A sweet and tart Apple Cider is quintessentially Fall. Make it in the Instant Pot and it is super easy and comes together in under 30 minutes of active time.
Adding Citrus, berries and spices elevate the drink to a new level!
Fall is here and we totally love this season. Full of warm spices, drinks and all the best festivals, this is the best season of them all!
While there us a lot of emphasis on pumpkins for Fall, let us ignore the other delicious produce this season offers. Apples, pears, sweet potato, beans and cranberries are as much Fall as are pumpkins.
Personally, I love all of these for my Fall recipes. From Butternut Squash Soup and a Whole Roasted Cauliflower to these Vegan Pumpkin Rolls and Spinach Artichoke Cups; we totally love them all.
Come September we make a LOT of apple picking trips. As we drive to the farm, we never come back with less than ten pounds of varied apples. And when there are so many apples, we make some yummy recipes. Today I am sharing our ultimate favorite recipe using apples.
If you went picking this weekend or are planning to go soon, this is a recipe you must make using the apples. However, even if you did not go, you can make this with store bought apples.
A crisp and fruity drink to enjoy through Fall, plus a great drink for the Holiday season; Apple Cider is perfect to keep you warm through the winter months or enjoy it cold in summers.
Jump to:
What is Apple Cider
A cooked version of apple juice; Apple cider is a popular drink in the US. It does have some other fruits, berries and spices but the first ingredient is always apple and thus the name.
It is evident that every family and store has their version of the drink. The spices, proportion of fruits and kinds of fruits used vary but the final version is always delicious!
Typically I like to use a mix of apples in the recipe so it has the sweet and sour notes at once. Additionally, it is a great way to use the various apples from the farm.
When compared to apple juice, cider will be opaque. As we include the peels and flesh of the fruits in the cooking, they tend to pass through the fine mesh when filtered. This is what gives the cider the opacity.
Why this recipe works
- It is super easy to make.
- This recipe requires no stirring or waiting by the stove.
- It is a perfectly hands-free recipe which is quick too.
- I like to use a mix of cranberries, apples, oranges and spices. Yet it is optional.
- This drink is best to serve warm. However, it tastes great chilled too.
- It is easy to sweeten with dates, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup or regular sugar.
- Moreover, this drink is easy to spike with some red wine or rum for the festive season.
- It is great to make ahead of time and serve.
- Given it only has fruits and spices, the recipe is Vegan and Gluten-free.
- Plus, the recipe is nut-free too.
- The recipe is suited well for kids and adults alike.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Apples: I used a mix of Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Fuji apples. Mixing them helps get a sweet and tart taste in the cider. But pick the sweeter ones if you like your cider sweet.
- Oranges: Adding a lot of tang to the cider are oranges. They make the cider very flavorful. I like to add them with their peels. However they can be left out if you do not like them.
- Cranberries: I like to add cranberries to all Winter drinks. Fresh or frozen ones will work here. I like to get these berries for all my recipes.
- Sweetener: Sugar, dates, honey or maple syrup is great to sweeten the cider. I have used brown sugar. Moreover, leave out the sweetener if you want a natural, unsweetened version.
- Spices: I have added cinnamon, star anise and cloves in the recipe for warmth and spice. Plus, adding fresh or dried ginger, nutmeg and black pepper works great too.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Wash and cut the apples and oranges. Cut them into wedges, slices or pieces, leaving the peel on the fruit. In a thick orange slice pierce the cloves; making it easy to fish them out after cooking. Then place all the fruits in the instant pot.
2- Next, add the spices and sugar.
3- Pour in water to almost submerge the fruits when pressed down.
4- Close the Instant Pot lid and set mode to pressure cook. Set time to 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure.
5- Open the Instant Pot and remove the spices.
6- Then mash the fruits using a potato masher or use an immersion blender.
7- Strain the cider using a fine mesh or muslin cloth, extracting as much juice as possible.
8- Finally serve topped with some apple slices or cranberries.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Picking Apples: Pick a mix of green and red varieties of apples. They tend to give a sweet and tart balance in the drink. If you cannot find green apples or do not like them, make the drink with whatever you have at hand.
- Spices in the Cider: Add more spices like pepper, nutmeg or ginger for warmth. However, remember to remove the whole spices before serving. A smooth drink with pieces of spice is often not enjoyable.
- Making it kids friendly: If making them for kids, reduce the spices to make it more fruity. Often adding just a clove or a small cinnamon is a great idea as it flavors the drink without spicing it.
- Sweetener: Sweeten the drink with a sweetener of your choice. Maple syrup, honey, sugar or even dates work. Use an amount that you are comfortable with. Skip for a natural version.
- Using the Instant pot: I like to make the cider using the instant pot and serve it with it too. After it is made, simply transfer back to the instant pot and keep the pot on 'keep warm'. Plus it can be stored for a few hours like this and served at the party using the same mode on the instant pot too.
- Serving the apple cider: The drink is great warm or even after refrigerating it for a few hours.
Using the Instant Pot
Traditionally made using a pot, Apple cider needed to be boiled for hours to make it flavorful. However, intermittent stirring is required to ensure the fruits do not settle down.
The instant pot on the other hand cooks everything faster. Because it is hands free and a dump and start recipe, we love making cider this way.
Holiday season is busy and this method makes the cider stress free! I love using the instant pot to make the recipe while I make something else on the stove. Plus, i like to serve it using the Instant pot too. The 'Keep Warm' function works well to keep the temperature of apple cider perfect. The same recipe can be made using a traditional pressure cooker or pan too.
Recipe FAQs
No. Apple cider is a mix of apples, citrus and cranberries cooked with water and spices. It is strained to remove the spices and served in glasses. Plus, apple cider is unpasteurized, fresh and unfiltered compared to the pasteurized and filtered apple juice.
The best fruits in apple cider include red and green apples, cranberries and citruses like orange or lemon. These in a combination or individually work well for the recipe.
The easiest way to keep apple cider warm is to place it in the instant pot on the 'keep warm' function. Besides, the same works well to serve the drink warm too.
Being a Fall drink, apple cider is often served warm. However, the same can be served after refrigerating it for a few hours too. The drink is great warm or chilled.
More Fall Recipes to try
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Instant Pot Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 5 medium Apples (mix of granny smith, fuji and red delicious)
- 1 Orange (sliced thick)
- ¼ cup Cranberries
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Star Anise
- 2 Cinnamon
- 5 Cloves
- 5 cups Water
Instructions
- Wash and cut the apples and oranges. They can be cut into wedges, slices or pieces. The peel can be left on the fruit.5 medium Apples, 1 Orange
- In a thick orange slice pierce the cloves; making it easy to fish them out after cooking.5 Cloves
- Place all the fruits in the instant pot.¼ cup Cranberries
- Add the spices and sugar.¼ cup Brown Sugar, 2 Star Anise, 2 Cinnamon
- Pour in water to almost submerge the fruits when pressed down.5 cups Water
- Close the Instant Pot lid and set mode to pressure cook. Set time to 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and release the remaining pressure.
- Open the Instant Pot and remove the spices.
- Mash the fruits using a potato masher.
- Strain the cider using a fine mesh or muslin cloth. Extract as much juice as possible.
- Serve topped with some apple slices or cranberries.
Video
Notes
- Picking Apples: Pick a mix of green and red varieties of apples. They tend to give a sweet and tart balance in the drink. If you cannot find green apples or do not like them, make the drink with whatever you have at hand.
- Spices in the Cider: Add more spices like pepper, nutmeg or ginger for warmth. However, remember to remove the whole spices before serving. A smooth drink with pieces of spice is often not enjoyable.
- Making it kids friendly: If making them for kids, reduce the spices to make it more fruity. Often adding just a clove or a small cinnamon is a great idea as it flavors the drink without spicing it.
- Sweetener: Sweeten the drink with a sweetener of your choice. Maple syrup, honey, sugar or even dates work. Use an amount that you are comfortable with. Skip for a natural version.
- Using the Instant pot: I like to make the cider using the instant pot and serve it with it too. After it is made, simply transfer back to the instant pot and keep the pot on 'keep warm'. It can be stored for a few hours like this and served at the party using the same mode on the instant pot too.
- Serving the apple cider: The drink can be enjoyed warm or even after refrigerating it for a few hours. It tastes great warm, but can be enjoyed cold too.
- Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.
Nutrition
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