This Slow Cooker Apple Cider recipe is perfect for fall! You’ll love the cozy and comforting aroma that will fill your house as the apples and spices cook for hours.
It’s made with a combination of gala and granny smith apples for the perfect balance between sweet and tart flavors, and spiced with whole cinnamon and cloves for the perfect taste.
Not only is this slow cooked apple cider recipe super easy to make, it’s also make-ahead and freezer friendly. We love it!
Making slow cooker apple cider at home is a great way to use up the abundance of apples from this year’s fall harvest.
To make it extra cozy, make this recipe along with other baked apple treats, such as apple cinnamon muffins, puff pastry apple turnovers, fresh apple cake, or a classic apple pie to serve along with it.
There’s really nothing better than the aroma of cooked apples, cinnamon, and cloves in your kitchen during a cozy fall afternoon. I just love the smell of fall and apples!
This is a super easy recipe that requires very little active time. It’s a great recipe to make to host guests too! Super easy and convenient.
Why we love making slow cooker apple cider at home:
- Super easy to make! Great to host a large crowd.
- Cozy and aromatic: Fragrant apples with aromatic whole spices, such as cinnamon and cloves. The perfect combination!
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly!
We love to serve this slow cooked apple cider right in the slow cooker, garnished with tons of sliced apples, oranges, fresh cranberries, and spices. You can even use any leftovers to make my Skillet Apple Pork Chops!
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Choice of Apples
The types of apples you use to make this recipe is completely up to your taste preferences, whether it’s on the sweeter side or on the tart side. Or both!
The best apples to use for a sweet flavor profile are gala, honeycrisp, fuji, or even red delicious. For a more tart flavor profile, granny smith will be your best bet.
I’d highly recommend using a mix of both types of apples for a sweet and tart flavor profile. I use about 8 gala apples and 2 granny smith apples, so a 80/20 ratio. It’s the perfect balance between sweet and tart!
Use Whole Spices
The key to making a fragrant slow cooker apple cider is using whole spices. In particular, we use whole cinnamon sticks and whole cloves here in this recipe.
Whole spices will flavor the cider throughout in a subtle way, adding a subtle cozy taste and aroma that is pleasant. The spices are also easy to pick out or remove so it’s smooth.
On the other hand, using ground spices will add a very strong spiced up flavor, rather than a smooth and subtle aromatic taste. Plus, it will affect the texture – ground spices are hard to strain even if you use a fine mesh strainer.
I think using cinnamon and cloves are more than enough for this slow cooker apple cider. However, if you want a stronger, spiced up taste, you can add whole allspice berries or a small nutmeg. If you want to spice up this slow cooker apple cider even more, try adding a little bit of fresh ginger or whole cardamom.
Ingredient Notes
Below are a few helpful ingredient notes from recipe testing. As always, the full ingredient list and quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.
- Assorted apples: Use a combination of sweet and tart apples, such as gala and granny smith.
- Orange: An orange will balance out the sweetness and add aromatic tones to the cider.
- Cinnamon sticks and whole cloves: To subtly infuse with aromatic spices. For stronger, spiced up flavors, try adding allspice berries too.
- Brown sugar: ½ cup is all you need for this recipe, as the apples are sweet too. If needed, you can always add more sugar at the end.
- Water as needed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Not only is this recipe straightforward and very easy to make, it’s also make-ahead and freezer friendly. Below is an overview of the process.
Step 1 | Add ingredients into slow cooker and cook
Add all the ingredients into a large 7 or 8 quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Step 2 | Slow cook for 4 hours
Cover and slow cook on HIGH for 4 hours until the apples are completely softened.
Step 3 | Mash apples and return to slow cooker
Remove the apples and mash them. Then return the mashed apples into the slow cooker, and continue cooking on HIGH for 1 more hour.
Step 4 | Strain and serve
Using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth, strain the slow cooked apple cider into a large pot or serving container. After this, you can either return it the slow cooker or serve.
I like to return it to the slow cooker and keep it warm (change to the WARM setting). For presentation, garnish with sliced apples, oranges, fresh cranberries, and whole spices.
What Size Slow Cooker to Use
To fit in about 10 medium apples and about 10 cups of water, you’ll need a 7 or 8 quart slow cooker. This makes enough for about 8 people.
This slow cooker apple cider recipe is customizable when it comes to quantity changes, so if you have a smaller 4 quart slow cooker, for example, simply use half of the ingredients.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
You can make it up to 3 days in advance and reheat prior to serving. I’d recommend reheating over the stovetop if serving it warm.
This slow cooker apple cider recipe is also freezer-friendly. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving, warm or cold. If you’d rather reheat frozen cider straight on the stovetop, pre-portion it into smaller containers. I like to use these Souper Cubes – they are great for freezing smaller portions of food.
Garnishing and Decorating Tips
A beautiful presentation is always important!
Garnish with freshly sliced fruit and whole spices. I like to throw these into the slow cooker, along with the cider. Don’t worry, these won’t really affect the taste.
- Sliced apples
- Sliced oranges
- Fresh cranberries
- Whole cinnamon and cloves
Recipe FAQs
I’d highly recommend using whole spices, such as whole cinnamon and cloves. Ground spices may be too strong and won’t add the same aromatic tones throughout the cider. Plus, it will be hard to strain any residue.
Either way is fine. I prefer to serve it hot for those cozy, autumn feels.
I’d recommend using a combination of sweet and tart apples. I use 8 gala apples and 2 granny smith apples. Sweet apples include gala, honeycrisp, fuji, or red delicious. As for tart apples, your best best is granny smith.
Yes! It can be frozen and reheated for up to 3 months.
Yes, absolutely. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and simmer for 2 hours. Mash all the fruit as directed in the recipe and return to the pot to simmer for another 1 to 1.5 hours, until slightly reduced and flavorful.
To serve about 8 people, use a 7 to 8 quart slow cooker.
This recipe was published in 2019 and updated in October 2022 to include new photos and information, plus a few recipe modifications.
Tips for Success
- Use a combination of sweet and tart apples. I use 8 gala apples and 2 granny smith apples. The mix of sweetness and tartness is perfect.
- Use whole spices rather than ground spices for best results. Whole spices will add a subtle aromatic taste throughout the cider without overloading it.
- The best way to strain the mashed fruit is by using a clean fine-mesh strainer that is used for baking purposes only – sometimes strainers used for cooking leave an after-taste from food residue. Alternatively, cheesecloth will work too.
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Slow Cooker Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 medium gala apples - or Fuji, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious
- 2 medium Granny Smith apples
- 1 medium navel orange
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- ½ cup light brown sugar - plus more if needed
- 9 to 10 cups water - or as needed
- Optional garnish: fresh apple slices, fresh orange slices, fresh cranberries, whole spices - added at the end for presentation
Instructions
- Cut the apples into quarters (cored but not peeled). Cut the orange into slices.
- To a 7 or 8 quart slow cooker, add the quartered apples, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and sugar. Add in the water, enough to submerge the fruit and give it a stir to combine.
- Set the slow cooker on HIGH for 4 hours. Then, remove the apples and mash them using a fork or a masher. Return the mashed apples, including the bits and pieces and extra liquid, to the slow cooker. At this point, add more sugar to taste if desire. Cook the cider for another 1 hour on HIGH.
- Strain the solids through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. I usually strain it into a large pot, and then return the liquid to the slow cooker to keep the apple cider warm on the WARM setting, but you can serve it cold too.
- If desired, garnish with fresh apple slices, fresh orange slices, fresh cranberries, and whole spices of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- I’d recommend using whole spices and not ground spices for this recipe.
- Serve this apple cider hot or cold. It’s great either way!
- Choice of apples: Try a mix of sweet and tart apples. I use 8 gala and 2 granny smith apples, but feel free to change the ratios according to taste.
- How much brown sugar to use: This recipe calls for ½ cup of brown sugar
- Storing apple cider: Refrigerate in an airtight container or pitcher for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave oven until warm.
- Freezing instructions: Freeze in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat. If you’d rather reheat frozen cider straight on the stovetop, pre-portion it into smaller containers so it’s easier to manage.
- Apple choices (sweet): Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious.
- Apple choice (tart): Granny smith is my go-to for tart apples, but Pink Lady and Braeburn are great too.
- Additional spices, if desired: Allspice berries.
Bw says
My family very much enjoyed this recipe. We are trying it again. It’s a great treat on an autumn day.