Homemade Less Sugar Hot Apple Cider
Autumn/Fall is here, and it is time for some hot apple cider. Here is our recipe for "Homemade Less Sugar Hot Apple Cider". Just put everything in a crockpot, turn it on, and let the crockpot do its magic. Alternatively, this recipe can be made in an Instant Pot or over the stove as well. This delicious apple cider is infused with spices, apples, citrus, water and apple juice, as well as lightly sweetened with brown sugar. In just a few hours of slow simmering, your entire house will smell like FALL & CHRISTMAS!
Ingredients:
- 8 Cups Unsweetened Apple Juice
- 2 Cups Water
- 3 Gala Apples
- ½ Navel Orange
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon Powder
- ¼ Tablespoon Whole Cloves
- 1-2 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
Instructions:
- Add apple juice & water in a crockpot.
- Wash and slice up apples.
- The orange should be washed (because we are not going to remove the orange peels) and cut in half. Slice them up.
- Rinse cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.
- Next, add sliced apples, sliced oranges, cloves and cinnamon sticks to the crockpot.
- Then add light brown sugar and cinnamon powder to the crockpot.
- Note that this is a less sweet apple cider. However, you can add more sugar if you like it sweet or according to your taste buds.
- Set the crockpot on HI and cook them for 4 hours.
- At 2-3 hours of cooking, crush the apples in the crockpot with a potato masher.
- Continue to cook the apple cider until the time is up.
- Turn the crockpot off and strain the apple cider.
- Serve warm.
- Allow the apple cider to cool before filling a glass with ice cubes if serving cold.
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Tips & Notes:
- We used Gala but you can use your choice of apples.
- You can use granulated white sugar, molasses or your choice of sweetener other than light brown sugar.
- We reduced sugar for this apple cider but you can add more sugar according to your taste buds.
- This apple cider recipe is kid-friendly, but you can make it a hard apple cider for adults by adding some rum or bourbon to the apple cider before serving.
- This apple cider can be made on the stove or in an instant pot. Cooking time should be adjusted accordingly. Check the setting, timing, and safety warnings before and after using an instant pot in the instant pot guidebook.
