar into the cider at the end of simmering. For a quart-size batch of cider, a couple of tablespoons of sugar or raw honey will add plenty of sweetness.
Apple cider is an unfiltered, unsweetened juice made from whole, crushed apples. Depending on the brand, apple cider may or may not be boiled before bottling. It's also often pasteurized for shelf stability. Traditionally, apple cider contains traditional warming and/or pie spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. But not all store-bought bottles contain spices.
Apple juice is the filtered juice of apples. Most apple juice sold is pasteurized. And many brands are actually made from apple juice concentrate (check the label), which is apple juice that is heated to condense it. Then often, water, sugar, and preservatives are added and the "juice" is bottled. For pure apple juice, look for the words "cold-pressed" or "100% apple juice" on the label.
Apple cider is a non-alcoholic drink made by simmering crushed apples with classic warming spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Hard apple cider is a fermented drink that contains alcohol. Look for the word "hard" on the label to know what type of apple cider is in the bottle. Many hard ciders have an alcohol content similar to beer.
Edible Epilogue
This easy, cheat version is my favorite way to enjoy apple cider since it brings all the fall feels without all the work. Or the lofty price tag of bushels of apples. I never miss the store-bought, sugar-laden, lacking-in-flavor imposter. And truly, the house ends up smelling like you worked a lot harder than you really did.
📖 Recipe
Spiced Apple Cider from Apple Juice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-2 hours
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
From scratch, apple cider can prove a lot of prep work. But if you start with pure apple juice, you'll be sipping a spiced, steaming cuppa in no time!
Ingredients
For Apple Cider
- 1 quart (32 fluid ounces) of pure apple juice (cold-pressed or single-ingredient bottles recommended)
- 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- 4 whole cloves or ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon of whole allspice berries or ½ teaspoon of ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
- Peel of one orange, white pith removed
- 1 whole star anise, optional
For Spiced Whipped Cream
- ½ cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (freshly grated is best!)
- ¼ teaspoon of ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger
- A pinch of just a few granules of salt
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar or raw honey
- ⅛ teaspoon each of ground cardamom or mace, optional
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
Simmer the Apple Cider
- Peel large strips off of any type of orange with a vegetable peeler. Then place the peel orange-side down on a cutting board and carefully slice away any white pith. If you are adding any fresh apples, core them and chop them into inch-size pieces. No need to peel the apples.
- Combine the juice, chopped apples (if you like), and spices in a large pot.
- Bring the ingredients to a strong simmer over medium heat. Then let it go for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat down to low after three or four minutes.
- Adjust the burner to maintain a gentle simmer, and let the cider cook partially covered with a lid or foil for up to two hours. The longer it simmers, the richer and more complex the flavor.
- Carefully strain the cider into a heat-proof pitcher or bowl. I like to place the landing zone in the sink, in the event of little spills or an all-out splash down.
- Serve warm with spiced whipped cream and a cinnamon stick garnish, if you like.
Whip the Spiced Cream
- Whip the heavy cream, sugar (if using), and spices on high speed until medium peaks form.
- Add the vanilla extract and whip one long moment more to incorporate it.
- Serve whipped cream immediately with the cider, and store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. For best results, beat whip cream again if you've stored leftovers for more than a couple of hours.
Notes
On Adding Sugar...If you want a sweeter cider, by all means add a few tablespoons of sugar or better yet, raw honey to the pot. You'll still end up with a much less processed, less sweet version of bottled cider.
On Buying Pure Apple Juice... To buy the purest apple juice, reach for bottles with only one ingredient (apple juice). And avoid any that include "apple juice concentrate" as this is sugar in disguise. Bottles labeled "cold-pressed" or with "100% apple juice" as the only ingredient are your best bet. Evolution is one brand that's easy to find, but many grocery chains like Kroger sell their own lines of pure juices.
On Nutrition Information... The Nutrition Information below is based on the recipe for apple cider as written with no added sugar. And includes four, two-ounce servings of whipped cream as written in the recipe. So if you skip the whipped cream, you can subtract all of the fat and a little sugar from the total.
Keywords: apple cider recipe, homemade apple cider, hot apple cider, apple cider ingredients, apple cider from apple juice
More Fall Recipes
Subscribe
I'm happy to tell you, this is not your average food blog. There are few, if any, product links, or annoying pop-up ads. And I refuse to exploit your every click with endless product links for needless kitchen tools.
Join the Edible Times community to receive:
- The techniques and simple formulas for success in the kitchen
- Recipes that work for all types of diets
- How to save money on groceries
- A direct line to me, Chef Christina, to ask any cooking or baking questions you have, anytime
The first five emails will be my series: Just Cook. It's a free quick-start guide to get you cooking like a pro, without having your eyes glued to a screen. Think of it like free culinary school, with a friendly (not yelling) chef.
Because life's too short to waste time scrolling through recipes.
When you could be sipping wine while cooking, instead.
Heather
I just tried this for the first time and it came out very bitter; couldn't save it with sugar either. I figure out what I did wrong. Any tips?
Christina
Hi Heather, I’m so sorry your cider was bitter, that’s never happened to me. I’m wondering if it was the brand of juice, or perhaps the orange peel (I definitely recommended slicing off the white pith). If you want to salvage it, you could try adding another quart or so of apple juice, and a bit more sugar. Or next time leave out the orange peel and add a few less whole spices. Let me know, I’m happy to help troubleshoot! Thank you for your feedback.:)
Joan
Perfect recipe for October 1. It’s gray and wet here today and this cider hit the spot. Our home smells amazing after making this. I thought it tasted great without adding sugar. Of course, now I’m in the mood for a great Apple pie recipe!
★★★★★
Christina
Fun! I'll see what I can do about an apple pie recipe;)
Margot
I’ve had good luck piping leftover whipped cream in serving sized dollops on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freezing them. When frozen they can be peeled away from the parchment and stored in another container of your choice. Just pull out a frozen dollop to top cider, cocoa, or baked dessert - they seem to thaw almost instantly.
Christina
That's an awesome tip, Margot. Thank you so much! We use to pipe and freeze dollops of herbed butter for steak at the restaurants I worked at.