easy homemade apple cider from scratch

Apple cider is such a wonderful drink to have around for the autumn time, especially if it’s homemade. I love making apple cider, it fills our home with the most wonderful aroma of fall naturally. If you have been wondering how to make your own apple cider, keep reading to see just how easy it really is.

When we go to fall festivals and fall activities, you will most likely see me drinking a warm cup of apple cider, or an apple cider slushie. Nothing says fall like fresh apple cider, whether you make it at home, from the apple orchard, or fall festival.

why make your own homemade apple cider?

First off, it’s fun! There is nothing like going to the store or apple orchard and picking out your own apples for cider. It’s so delicious and natural, no additives or preservatives either.

Secondly, it’s good for you. It does have sugar but other than that there are quite a few benefits to drinking apple cider, a few things are:

• It can help people with IBS or constipation
• It can hydrate you, especially if you’re sick. It’s mainly water, so it’s very hydrating for you.
• It may reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.
• It has vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and Iron.

how to make the homemade apple cider

This easy recipe doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients or tools at all, here are a few things needed for this wonderful and delicious apple cider:

tools and ingredients needed:

• Dutch oven or very large pot
• potato masher
• fine mesh strainer
• wooden spoon
• knife
• cutting board
• apples
• orange
• cinnamon sticks
• nutmeg
• whole cloves
• water
• brown sugar

step one – adding all the ingredients

For the first step, you will slice your apples into thirds and place them into the Dutch oven. Then, slice your orange and add in with the apples.

Toss in your cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves and water into the Dutch oven.

step two – heating that thang

Next, turn your stovetop on high, add the lid, and allow it to boil for only a few minutes. Don’t leave it unattended because it may overflow if you aren’t using a big enough pot. Once you’ve brought it to a boil for about 3-4 minutes, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for one hour.

step three – mash mash mash

So now, after the first hour of simmering is up, you’re going to grab your potato masher. Mash up everything inside the Dutch oven. Fair warning, it’s not going to look pretty… BUT, it’s going to smell amazing. Just trust the process y’all. After you’ve mashed, return lid back to the pot and allow to simmer for another hour on low.

step four – strain the apple cider goodness out

Now comes the fun part! (Kind of, not really) You’re going to strain out the juice from the pulp. Be sure you get as much juice out of it that you can. Once you’ve strained everything and you’re left with your apple cider, return back to the stove (that’s set to low), add your brown sugar and granulated sugar. Give it a good stir and a taste test. Additionally, if you taste your cider and you think it needs more brown sugar, go for it.

step five – enjoy the fruits of your labor (haha pun intended!

Once you’ve done all of the things, grab yourself your favorite mug and enjoy! You can drink this by itself, or you can also add it to recipes such as my Apple Cider Donut Muffins. They’re the bomb.com!

To store, I place mine in the fridge because I know we are going to be finishing this in a couple days.

Q&A for homemade apple cider:

How do I store the apple cider?

You will want to pour it into an airtight glass jar and place it in the fridge. (You do not have to store it in the fridge, but if you do, you will need to place it in a cool dark spot.) It will be good in the refrigerator for up to 7-10 days. You can also freeze it indefinitely, but, I would use it within a year to enjoy it at it’s peak freshness. Additionally, you can freeze it in a jar with a tight fitting lid sitting upright, or you can place it into ice cube trays.

How do I know if my apple cider went bad?

There are a few different ways to tell if your cider has gone bad, one way is the discoloration. If your cider has a dark color to it, then most likely it is not good anymore. It would be best to toss it.

Also, another way to tell if it has gone bad is if it has developed foam. It undergoes a fermentation process that causes the foam so at that point, you should throw it out.

What apples do I need to use?

The type of apples is totally up to you. Honestly, I don’t think it makes a huge difference on what apples you used. So for this recipe, I used honey crisp apples and granny smith apples combined, and it tastes like regular ole apple cider. Go crazy and use what you like!

printable homemade apple cider recipe:

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Yield: 9

easy homemade apple cider from scratch

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Apple cider is such a wonderful drink to have around for the autumn time, especially if it's homemade. I love making apple cider, it fills our home with the most wonderful aroma of fall naturally. Print this recipe to keep around, you're going to need it!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 apples of your choice - washed
• 1 orange
• 4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 tsp whole cloves
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 9 cups water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Slice 10 apples into thirds and place into Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Slice your 1 orange and place with the apples.
3. Add in 4 tbsp ground nutmeg, 3 tsp whole cloves, 5 cinnamon sticks and 9 cups of water.
4. Place the lid on and bring to a boil on high for 3 minutes then reduce heat to low.
5. Allow to simmer for one hour.
6. After first hour, you're going to take your potato masher and mash everything up.
7. Once all of the ingredients are mashed, return the lid to the pot and allow to simmer for an additional hour.
8. After second hour, strain everything and return to low heat.
9. Add in your 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and stir for a couple of minutes.
10. Remove from heat and place in glass container with a tight fitting lid.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

*If your pot isn't big enough and you have too many apples, remove some of the sliced apples so your pot won't overfill during the boiling process.

*Once you've added your brown sugar, do a taste test if it's too bitter. If you need more sugar, add 1/4 cup more brown sugar and mix well. Add more sugar to your personal preference until you get the desired taste. Some like more bitter, some like sweeter.

Have you made your own homemade apple cider before or is this your first time? Let me know in the comments how you like to use apple cider, whether it’s drinking it by itself or, adding it into different recipes!

Thanks for stopping by y’all!

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