This spiced apple cider is a delicious take on classic mulled cider.
Star anise and slices of orange add festive flavour to this sweet, comforting drink.
If you love cozy fall drinks, take a look at my non-alcoholic fall drinks collection for more festive ideas.
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Recipe Highlights
- Servings: Makes 8 cups
- Time Commitment: 5 minutes prep + 20 minutes simmer
- Effort Required: Very easy! Just combine ingredients and simmer.
- Special Equipment: Large pot or Dutch oven (slow cooker works too)
- Ingredient Complexity: Pantry basics plus fresh apple cider and citrus
- Dietary Notes: Naturally vegan, dairy-free and non-alcoholic.
"This apple cider drink recipe was so tasty! Made it for a girls night in and everyone including myself loved it. Tastes warm and perfect for the fall/holiday time. 10/10 highly recommend." - Priscilla
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Cook's Notes
This recipe is a twist on classic mulled cider, a sweet apple cider warmed with spices and citrus.
My family's version uses star anise, a unique spice with a mild licorice flavour. Don't worry, it's nothing like harsh black jelly beans.
Star anise has a soft, fennel-like taste that adds depth without taking over. Feel free to leave it out if you're unsure.
When I was little, my mother would host a Christmas open house every year with lots of food and a simmering pot of this spiced cider on the stove.
The smell of apples, oranges and spices brings back feelings of warmth and comfort. Not bad for a drink that takes very little time and effort to put together!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sweet Apple Cider (fresh cider or soft cider): This is fresh-pressed, unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice. Substitute with a "fresh-pressed" apple juice, like this one from Tropicana.
- Cinnamon Sticks: Adding whole sticks adds flavour to the cider without the grittiness that you would get from ground cinnamon.
- Whole Star Anise: This beautiful spice adds a sweet licorice flavour to the cider. Substitute with nutmeg or allspice. You can learn more about star anise if you're not familiar with it.
- Whole Cloves: adds a warm, comforting flavour to the cider. Don't add too many - they are potent.
- Orange Slices: adds a burst of sweet citrus flavour to the cider. (optional)
- Apple Slices: adds extra apple flavour, but is mostly added as a pretty garnish. (optional)
This recipe has not been tested with all possible substitutions or variations. Making changes may alter the taste, texture, or overall outcome. If you try a different ingredient, please share in the comments!
See the recipe card for the complete ingredient list and recipe instructions.
Types of Cider
It's important to know that "cider" can mean two different things.
There are two kinds of cider:
- Hard cider: Alcoholic. Not what you want for this recipe.
- Sweet apple cider: Non-alcoholic, fresh-pressed apple juice. Cloudy, not clear.
For the best flavour, choose sweet apple cider, also known as fresh cider, soft cider and sweet cider.
In Ontario, I usually buy:
- Martin's Apple Cider
- Wellesley Sweet Apple Cider
Check your local grocery store or farm stand for fresh options near you.
Recipe Variations
There are so many ways that you can flavour and garnish this recipe, and it's actually quite fun to play around with.
Here are some popular ideas to get you started.
- Slices of apples or whole cranberries can be used instead of (or in addition to) the orange slices to add flavour and make the pot more decorative.
- Sweeten the warm mixture with a bit of caramel sauce and add a vanilla bean, or some vanilla paste, for a cozy, warm treat.
How to Make Spiced Apple Cider
This warm cider recipe is one of the easiest Fall drinks that you can make.
All you need to do is combine store-bought sweet apple cider with spices that you enjoy, maybe some fruit, and simmer until it's all warmed through. That's it!
I like to make my apple cider in a Dutch oven, but you could easily throw all of this into a slow cooker and set it on low heat for a few hours instead.
If you're serving the cider right away, keep the pot on very low heat or set your slow cooker to warm.
Add the whole spices directly to the pot. Before serving, you can either strain them out or ladle carefully so no cloves or star anise end up in a mug.
Simmering for about 20 minutes gives plenty of time to infuse flavour, though you can let it go a little longer if the heat is low. Just avoid simmering for more than an hour, as the spices may start to taste bitter.
Once cooled, strain the cider into a pitcher and refrigerate. It will keep for a few days and reheats beautifully.
Tip: If you find that your cider has developed a scum or foam at the top, skim that off before serving.
Make It Ahead of Time
- Prepare the cider as written, but leave out the orange slices.
- Let it cool, strain out the spices, and store in a pitcher in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- When ready to serve, reheat gently on the stove with fresh orange slices and a few spices for garnish.
- Keep the pot on low heat for up to 1 hour so guests can serve themselves, or transfer to a thermal carafe.
- Garnish mugs with a cinnamon stick, star anise, or clementine slices for a festive touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe creates similar results with natural or "fresh pressed" apple juice, which is cloudy in appearance (not clear). Just be aware that juice can be sweeter than sweet cider.
Yes! If you have the option to purchase fresh unsweetened apple cider and would prefer to have more control over the level of sweetness in this drink, please go ahead. You can sweeten the drink to your preference by adding white sugar to the mixture one teaspoon at a time.
I usually buy Martin's Apple Cider or Wellesley Brand Sweet Apple Cider here in Ontario, Canada.
I hope you try this spiced apple cider. It's one of my family's favourite cozy drinks, and it will make your home smell incredible.
Want a snack with your cozy sip? These Brie Stuffed Mushrooms are a perfect little appetizer to serve alongside warm cider.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment with a star rating below, or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @InSearchOfYummyness.
Recipe Card
Spiced Apple Cider
Video
Ingredients
- 2 litres sweet apple cider
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 3 whole star anise
- 8 whole cloves
- 1 orange, cut into thin slices
- 1 apple, cut into thin slices (from stem to bottom)
Instructions
- Combine apple cider, spices and orange slices into a large pot. Place over medium heat.
- Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook the cider for another 15-20 minutes, partially covered, then remover from heat.
- If serving immediately, ladle hot spiced cider into mugs and serve with a cinnamon stick and/or star anise pod for garnish. Avoiding serving any whole cloves as they can be accidentally swallowed.
- If making to serve later, allow to cool fully. Strain, discard spices and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on specific ingredients and brands used. Accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Notes
- Sweetness: If you prefer a sweeter cider, stir in white sugar (1 teaspoon at a time) after simmering until it tastes right for you.
- Straining: You can strain out the whole spices before serving, or just ladle carefully so no cloves or star anise end up in the mugs.
- Foam: If a scum or foam forms on top, skim it off before serving. It's harmless but not very appealing.
- Simmer time: About 20 minutes is enough to infuse flavour. Do not simmer for more than 1 hour, or the cider may turn bitter.
- Heat level: Keep the heat low while simmering so the cider doesn't evaporate too much.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers promptly. The cider will keep for 2 days in a covered pitcher.
- Prepare as written, but leave out the orange slices.
- Cool completely, strain, and discard the spices.
- Store in a pitcher in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Before serving, reheat gently on the stove with fresh orange slices and a few whole spices for garnish.
- Keep warm on very low heat for up to 1 hour, or transfer to a thermal carafe.
- Garnish mugs with a cinnamon stick, star anise, or clementine slices for a festive touch.
Please read the full blog post for all of my tips, variations, and recommendations for this recipe.
Private Notes
Have you made this recipe?
Let us know how it turned out in the comments!This recipe was originally published on Nov 17, 2017. It has since been edited for clarity, and new information has been added.
Shareba is a recipe developer and food photographer with a Culinary Arts certificate from George Brown College and more than 15 years of experience in food media.
On In Search of Yummy-ness, she shares easy seasonal comfort food recipes inspired by global flavours. Learn more →
Christi Zelaya says
Why cut the apple specifically from top to bottom? I think slicing it horizontally is more Christmas-y because you have the star of Bethlehem in the apple slices.
Shareba Abdul says
Horizontal slices with the star are definitely festive! I cut the apples vertically for the photos so the slices would be easily recognizable as apples, but thanks for sharing your idea!
Priscilla says
This apple cider drink recipe was so tasty! Made it for a girls night in and everyone including myself loved it. Tastes warm and perfect for the fall/holiday time. 10/10 highly recommend.
Shareba Abdul says
I'm so happy that you all enjoyed it! Thanks for your comment!
Kacey says
I've been craving apple cider something fierce with the cooler temperatures and was so happy to come across this recipe!! My local shop uses the slow cooker method and I like that for home as well! I don't get the hate on orange slices: I have never known it any other way and I even dislike oranges lol. Sometimes I do lemon slices instead 🙂 Thanks so much!
Shareba says
Oh lemon would be interesting! I'll have to give that a try! Thanks for sharing, Kacey!