Homemade Apple Cider
Nov 13, 2022
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One of our favorite things to enjoy as soon as fall hits is this homemade apple cider recipe. Just in time for Thanksgiving, it’s super easy to make at home and great for using up apples that your family picked at your local farm.
We strongly encourage your family to search out your local farmer and go pick apples during the fall. It’s a great activity to do with the family. Once you bring the apples home, each family member can pick an apple recipe that they’d like to enjoy. This is a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen and eating healthy.
A few of our readers favorite apple recipes:
- Caramel Apples
- Caramel Apple S’mores
- Apple Blondie Cupcakes
- Caramel Apple Monkey Bread
- Air Fryer Apple Fritters
What apples do I use to make apple cider?
There’s no right apple for apple cider! Keep in mind when choosing apples for your cider recipe that the flavor of the apple will result in how sweet or tart the flavor. Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp for example will have a more potent flavor versus a red delicious apple.
Do I need to peel my apples?
Not at all. The beauty of homemade apple cider is that there is no need to peel the apple. As the apple cooks it will break down and you will end up straining the liquid produced which will catch any skin in the strainer.
Should I use whole or ground spices?
You can use either or. We tried to use all whole spices, however, we had a hard time finding whole all spice and nutmeg at our local grocery stores.
How long does homemade apple cider keep?
This apple cider recipe will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Ingredients Needed to Make Apple Cider at Home
- Apples
- Orange
- Brown sugar – you can use light or dark
- Cinnamon sticks
- All spice
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
How to Make Apple Cider
In a large pot, add in the apples, orange, spices, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar.
Cover with water. We used 12 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 2 hours.
Remove the orange pieces and mash the apples.
Return to a simmer and let simmer uncovered for an hour.
Strain through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth to remove the whole spices and skin of the apple.
Place the cider in mason jars or a pitcher. Allow to cool completely before putting in the refrigerator.
Recipes to Use Apple Cider in:
Apple Cider Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 apples quartered
- 1 orange quartered
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp whole or ground cloves
- 1 tsp whole or ground allspice
- 1 tsp whole or ground nutmeg
- 1/2 brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large pot, add in the apples, orange, spices, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar.
- Cover with water. We used 12 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove the orange pieces and mash the apples.
- Return to a simmer and let simmer uncovered for an hour.
- Strain through a mesh strainer or cheese cloth to remove the whole spices and skin of the apple.
- Place the apple cider in mason jars or a pitcher. Allow to cool completely before putting in the refrigerator.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
