This easy mulled cider is my family’s favorite holiday drink! It is served warm and tastes like apple pie. Instructions for non-alcoholic cider and mulled with rum or bourbon are below.
This mulled cider recipe is amazing! It tastes amazing and makes your home smell amazing, thanks to a short list of spices. Delicious on its own (family-friendly!) or with rum or bourbon.
You can even make them on the stovetop OR in your slow cooker—both ways work great! The slow cooker method is perfect for entertaining as you can use the warm feature all night. For another delicious drink, check out our hot toddy recipe! It’s better than alcohol or not.
Key Ingredients
- Apple cider: Choose good quality apple cider, freshly pressed from a local orchard or farm, or look for unfiltered apple juice at your local farmers market. Unfiltered apple juice has a duller appearance and a stronger, more apple-forward flavor than clarified apple juice. Store-bought options work, too. Use something you like!
- Spices: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, and fresh ginger make this mulled cider taste and smell amazing!
- Orange: I like small, juicy clementines or tangerines, but any oranges work! I like to cut an orange in half and squeeze the juice directly into the cider.
- Alcohol (Optional): This blended cider is delicious with a splash of dark or spiced rum. Bourbon also works well, especially with a high rye content with a bitter kick. Tips for adding alcohol to this recipe are below!
Easy Mulled Cider
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
I love this easy mulled cider recipe. Equally delicious and without the alcohol of choice. The stove is the fastest method, but if you’re entertaining, you may want to check out the slow cooker method in the tips below.
5 Services
You will need it
4 cups (946ml) apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
2 cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches each)
2 whole star anise
3 whole cloves
1 small orange, cut in half
1 quarter size piece of fresh ginger
3/4 cup (177ml) flavored rum or bourbon, optional, see tips
Directions
1Heat a pan over medium heat. Add spices and toast, swirling in the pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2Add apple cider, orange halves, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the cider doesn’t boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
3Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum or bourbon (optional). Remove the spices, orange halves, and ginger, and divide between four cups.
Tips from Adam and Joanne
- To make in a slow cooker: Add all the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or until hot and fragrant. Pour into cups and enjoy! If you’re serving a crowd, switch the slow cooker to the “warm” setting after the cider is heated. This will keep it at the right temperature for guests to enjoy throughout the night. I also like to double the recipe when using a slow cooker.
- To double the recipe: As written, this recipe makes about 5 (6oz) servings. And it goes well in a small slow cooker. For a 6-quart slow cooker, you can easily double or triple the recipe.
- Alcohol: Adding 3/4 cup of rum or bourbon means that each 6-ounce serving will have just over 1 ounce of alcohol (about a 6:1 ratio), making it a mild alcoholic strength. Feel free to increase the alcohol for a stronger kick. Taste and adjust to your liking!
- The nutrition facts given below are estimates. We did not include alcohol.
Food Per Serving
Serving Size
6 ounces (5 servings total)
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Calories
105
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Perfect Oils
0.3g
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Saturated Fats
0g
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Cholesterol
0 mg
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Sodium
8.2 mg
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Carbohydrate
25.9g
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Dietary fiber
1g
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Total Sugar
21.5g
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Proteins
0.5g
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