Crock Pot Mulled Cider
Make a deliciously spiced Crock Pot Mulled Cider in just a couple of hours to enjoy on chilly evenings when you want warm and cozy vibes!
Why We Love Mulled Apple Cider
- Mulled Apple Cider is a delicious warm beverage that’s perfect for enjoying on cooler evenings.
- You can easily make this recipe your own by trying out different spice combinations.
- Make your mulled cider boozy with apple brandy, whiskey, or some spiced rum. It’s SO good!
- You can make large batches of hot mulled cider by duplicating the recipe and using a larger slow cooker. This drink is great way to welcome guests in from the cold during the holidays.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Hot Mulled Cider
APPLE CIDER: I like to use raw apple cider but any apple cider you like from the store will work great.
SPICES: This recipe uses whole spices – cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise. If you can’t get whole versions of these spices you can substitute with the dried ground versions and using about 1 tablespoon of each.
ORANGES: You will need half of a navel orange. If you prefer to use a different variety of orange (or want to add some more color) blood oranges are a beautiful color variant.
How to Make Mulled Cider
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Add the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and orange slices to a slow cooker.
STEP 2 Cover the crock pot and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours. Stir the cider every and turn the crock pot heat to WARM to keep the mulled cider warm for serving.
Tips & Tricks
- This is a smaller batch of cider. You can easily double this recipe to make a gallon of cider that will serve 16 people in a large crockpot.
- Star anise has a strong flavor that not everyone likes, but I think it adds a lot to this drink. If you don’t care for star anise (or just don’t have any on hand) it’s fine to omit it.
- Garnish your serving glass or mug with a slice of apple or orange, a cinnamon stick, star anise, or a twist of orange rind.
- If you want to spike your mulled cider, spiced rum, apple brandy, and whiskey are both great options. You can pour 1 to 2 cups into the crock pot or pour 1 1/2 ounces into your mug before topping it with some cider.
- Extra cider will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered pitcher or air-tight container. It can be enjoyed cold, or you can pour some into a mug a microwave it until heated through.
Mulled Cider Recipe FAQ
What is mulled cider?
Mulled cider is a cooked and spiced fruit cider, often with alcohol added and a combination of fruits.
What is the best cider to use for mulled cider?
Knowing the difference between Apple Juice and Apple Cider and good quality vs low quality is important. Apple Juice has usually been filtered so only the juice is present and often it has been pasteurized, so it is almost clear and thin. Cider still has some pulp and fiber and is darker in color, and somewhat cloudy. You have to shake apple cider to mix the pulp and fiber as it settles into the bottom.
The more pulp an apple cider has the better it will be as a mulled/cooked cider because that pulp will thin out and add even more flavor to your cider. This is why I like to get a fresh and raw (uncooked) cider locally if possible, but you can also freeze fresh cider to use later in the year.
Other Recipes You May like
- Apple Cider Whiskey Punch
- Pumpkin Hot Buttered Rum
- Apple Smash Cocktail
- Sparkling Spiced Pumpkin Punch
- Apple Cider Sangria
Crock Pot Mulled Cider
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups apple cider
- 8 cinnamon sticks
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves
- 1 star anise (see note)
- ½ navel orange sliced
Garnish
- Orange slices
- Cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Add the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and orange slices to a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4 hours.
- Uncover and stir the cider. Reduce the slow cooker heat to WARM to keep the mulled cider warm for serving.
Notes
- This is a smaller batch of cider. You can easily double this recipe to make a gallon of cider that will serve 16 people in a large crockpot.
- Star anise has a strong flavor that not everyone likes, but I think it adds a lot to this drink. If you don’t like it or don’t have any on hand, it is fine to omit it.
- If you want to spike your mulled cider, spiced rum and whiskey are both great options. You can pour 1 to 2 cups into the crock pot or pour 1 1/2 ounces into your mug before topping it with some cider.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.