Homemade Spiced Apple Cider

There’s nothing that says fall quite like a warm mug of spiced apple cider (aka mulled apple cider). This homemade version is simmered with fresh apples, orange, ginger, vanilla, and plenty of cozy spices, filling your kitchen with the most amazing aroma. It’s naturally sweetened with coconut sugar (or maple syrup if you want a richer flavor), and it tastes so much fresher than anything store-bought.

One of my favorite things about making apple cider from scratch is how comforting the process feels. You just toss everything into a big pot, let it simmer low and slow, and soon your whole home smells like autumn. It’s the perfect drink for cozy evenings, holiday gatherings, or just warming up after a chilly day outside. Bonus: it freezes beautifully, so you can keep a jar on hand for whenever the craving hits.

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Nutritional benefits Spiced Apple Cider

• Apples are rich in fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, and more. 
• I use coconut sugar in my apple cider, which is natural, lower glycemic, and unrefined. It’s just the dehydrated sap from coconut trees! You can also use maple syrup if you prefer, which has lots of antioxidants and b-vitamins.
• Cinnamon is known keep blood sugar balanced, is rich in antioxidants, is anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial.
• Cloves are rich in antioxidants, including eugenol, which helps combat oxidative stress, reduce inflammation and swelling, boost the immune system, and stimulate digestion by increasing saliva and gastric juice production, reducing bloating and gas. 
• Allspice is rich in antioxidants, including eugenol, gallic acid, and quercetin. These compounds help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Just like cloves and cinnamon, it’s also anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and great for digestion.
• Ginger has anti-microbial benefits and is rich in antioxidants, helping balance our gut microbiome and manage free radicals. It helps reduce nausea, bloating, and intestinal gas. Promotes immune health.

Ingredients for Spiced Apple Cider

Apples – I used 6 pink lady for some sweet/tart, and honeycrisp for sweet. This gives the flavor some bit of variation!

Orange

Cinnamon sticks

Allspice berries

Whole Cloves

Fresh ginger

Vanilla bean

Coconut sugar – golden or brown coconut sugar, or you can use pure maple syrup for an even richer flavor and a bit more sweetness.

Water

How to make Spiced Apple Cider

1. Prep fruit: Wash apples and orange well. Cut apples into quarters, removing the core (do not peel). Cut the orange into quarters and remove seeds (do not peel).
2. Combine: Add everything into a large pot.
3. Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours.
4. Mash: Use a potato masher to break down softened fruit, or press the fruit against the sides of the pot with a large serving fork. If desired, fish out the vanilla bean and scrape the vanilla paste out of it, or just leave it as is if you don’t want extra vanilla flavor.
5. Let it sit: Let the apple cider (with all the fruit still in it) cool down for an hour without stirring. This gives more time for all the flavors to meld and allows it to cool a little before straining – but it’ll still be warm for serving.
6. Strain: Carefully strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing the mashed fruit to release extra juice. Set aside all the mashed fruit to make applesauce if you want (see notes). Strain the apple cider liquid another 1-2 times to remove extra sediment. Or, if you want it super flat with no pulp or sediment at all, then strain through a cheesecloth.
7. Serve warm, or cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This recipe freezes well — store cooled cider in freezer-safe jars for up to 3 months.

What to do with the extra mashed up fruit from making Spiced Apple Cider

• For the leftover fruit pieces – I used all the leftover, mashed up fruit to make applesauce! Here’s how: Remove all the orange peels, cloves, allspice, vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, and ginger, leaving just the mashed apples (and leaving the apple skin is fine too). Do this meticulously so you don’t miss anything – then slowly, little by little, scrape the mashed apples into a blender, watching for any other cloves or allspice that may have hidden. Blend or pulse until it reaches desired texture, whether you like the classic textured applesauce or a smooth puree.
  • I avoided using a cheesecloth to further strain the mashed fruit so that I could make a spiced applesauce out of all the extra fruit. If you used a cheesecloth to strain it and really got all the juice out of all the mashed fruit, then it may be too dry to make applesauce – but you can still use it in some recipes if you want, such as adding to pancake batter.

Modifications

• Each apple variety will give a different flavor profile. Choose your variety of apples. You can use a mixture of apple or settle with just one variety if that’s what you have or prefer. It’s totally up to you!
• Use maple syrup in place of coconut sugar if you want a bit of extra flavor, more nutrients, and maybe even a bit more sweetness (I personally feel like maple syrup is a little bit sweeter than coconut sugar).
• Add some extra flavor with a few cardamom seeds or 1-2 star anise (it’s strong, so stay small!).

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I hope you love this Homemade Spiced Apple Cider! Please be sure to leave a comment and rating if you give this recipe a try. I really would LOVE to know how it turned out for you 🙂

Homemade Spiced Apple Cider

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• Author: Christine Manes
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cool time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: About 3 quarts (11–12 cups) 1x
• Category: Drinks, Holiday
• Method: Stovetop

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

10 medium apples (I did 4 honey crisp and 6 pink lady for a sweet & slightly tart combo)

1 large orange with peel (remove seeds)

1/2 cup coconut sugar (or pure maple syrup for even richer flavor)

15 allspice berries

12 whole cloves

5 cinnamon sticks

2-inch piece of fresh ginger

1 vanilla bean, split

14 cups filtered water

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Instructions

1. Prep fruit: Wash apples and orange well. Cut apples into quarters, removing the core (do not peel). Cut the orange into quarters and remove seeds (do not peel).
2. Combine: Add everything into a large pot.
3. Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours.
4. Mash: Use a potato masher to break down softened fruit, or press the fruit against the sides of the pot with a large serving fork. If desired, fish out the vanilla bean and scrape the vanilla paste out of it, or just leave it as is if you don’t want extra vanilla flavor.
5. Let it sit: Let the apple cider (with all the fruit still in it) cool down for an hour without stirring. This gives more time for all the flavors to meld and allows it to cool a little before straining – but it’ll still be warm for serving.
6. Strain: Carefully strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing the mashed fruit to release extra juice. Set aside all the mashed fruit to make applesauce if you want (see notes). Strain the apple cider liquid another 1-2 times to remove extra sediment. Or, if you want it super pure with no pulp or sediment at all, then strain through a cheesecloth.
7. Serve warm, or cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This recipe also freezes well — store cooled cider in freezer-safe jars for up to 3 months.

Notes:

• For the leftover fruit pieces – I used all the leftover, mashed up fruit to make applesauce! Here’s how: Remove all the orange peels, cloves, allspice, vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, and ginger, leaving just the mashed apples (and leaving the apple skin is fine too). Do this meticulously so you don’t miss anything – then slowly, little by little, scrape the mashed apples into a blender, watching for any other cloves or allspice (or possible orange seeds) that may have hidden. Blend or pulse until it reaches desired texture, whether you like the classic textured applesauce or a smooth puree. Refrigerate and eat within 5 days, or freeze small portions for up to 3 months.
  • I avoided using a cheesecloth to further strain the mashed fruit so that I could make a spiced applesauce out of all the extra fruit. If you used a cheesecloth to strain it and really got all the juice out of all the mashed fruit, then it may be too dry to make applesauce – but you can still use it in some recipes if you want, such as adding to pancake batter.

Equipment

8-Quart Soup Pot

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