Homemade Apple Cider Easy Recipe

There’s something very special about homemade apple cider. You’ll savor its aroma as the mixture cooks, the delicious ways you can serve it all season long, and the fact that it’s made with real ingredients. We have a feeling you’ll make this recipe an annual fall tradition and you can even use it in apple cider sangria or honeycrisp apple sangria, or as a crucial ingredient in apple cider donuts and baked apple cider French toast.

Tell Me About this Homemade Apple Cider

Consistency: The cider is smooth once you strain out the fruit. Flavor: This is non-alcoholic apple cider made with just apples, citrus, cinnamon sticks (just like we use in pumpkin coffee creamer), cloves, and sugar (plus water). We usually make it so it’s more focused on the spices and not the sweetness, but you can sweeten the mixture as much as you like. Ease: This is a very simple drink recipe requiring just 5 ingredients. Time: Set aside 30 minutes to prep plus 8 hours for slow cooking.

By the way, if you happen to have a little extra cider and need a quick and easy dinner recipe, use it in this apple cider chicken!

No Slow Cooker? No Problem.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, use a large stock pot instead. Place all ingredients into your pot and bring everything to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Continue with mashing the fruit, cooking for an additional hour, and straining as instructed below.

Best Apples to Use in Homemade Apple Cider

For the best flavor, we strongly encourage using a variety of apples—some sweet, some tart. We recommend a variety when making apple pie, too!

Sweet apples we love: Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, and Cortland Tart apples we love: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose.

Why the orange? A little citrus balances out the apple flavor and pairs wonderfully with the spices.

You Control the Sugar

Sweeten to your taste. What we love most about homemade apple cider is that you can control the amount of sugar and spices. We all have different preferences, so make sure that you add enough sugar to suit your tastes. We usually only add 3-4 Tablespoons. For apple cider similar to what you purchase at the store, we recommend using 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

Overview: How to Make Homemade Apple Cider

This is a set it and forget it crockpot recipe. The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through it so you understand each step before you get started.