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Easy Homemade Hot Apple Cider

Updated: · Published: by · This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. · 74 Comments

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This easy hot apple cider recipe makes a perfectly spiced, healthy, and easy hot apple cider the whole family can enjoy.

Hot Apple Cider | Learn how to make healthy, sugar-free hot apple cider for the holidays | A Sweet Pea Chef this RECIPE
In This Post You'll Find:

Without fail, I find I am so sad when the summer comes to an end because I think it is my favorite time of year.

But, as the leaves begin to change, the weather starts to cool and I hear those familiar holiday tunes, I realize just how much I love the winter holiday season.  I love the food, the time with family and the general hustle and bustle of life as it gets closer and closer to Christmas.  I mean… who doesn’t get the urge to tap their feet to Jingle Bells, right?

One way I love to celebrate the coming season is to break out my easy hot apple cider recipe and share it with my family.  I just love the smell of the cinnamon, oranges, cloves, and apples simmering away on the stove.  It’s truly better than any candle you could buy.

I also enjoy the excited look on Dustin’s face as I hand him a steaming mug of homemade apple cider. Though, I always have to tell him it’s too hot to drink right away cuz we both know he’s gonna go for it if I don’t tell him.

Anyways, I hope you try out this easy apple cider recipe.  It’s quick and delicious and will make your house smell like Christmas.  Winner!

Ingredients laid out on marble counter for hot apple cider, including unsweetened apple juice, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, orange zest, black peppercorns, and ground nutmeg.

How To Make Hot Apple Cider

This spiced apple cider is really simple to make and tastes so yummy.  It will warm your soul.  Well, maybe that’s going a little far, but it will definitely hit the spot.

Tip: You can also make this in a slow cooker.

I make my hot spiced apple cider by following three simple steps:

  1. combine spices with apple juice and cook over medium heat until the juice is aromatic;
  2. add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil;
  3. once the apple juice is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

To serve, you'll want to strain the cider from the added ingredients, and serve hot.

Adding apple juice over the spices in the saucepan to make Hot Apple Cider.

What's In Apple Cider?

Wondering what hot apple cider is made of? Typically, an apple cider recipe requires…

  • apples
  • water
  • some mulling spices, like allspice berries and star anise
  • sometimes alcohol

It also often contains a lot of added sweeteners, like brown sugar or white sugar.

My apple cider recipe is a tad different than other spiced ciders, and it requires a few different ingredients. I just found this to be the best apple cider recipe I ever tried. I like my hot apple cider sweet, flavorful, and healthy, too. And this spiced cider recipe gives me exactly that. <--- LOVE

Plus this homemade apple cider recipe is quicker and easier than other hot apple cider recipes.  So, what’s in my apple cider?

  • unsweetened apple juice;
  • cloves;
  • cinnamon sticks;
  • black peppercorns;
  • nutmeg;
  • orange zest.

You can add pure maple syrup (instead of white sugar!) if you want the apple cider to be sweeter, but I find it plenty sweet with just the apple juice that is naturally sweetened.

Pouring Hot Apple Cider through a fine-meshed sieve, into a mug.

Is Apple Cider Good For You?

I have good news. If you make it refined-sugar free, apple cider is not a bad choice for your health over the holidays.  It's not something to go drink constantly, considering it is higher in sugars from the apple juice, but it's much healthier for you than regular hot apple cider recipes.

Amazeballs.

Now let’s discuss the apple cider benefits to celebrate the good news.

Pssst...did you know apple cider:

  • lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases;
  • lowers the risk of developing asthma;
  • lowers the risk of developing diabetes;
  • lowers the risk of some forms of cancer.

Not to mention apples and apple cider are a great source of antioxidants.

Watch Me Make Hot Apple Cider

Easy Homemade Hot Apple Cider

View from the top of a apple cider mug on a serving plate. The plate is garnished with an apple cut in 2, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, and cloves while the Hot Apple Cider is garnished with a slice of orange.

How To Serve Hot Apple Cider

After you remove the hot apple cider from the heat…

  1. strain it through a fine-meshed sieve;
  2. transfer to big cups or big mugs;
  3. garnish with orange slices, apple slices or cinnamon sticks for stirring;
  4. allow to cool slightly but still serve hot, and enjoy!

How Long Does Hot Apple Cider Last?

To extend the shelf life of apple cider, strain it through a fine-meshed sieve and store it…

  • in the fridge for 7-10 days;
  • or in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 12 months.

To store the apple cider in the freezer, transfer it into an airtight container. Make sure you leave ½ inch space at the top as apple cider expands when frozen.

Horizontal image with a top view of a mug of hot apple cider on a sering plate. The plate is garnished with an apple cut in 2, cinnamon sticks, black peppercorns, and cloves while the Hot Apple Cider is garnished with a slice of orange.

More Hot Winter Drinks

I like this hot apple cider recipe during Winter a lot, but there are other winter drink recipes I also like to make when the weather is cold.

Hot Apple Cider | Learn how to make healthy, sugar-free hot apple cider for the holidays | A Sweet Pea Chef

Hot Apple Cider

Lacey Baier
Warm up the cold winter nights with this hot apple cider recipe that makes a perfectly spiced, healthy, and easy hot apple cider the whole family can enjoy.
4.84 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine American
Servings 4 cups
Calories 126 kcal

Equipment

*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon whole cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 cups unsweetened apple juice
  • ½ tbsp. orange zest
  • pure maple syrup, optional for added sweetness

Instructions
 

  • Combine spices in a sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until aromatic, about 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the nutmeg, and stir to combine.  The, add in the apple juice and orange zest.  Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, depending on how strong you like your cider.
  • Pour juice through a fine-mesh sieve, into a mug. Allow to cool slightly.

Video

Notes

Combine spices and cook over medium high until aromatic. Add all remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, depending on how strong you like your cider. Pour juice through a fine-meshed sieve, into a mug. Allow to cool slightly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cupCalories: 126 kcalCarbohydrates: 31 gSodium: 10 mgPotassium: 276 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 23 gVitamin C: 4.8 mgCalcium: 54 mgIron: 0.6 mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @asweetpeachef on Instagram so we can check it out.
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Comments

    4.84 from 12 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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  1. Karya

    5 stars
    How best do you store this? I have just made some and I'd like to give some of the apple cider to the person who grew the apples and kindly gave me them.

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Aww, that's so sweet. Any airtight container capable of holding liquid would be perfect. A large glass pitcher with a lid would work.

      Reply

  2. Slava

    5 stars
    Hi there! I made it recently and it turns very delicious! I love it!

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      So happy to hear it!

      Reply

  3. Victoria

    Would you please publish the original recipe? This one is not as good, and I do not have a copy of the original anymore.

    Reply

    • Ulrike

      Did you ever get a copy? I came back to find it gone and also would prefer the original.

      Reply

      • Lacey Baier

        Sorry, I no longer have the original, but you can always use the Wayback Machine (https://archive.org/web/) to find old, no-longer published recipes and pages.

      • Viridiana Leonard

        Can you send me the recipie if you find it?

    • Lacey Baier

      Sorry, I no longer have the original, but you can always use the Wayback Machine (https://archive.org/web/) to find old, no-longer published recipes and pages.

      Reply

  4. Rachel

    I made this recipe back in November and loved it! I recently came back to it again and saw that it had changed. Is there any way you could post the previous recipe too?

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Sorry, I no longer have the original, but you can always use the Wayback Machine (https://archive.org/web/) to find old, no-longer published recipes and pages.

      Reply

  5. Stephanie Russell

    I cut your recipe in half since I’m by myself, and it came out delicious. Thank you. I will tell my friends and family about asweetpeachef.com

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Yay, thanks for spreading the ASPC love <3

      Reply

  6. Cheryl Tyler

    5 stars
    Just made this during the Thanksgiving break with my college girl. Delicious and easy!! We will be making this for the whole family Thanksgiving and Christmas!!

    We used Fiji apples and HoneyCrisp fresh pressed apple juice. So so yummy!!

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      LOVE that you used pressed juice - awesome!

      Reply

  7. Danielle

    Which types of apples work best for ciders?

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Great question! I prefer honey crisp and red apples, but any apples will work great!

      Reply

  8. Ella

    Made this last night for a crowd of about 30 - quadrupled the recipe. I skipped the sugar and it was sweet enough. Perfect winter drink for a crowd.

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Awesome, so glad it worked well for a large party!

      Reply

  9. Rose

    5 stars
    I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I didn't have any oranges, sadly, so I ended up just putting two drops of orange extract (I was making a smaller version for a snack) I took the cloves out of the apples afterwords and ate them, because who can waste delicious food? Not me! <3 Ayways, I also added half a peeled apple, cubed, and now the apple cubes have cinnamon, clove, and allspice essence, and are floating in my drink! Thank you so much! Now, I gotta go drink it!!

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      Oooh I love the idea of adding orange extract if no oranges - great idea 🙂

      Reply

  10. Jen

    Hello! Would it be possible to make this in a crock pot instead?

    Reply

    • Lacey Baier

      YES! You can easily make this in a crock pot, too! 🙂

      Reply

  11. Beth

    My family is diabetic. Can I use less of the brown sugar? What would be a good replacement without adding artificial sweetener.

    Reply

    • Amanda

      5 stars
      You do not have to use the brown sugar the apples and apple juice have plenty of natural sugar

      Reply

      • Lacey Baier

        Agreed! I've updated this recipe to no longer include brown sugar because I completely agree! 🙂

  12. Beth

    My family is diabetic. Can I use less of the brown sugar? What would be a good replacement.

    Reply

  13. Bonnie

    Hi,
    Great receipe, looks simple as I don't cook as much but love apple cider. Hope this is not a silly question, can we use it without the clovers? Whatdoes clovers bring to the taste?

    Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to try it!!

    Reply

    • Mark-Alan Schlumpf

      5 stars
      Bonnie, you can make it however you like. You can purchase apple cider and heat it with just the cinnamon sticks if you like. If you check around the internet you will see many different ways to make this wonderful winter drink.

      Cheers, and Happy New Year!

      Reply

  14. Dustin

    5 stars
    love fresh apple cider

    Reply

  15. Patty

    This sounds so good as do the comments. ;). I am making cider in jugs for Christmas baskets this year. I will also include a bottle of apple jack brandy as someone posted. Can this recipe be canned/bottled? In the hot bath method? Any suggestions?

    Reply