Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (2024)

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (1)

There is nothing better than some of Grandma’s warm spiced apple cider brewing in the kitchen. It makes your house smell amazing and it tastes out of this world.

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (2)

During the fall and winter seasons we are constantly making Grandma’s warm spiced apple cider recipe. Beside making the house loom with the delicious cinnamon and clove smell, it tastes absolutely amazing.

There is no way that a carton of apple cider can compare to this homemade apple cider. I will make it up and it will be gone in no time.

If you have never made homemade apple cider or wassail, this is the best wassail recipe that you can find. Perfect to use for those holiday traditions you’ll be celebrating this year.

We love using this easy slow cooker cider recipe for our family during the winter time, but we also like to make our Warm Cranberry Citrus Drink Recipe, Disneyland’s Hot Chocolate Recipe or our Homemade Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate Recipe too! So basically our houses always smell fantastic. Haha.

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (3)

Ingredients You Need to Make Our Grandma’s Warm Spiced Apple Cider:

  • Brown sugar
  • Salt
  • Allspice
  • Whole cloves
  • Whole cinnamon sticks
  • Nutmeg
  • Apple cider

How To Make Our Grandma’s Warm Spiced Apple Cider:

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (4)

Start by dumping the jug of apple cider into a large stock pan.

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (5)

Once you have it all in there, use a medium to large piece of cheesecloth or other cotton fabric to create your bag for the spices.

Place the whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, salt, brown sugar, allspice all in the cheesecloth and tie the top.

Put the bag of spices into the apple cider and allow the so use to simmer for at least 20 minutes in the apple cider.

But, you can also let it simmer together for a couple hours even!

Not only will it develop the flavors more, it will make your house smell fantastically delicious.

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (6)

When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the bag (try and squeeze or wring it out a little if you can) from the spiced apple cider.

You can also make this in a slow cooker and put it on low for hours and let it all meld together.

Once you are done enjoying the spiced apple cider, let the cider cook down and then store the apple cider in a tight locked container and keep it in the fridge for another time.

Then you can drink it cold or warm it up as needed.

To Make this Homemade Apple Cider You Will Need:

  1. Large stock pan
  2. Cheesecloth (some like THESE will work!)
  3. Serving ladle or spoon

What is Wassail?

In the long run, wassail and spiced apple cider are essentially the same thing. Wassail refers to a spiced mulled cider drink. Aka basically spiced apple cider.

People will also put a type of alcohol or hard liquor in the apple. Taste of Home goes over what wassail is and how to make a traditional wassail drink if you’re curious to find out more!

Can You Just Heat Up Regular Apple Cider?

Of course you can! However when you simmer the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar in the premade apple cider you are able to get such a better and more rich depth of flavors to the apple cider.

I promise it is worth the little extra trouble for such a great sip of spiced apple cider. Plus then you can tell everyone it is homemade and look extra fancy! Haha.

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Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (7)

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Tasty Recipe with Apple Cider to Make:

  1. Apple Cider Caramel Cookies Recipe
  2. Apple Cider Pork Chops Recipe
  3. Slow Cooker Beef Sirloin Tips and Gravy Recipe
  4. Easy Apple Cider Dump Cake Recipe
  5. Apple Cider Rump Roast Recipe
  6. Baked Apple Cider Donut Holes
  7. Apple Cider Cupcakes
  8. How to Make Instant Pot Apple Cider Recipe

Desserts to Serve with Spiced Apple Cider:

  1. Baked Apple Fritter Muffins Recipe
  2. Apple Praline Bread Recipe
  3. Slow Cooker Cake Mix Apple Cobbler Recipe
  4. Puff Pastry Donuts Recipe
  5. Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes Recipe
  6. Copycat Pumpkin Empanada Recipe
  7. Apple Hand Pies Recipe

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (8)

Serves: 16 people

Grandma’s Warm Spiced Cider Recipe

This warm spiced cider smells just like grandma's kitchen at Christmas time!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

PrintPin

Ingredients

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 3 whole cinnamon sticks
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 gallon apple cider

Instructions

  • Dump cider into a large stock pot. Place on the stove over low heat.

  • Place salt, spices, and brown sugar on a square of clean cheesecloth (or any clean thin cotton fabric). Pull up edges and tie with a string to form a bag. Place bag in the cider and simmer for at least 20 minutes (but you can let it simmer for a couple hours- that's what makes your house smell really good!).

  • If you cook this in a crock pot, cook on low for about 2-3 hours, then keep warm.

  • Refrigerate leftovers and reheat as needed.

Video

Notes

  • Store the apple cider in a tight locked container and keep it in the fridge for another time.

Nutrition

Calories: 136 kcal · Carbohydrates: 34 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 1 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 48 mg · Potassium: 251 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 29 g · Vitamin A: 4 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 28 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Equipment

  • Large Stock pan

  • Cheesecloth

  • Serving Ladle

Recipe Details

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

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Join The Discussion

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  1. Julia @ It's Always Ruetten says:

    Yum! This looks great! Hot spiced cider is my favorite thing to drink in the winter! Thanks for sharing your grandma's version!

  2. Cindy howe says:

    Can just smell it now , thank you

  3. Happy Valley Chow says:

    Yummmyyy one of my favorites! Great recipe :)Happy Blogging!Happy Valley Chow

  4. Dianne Johnson says:

    This is the recipe I've used for 30 years. If I don't show up on Christmas with a gallon of it, I'm in big trouble. It's even better with a splash of run or brandy.

  5. Dianne Johnson says:

    Sorry, typo: rum not run.

  6. Dianne Johnson says:

    Whoops, forgot my variation!! Take an orange, cut in half and add to pot while it simmers. Adds wonderful flavor.

  7. Camille (SixSistersStuff) says:

    Oooo! I definitely want to try adding an orange! Thanks for sharing!!

  8. Holly says:

    Ground allspice or whole allspice? Can't wait to try it!

  9. Cyd says:

    We used ground allspice.

  10. tausha says:

    if its in the crockpot do you leave the spices in the whole time?

  11. Cyd says:

    Pull the spice bag out right before serving.

  12. Karolina says:

    I don't have a cheesecloth, what can I do instead?

Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (10)

About The Author:

Camille Beckstrand

Camille Beckstrand is married to Jared and they have 4 kids. She is a certified life coach that loves helping women become "unstuck" in their lives and is the host of the podcast "Moms On The Rise". She also loves a good true crime podcast, a big plate of cheesy loaded nachos, and going on adventures with her family.

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Grandma's Warm Spiced Cider Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What goes well with hot spiced cider? ›

Hot Spiked Cider Pairings
  • Apple Pie or Apple Crisp. ...
  • Cheddar Cheese and Crackers. ...
  • Cinnamon-Sugar Donuts. ...
  • Sausage and Sage Stuffing. ...
  • Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Soup. ...
  • Caramel Popcorn. ...
  • Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. ...
  • Spiced Nuts.

What is the difference between cider and mulled cider? ›

Here's the difference between apple cider and apple juice: Apple cider is just unfiltered apple juice that can be served hot or cold. Mulled apple cider is unfiltered apple juice that's been heated and flavored with mulling spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; and fruits like oranges, lemons, and apples.

Can you just heat up apple cider? ›

Apple cider is a versatile beverage you can integrate into your menu in a variety of ways. While delicious cold, you can turn apple cider into a warming and comforting drink by heating it on the stove and adding a sprinkle of your favorite type of cinnamon.

What is the difference between apple cider and spiced apple cider? ›

The process for making apple cider and spiced apple cider is the same. The main difference is that spiced apple cider is, well, spiced! It typically has been infused with flavors of different warm spices (like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg) versus regular apple cider which gets its flavor solely from the apples.

What liquor is best in hot cider? ›

Spiced Rum or Bourbon

It gives the drink a kick without tasting too strong. The spice of the rum compliments the spiced apple cider. I used one we brought home from our trip to St Lucia, but any high quality spiced rum will do. Bourbon is another favorite liquor to spike this drink with.

What alcohol is good in spiced cider? ›

Traditionally cider is spiked with dark spirits, like the rum and bourbon in the recipes above. But what if you want something a little lighter? Vodka can do the trick. Since it doesn't contribute much in the way of flavor, we add fresh ginger for its distinctive, peppery-sweet flavor.

Which cider is best for mulled cider? ›

Full-bodied, dry and cloudy ciders that thins out when heated, are often a popular choice to mull. A sweet cider with a strong apple flavour is preferable, but it's also important that there's a hint of acidity to cut through the syrupy richness that too sweet a cider can result in.

Does the alcohol cook out of mulled cider? ›

With the goal of consuming the alcohol, any evaporated alcohol is a small affront to the holiday season. But fear not, hot cider, hot toddy, and mulled wine lovers: Around 85 percent of your beloved alcohol will survive the heating process.

Does the alcohol cook off in mulled cider? ›

Very little alcohol will cook off. The boiling point of ethanol is 79C - you should WARM mulled wine and certainly not bring it anywhere near close to 79C.

What can I add to cider to make it taste better? ›

Beyond Cinnamon: 5 Delicious Things to Add to Your Hot Apple...
  1. 5-Spice. My local spice shop makes a whole spice 5-spice blend which is perfect for hot cider. ...
  2. Chili. Float a dried chili de arbol or other spicy chili in your hot cider to add another layer of warmth. ...
  3. Citrus. ...
  4. Booze. ...
  5. Maple Syrup.
Nov 19, 2013

Is warm apple cider healthy? ›

Apple cider contains polyphenols, which are compounds in plants that act as antioxidants. They can help the body to fight against free radicals and cell damage, lowering your risk of certain types of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Polyphenols also help to ease inflammation in the body.

How do you heat store bought cider? ›

Heat in the microwave oven, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes.

Does spiced apple cider go bad? ›

So, does apple cider go bad? Technically no, but the cider will slowly transform into a more acidic-tasting beverage. Yes, a science lesson was needed to understand the expiration timeline of your favorite fall drink.

Which apples make the best cider? ›

The apple varieties that we generally find in stores and that are used for the making of modern-style ciders include McIntosh, Golden and Red Delicious, Goldrush, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Idared, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Gala, and Fuji.

Does spiced apple cider need to be refrigerated? ›

No need to refrigerate, apple cider is just a fresh, squeezed apple. Apple Juice starts out as a cider, and is then heated to pasteurize the product. This process makes the juice rack stable, meaning it doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened and has a long shelf life.

What compliments cider? ›

Cider works well with most vegetables that are in season, and sweet ciders in particular are great when paired with roasted autumnal vegetables like onions or fennel. Cider famously pairs with cheese; cheddar is the most popular choice. However, cider also works very well with creamy cheese like brie and camembert.

What liquor is good with hot apple cider? ›

Some good vodka brands are Smirnoff, Svedka, Absolut and Pinnacle. You could even have some fun with flavored vodkas like caramel or whipped cream flavor. If you don't like vodka, you can also use rum, tequila or whiskey. Many folks also enjoy brandy in spiced apple cider as well.

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