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Hot spiced apple cider is what the holidays taste like!
This cider is terrific served warm or cold. Loaded with the warm flavors of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and the fresh citrusy zing of lemon and orange.
Would you like your home to be filled with the enticing smell of hot spiced apple cider? It couldn’t be easier to make this quintessential holiday beverage that will entice everyone into a holiday mood.
Made on the stovetop, crockpot or slow cooker with just a few ingredients, you’ll be amazed at how delicious it tastes, and how incredible it smells. Scented candles got nothing on homemade hot spiced apple cider!
Apple cider is an un-filtered, un-sweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from pressed apples.
Not to be confused with hard cider or sweetened apple juice, cloudy un-filtered apple cider is about as all-natural as it gets. Fresh apple cider is readily available in most grocery stores from early fall through New Years.
For this recipe you need apple cider that’s not sweetened or spiced in any way. Check the ingredient list and if it reads 100% apple juice, then you’re in business!
We have many more delicious recipes using apple cider!
If you have extra apple cider in the fridge, try boiling it down to a lovely syrup. Boiled cider is intensely flavored and a terrific base for recipes like this apple cider caramel sauce, our luscious apple cider ice cream, and everyones favorite Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts.
Unboiled cider is the perfect add-in for our simple glaze on apple cinnamon rolls. We also use plain apple cider in the batter for our cinnamon apple muffins. As you can tell, we adore some apple cider!
Make hot spiced apple cider ahead for your next event.
Spiced apple cider can be made up to a few days before it’s needed. Strain or filter the finished cider to remove the oranges, lemons and spices before storing in the refrigerator. When ready to serve just warm until steaming on the stovetop or in your crockpot. No need to boil the cider for this recipe! You can even warm individual mugs of cider in the microwave, as needed.
Can you add alcohol to this recipe?
We often enjoy a mug of cider spiked with a little bourbon or dark rum as an after dinner treat. One ounce of rum or bourbon per 8-ounces of cider seems just about right. Spiked and spiced apple cider makes for a great grownup treat that will warm you from head to toe, and especially your tummy.
Not just for the special occasions, this easy spiced apple cider is terrific anytime.
Finally, add this something special to your next gathering, pot luck, or office luncheon try serving this fall classic. Make this cider for your friends and family to enjoy after a day of fun on the ski slopes. They’ll love you for it! Universally loved and great for kids or adults alike, don’t miss this exceptional recipe for hot spiced apple cider.
A family heirloom recipe
This simple recipe came from my mom and has been in my index card file since the 1980’s. Mom made this is her coffee maker by putting the spices in the filter basket and pouring cider through the machine. As a result, her coffee would taste like apple cider for month.
We use a Keurig coffee maker and I don’t want our coffee to taste like cider, so I adapted the recipe for the stovetop or crockpot. Hot Spiced Apple Cider is always a favorite at our house and hope it will be in yours, too!
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Hot Spiced Apple Cider Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 quarts apple cider, not apple juice (64 ounces)
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (110g)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- handful whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
Optional:
- dark rum or bourbon, 1 ounce per mug
- orange wedges, for serving
- cinnamon sticks, for serving
- cranberries, for serving
- cinnamon sugar mixture, to rim mugs
Instructions
- Put the cider in a slow cooker, crock pot or large saucepan and warm over medium heat. Add all the ingredients through the ½ cup whole cranberries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar is dissolved and the cider is hot and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, keep warm until ready to serve.
- Strain and remove the spices before serving. Add 1-ounce of dark rum or bourbon to each mug of cider, if desired. Garnish each mug with a cinnamon stick and orange wedges.
Recipe Notes
- All the spices can be combined in a tea ball, or tied up in a layer of cheesecloth. Steep the spices in the apple cider for 30 minutes. Remove the spices before serving.
- For a cinnamon sugar garnish, wet the rim of the mug with an orange wedge. Dip the rim into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Fill with cider and garnish with cinnamon stick, orange wedge, and a few cranberries. Serve
Nutrition
Finally, here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Apple Cider Caramels
Jessi Doshier says
Made this in a slow cooker for thanksgiving and it made the whole house smell SO FESTIVE! I had it in the crock pot from around 10AM-4PM and may have let it cook a little too long because there was quite a bite to it-I also used blood oranges so that may also be why it was a little too tart. But, we added whiskey to it and it ended up being a nice, warm cup of joy at the end of the day. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Jessi! You can cut back or omit the lemon for a sweeter cider. Glad you spiked it – so good!
Liz says
Perfect for holiday entertaining! And so pretty, too!!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks Liz! It’s so good and smells just like the holidays 😉