Spiced Cider

As the weather grows colder, I really like having both spiced cider and cocoa ready in my fridge. I’ve been making this recipe for years and it is always comforting and delicious on a chilly morning, and perfect for warming up on a cold night! Here are the ingredients you will need:

(You will also need two cinnamon sticks, but I forgot to add them to the photo.) You can use apple juice or cider. I really like Aldi’s organic apple juice and you can’t beat their prices.

Add the vegan light brown sugar and the salt to a large soup pot:

Add the lemon juice and the orange juice, then mix to combine:

Place the pot on your burner or induction cooktop. Heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved. Doing this now means you will not have to stir the cider as often in the next step. (Sugar sitting on the bottom of your pot is very likely to burn.)

Add the apple juice and mix well to combine:

I keep the empty juice containers and pour my finished cider in them. Just be sure to let the cider cool down to lukewarm before pouring the cider so you don’t get burned.

Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat:

It will take 35 to 45 minutes for the cider to boil. Get your spices ready while you wait. I use a reusable tea bag that I got several years ago at Whole Foods and it works perfectly. You can also use eight layers of cheesecloth, but some of the apple pie spice will leak out.

Combine the apple pie spice, grated ginger, lemon zest, and whole cloves in a bowl and mix them together. Doing this helps to keep the apple pie spice in the bag or cheesecloth:

Add the spice mixture to your tea bag and wrap the strings around the top of the bag as shown below. If you are using cheesecloth, fold it into an eight-layer square, place the mixture in the center, gather the edges up to form a bag, and tie them together tightly.

When your cider is boiling, remove the lid and add the spice bag and cinnamon sticks:

Cover the pot again, reduce the heat, and simmer for one hour:

Turn off the heat and sample your cider. If the spices are strong enough for your taste, your cider is done and ready to serve. Remove the spice bag and cinnamon sticks and enjoy! If you would like the spices to be stronger, leave them in the pot (with the heat off) for another 15 to 60 minutes before serving.

Print

Spiced Cider

This lovely spiced cider is perfect for chilly mornings and cold nights!

Course Beverages

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings 15 mugs

Calories 160 kcal

Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

• 1 gallon Apple Juice or Apple Cider
• 480 g (2 c) Orange Juice
• 110 g (1/2 c packed) Vegan Light Brown Sugar
• 30 g (2 TBS) Lemon Juice
• 8.0 g (1 TBS) Grated Ginger
• 7.2 g (1 TBS) Apple Pie Spice
• 4.5 g (1 TBS) Lemon Zest
• 1.6 g (1/4 tsp) Salt
• 6 Whole Cloves
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks

Instructions

1. Add the vegan light brown sugar, salt, lemon juice, and orange juice to a large soup pot. Mix to combine.

2. Place the pot on your burner or induction cooktop. Heat and stir the mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved. Doing this now means you will not have to stir the cider as often in the next step. (Sugar sitting on the bottom of your pot is very likely to burn.)

3. Add the apple juice and mix well to combine. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

4. It will take 35 to 45 minutes for the cider to boil. Get your spices ready while you wait. I use a reusable tea bag that I got several years ago at Whole Foods and it works perfectly. You can also use eight layers of cheesecloth, but some of the apple pie spice will leak out. Combine the apple pie spice, grated ginger, lemon zest, and whole cloves in a bowl and mix them together. (Doing this helps to keep the apple pie spice in the bag or cheesecloth.) Add the spice mixture to your tea bag and wrap the strings around the top of the bag as shown in the blog post. If you are using cheesecloth, fold it into an eight-layer square, place the mixture in the center, gather the edges up to form a bag, and tie them together tightly.

5. When your cider is boiling, remove the lid and add the spice bag and cinnamon sticks. Cover the pot again, reduce the heat, and simmer for one hour.

6. Turn off the heat and sample your cider. If the spices are strong enough for your taste, your cider is done and ready to serve. Remove the spice bag and cinnamon sticks and enjoy! If you would like the spices to be stronger, leave them in the pot (with the heat off) for another 15 to 60 minutes before serving.