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Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
updated Oct 13, 2023
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Apple cider, ginger, warm spices, and citrus simmer in a slow cooker to make an easy, fragrant mulled cider. Spiked is optional but highly encouraged.
Makes1 gallonPrep5 minutesCook4 hoursJump to Recipe
Jump to Recipe
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Hot mulled cider is a must-have at all our fall and winter shindigs. It’s a great non-alcoholic drink option for holidays like Thanksgiving — guests of all ages never seem to turn down a mug, but grown-ups can also take the opportunity to do a little self-spiking and mix with their alcohol of choice. Slow-cooker mulled cider is the easiest way to serve a crowd.
A slow cooker does double duty of both mulling the cider and keeping it warm for hours, making it the perfect appliance for this classic cold-weather beverage.
How to Make Mulled Cider
- Add the cider. Pour a gallon of fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice into a slow cooker.
- Add the spices. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves, and optional spices, bundled up in cheesecloth if you want to make it easier to remove later.
- Slow cook the cider for 4 hours. Slow cook for 4 hours on LOW. Keep warm and serve in mugs garnished with additional orange slices if desired.
Leftover mulled cider keeps wonderfully, and you can just reheat a mug in the microwave or on the stovetop and enjoy a steaming, fragrant, and soothing cup whenever the mood strikes.
The Right Apple Cider
The most important ingredient for a good mulled apple cider is, of course, the apple cider. Apple cider can mean a few things, but here’s what you’ll need: Fresh apple cider that contains no added sugar or spices (those are sometimes labeled spiced apple cider), or unfiltered apple juice.
Read more: What’s the Difference Between Apple Cider and Apple Juice?
A cloudy cider is the best visual clue you’re buying the right beverage. It should come from the refrigerator section at the store. We’re not using hard (alcoholic) cider here, the sparkling clear stuff from Martinelli’s, nor apple juice. Apple juice tends to be sweetened and lacks all the deep flavor of fresh-pressed apple juice.
If you’re lucky enough to find local, unpasteurized apple cider, grab it. (You can even freeze it!) Your mulled cider will be more complex and earthier than any pasteurized version. If you’re worried about food safety, the slow cooker will basically pasteurize the cider as it cooks.
Spicing (and Spiking) Your Cider
Once you’ve got the right kind of cider, it’s time to choose your spices. You can use a whole range of sweet spices, but the most basic combination is:
- Spicy fresh ginger
- Cinnamon sticks
- Cloves
Feel free to add star anise, black peppercorns, or allspice berries to make this cider your own. While the mulled cider may look pretty with all the spices floating on top, those little bits of spices do make it less pleasant to sip. To avoid getting bits of spices in every sip, tie up the spices in a little sachet made of cheesecloth or a coffee filter, or use a large tea ball instead.
Apple cider is plenty sweet on its own, so I don’t add any sugar when I mull. I do however, like to add a whole sliced orange. Not only are the slices really festive-looking on top, but the fragrant orange peel and the juice really complement the apple and spice flavors.
Set out bottles of rye whiskey, rum, or bourbon next to the slow cooker for those would like a spiked drink.
Slow-Cooker Mulled Cider Recipe
Apple cider, ginger, warm spices, and citrus simmer in a slow cooker to make an easy, fragrant mulled cider. Spiked is optional but highly encouraged.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 4 hours
Makes 1 gallon
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 gallon
fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
- 1
medium orange
- 1 (1 1/2-inch) piece
fresh ginger
- 5
(3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon
whole cloves
Orange slices, for serving (optional)
Equipment
5-quart or larger slow cooker
Measuring spoons
Knife
Cutting board
Cheesecloth or paper coffee filter and kitchen twine, or a tea ball (optional)
Instructions
Show Images
Fill the slow cooker. Pour 1 gallon apple cider or unfiltered juice into a 5-quart or larger slow cooker.
Add the fresh ingredients. Cut 1 medium orange into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut 1 1/2 inches ginger crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add both to the slow cooker.
Add the spices. Add 5 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, and optional spices. To make it easier to serve, place the cloves and spices in a tea ball first, or place in a double layer of cheesecloth or paper coffee filter, gather it up into a sachet, and tie closed with kitchen twine.
Slow cook the cider for 4 hours. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the flavors meld, 4 hours on LOW. (If there are clumps of spices floating at the top that you wish to remove, strain the cider through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a large pot.) Keep warm and serve in mugs garnished with more orange slices if desired.
Recipe Notes
Apple cider: Buy fresh apple cider or unfiltered apple juice for the best flavor. Do not use sparkling cider, spiced cider, hard cider, or clear apple juice.
Optional add-in spices: You can add any combination of the following spices to make a more complex-tasting cider: 4 star anise pods, 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, or 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries.
Storage: Leftover cider can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Stovetop directions: This recipe is designed for the slow cooker, but you can also simmer the cider covered over low heat on the stovetop for about 1 hour.
