Homemade Hot Apple Cider

You can use pretty much any apples you prefer. For a sweet cider, try using Red Delicious, Gala or Fuji apples. For a more tart flavor, you could use Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Braeburn. Personally I think a combination of the sweet and tart is the perfect balance of flavor.

Ideally you would want this to simmer for 3 hours, this way everything will break down and will make it easy to strain and also give the most potent flavor.

Absolutely! Sometimes people like their Homemade Apple Cider on the sweeter side. You can just add more brown sugar to achieve that.

You are going to want to use a large stock pot for this. If you do not own a large stockpot then you can use two medium pots for this recipe.

Yes, this is an important step. Even though you have simmered the apples and the flavor has been extracted there is still tons of apple flavor and juices left that you want to get out. We don’t want to waste one ounce!

This is really a personal preference. We like hot apple cider and we like cold apple cider. I think it depends on the occasion and/or need at the time. Warm apple cider is the perfect comforting drink to have on a cool fall night. However, if you have leftovers, just pop it in the refrigerator and you can drink it cold like you would apple juice. Also consider that you can use this apple cider as a base to add to some of your favorite liquors for more of a “hot toddy”.

We really need this mixture to come to a boil and keep at a gentle simmer and you may not be able to achieve that in a slow cooker. If your particular slow cooker has settings that allow it to come to a boil and to keep it at a simmer, then you could certainly use it. Also, you could add the cider, after it has been strained, to the slow cooker to keep warm to serve guests.

Yes! Especially since we are making this while keeping the skins on the apples. The skin is where a lot of the healthy goodness resides. Apple cider contains polyphenols (which are in certain plants) that act as antioxidants. Those polyphenols are known to help fight against cell damage and ease inflammation. So, all in all, apple cider not only tastes great but can possibly provide some positive health benefits.

This is a question that comes up often and even though I am showing you homemade recipe here, I can still help answer this question for the store-bought stuff. It is perfectly safe to gently warm it up. As I said in my introduction, you can add a cinnamon stick and maybe a slice of orange and some additional spices. But I promise, it won’t blow your socks off like this recipe will!

Make sure that your Apple Cider has cooled down fully. Pour it into a covered pitcher or container and store it in the refrigerator. This will last refrigerated up to 2 weeks. You can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.