Fall means it’s apple picking season and there’s no better way to enjoy all the flavors of fall than with a warm cup of crockpot apple cider! This fall drink only takes a few minutes to prepare and will leave your house smelling amazing while it cooks all day long!

Most people associate fall with pumpkin spice, and there’s definitely a soft spot in my heart for those recipes. But I am more of an apple recipe girl. With so many different apple varieties out there, the flavor combinations you can get when mixing and matching them are irresistible!

This crockpot apple cider is a great way to enjoy all those bright apple flavors mixed with the warm spices of fall. Cinnamon, cloves, and allspice work hand-in-hand to produce a drink that will warm you from the inside out.

All it takes is a few minutes in the morning to cut up your apples into pieces and toss the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot. No peeling or coring required!

What’s left is a delicious and flavorful drink that you can make and enjoy all fall and winter long!

How To Make Crockpot Apple Cider

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full recipe, including exact measurements and amounts. You can also print out the instructions. I go into a bit more detail about the recipe here first, just in case you need it.

If you are used to going to a local apple orchard and getting apple cider there, this recipe won’t taste exactly like that. Apple orchards typically use only pressed apples to make their cider, so the flavor is a lot more concentrated and distinct.

Water added to crockpot before cooking — This recipe won’t get you the exact same taste as apple orchard apple cider, but it will produce a warm and delicious apple drink that is perfect to sip on a cold fall day!

This crockpot apple cider has more of a watered-down flavor in comparison which is closely related to apple juice – only with all the warm spices. If you want to see how orchard apple cider is made, check out my article where we used my late Grandpa’s antique apple press: “Making Homemade Apple Cider On An Old Antique Cider Press“.

Ingredients

There are only a few basic ingredients needed to make crockpot apple cider: Apples, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, water, and brown sugar. Some recipes include oranges, but I prefer to leave them out. Feel free to add a sliced orange to the mix if you want a bit more of a citrus kick.

Apples: There are some apple varieties that work better for apple cider than others. Some of the best to use are Braeburn, Cosmic Crisp (my favorite for eating!), Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Jonathan, McIntosh, and Pink Lady. Play around with using a mixture of tart and sweet apples for a flavor profile you enjoy.

Cinnamon, Cloves & Allspice: When making this recipe, stick to whole spices. So in this case, use cinnamon sticks as opposed to the powder and whole cloves and allspice. This way, you can easily strain out the whole pieces while still allowing the flavors to infuse while cooking. You can also place the spices into a small cheesecloth bag and pull it out when the cider is done cooking if you prefer.

Brown sugar and cinnamon sticks on top of apple slices in a crockpot — You can always use more or less of the spices to fit your family’s needs.

Additional ingredients

Water: You are going to add enough water to fill your crockpot, so this amount will vary. I prefer to add more apples and less water than some recipes so you can really get the most apple flavor.

Brown Sugar: This is an optional ingredient in my opinion. If you are used to drinking store-bought apple cider, then you will likely want to add the brown sugar to make the recipe a bit sweeter. Sometimes I include this and sometimes I don’t; It just depends on how sweet I am feeling that day I guess!

Some alternatives to brown sugar are maple syrup or honey. Keep in mind that the flavor profile will change slightly depending on what you use. If using either of those two ingredients instead of brown sugar, reduce the amount by half at first. You can always add more if you prefer it to be sweeter.

Instructions For Crockpot Apple Cider

Begin by washing and cutting up enough apples to fill a large 6 to 7-quart crockpot or slow cooker – whatever you call them in your home. (This is the inexpensive slow cooker I have used for years and love for its simplicity – Product Link: Crock-Pot 7 Quart Oval Manual Slow Cooker.) The amount of apples you use will depend on how large they are. Typically, you can get around 8-12 large apples.

Before Cooking
After Cooking

You don’t need to bother with peeling or coring the apples since you will be straining them later on. Just cut them into quarters and toss them into the pot. If you are using store-bought apples, I highly suggest you remove the protective wax before using.

To do this, just stick a few apples in a pot of boiling water for about a minute. Remove the apples and use a clean cloth to wipe off each apple. The wax coating should come right off.

Adding Additional Ingredients

Next, add your cinnamon sticks. Just scatter them on top of the apples. Add your cloves, allspice, and brown sugar right on top of the apple pile. I only add about half the sugar now and the rest after straining if I’m using it. It’s always easier to add more later on but really hard to take away the sweet flavor once it’s been added!

Finally, it’s time to add your water. How many apples you use will make a difference in the amount of water you add. Usually, it’s anywhere around 8 to 10 cups of water. Just fill it until you reach right before the rim of the pot so you can still easily close the lid.

Halfway through cooking
Ready for mashing
After mashing and cooking for an additional hour.

Add your lid and turn the crockpot on low for 7 to 11 hours or until the apples are nice and soft. (You will need to cook it for an additional hour after mashing.) If you are in a time crunch, you can cook them on high for around four hours.

Mash & Strain

After the time is up, take a potato masher and smash up the apples. Do not use an immersion blender for this step. The goal is to extract as much liquid as possible, not turn it into applesauce. (I speak from personal experience here!)

Allow the mixture to cook for an additional hour or so to draw out as much flavor as possible. Then, it’s time for straining.

Use a fine mesh strainer or sieve to separate out the chunks from the cider. This includes the cinnamon sticks and whole spices as well as the apple pieces, skins, and seeds. I used my vintage metal colander and it worked great! The solids went into my compost bin, so nothing went to waste here.

straing the apples through a vintage sieve — I used an old vintage sieve to strain out my solids and press out as much apple goodness as I could.

If you prefer an even smoother apple cider, you can pass the juice through a piece of cheesecloth or jelly cloth. If you feel like the cider needs to be sweeter, add the rest of the brown sugar at this time.

For a more concentrated flavor, cook the strained liquid on high in the crockpot or boil on your stove with the lid removed for a bit longer. This step is completely optional though. Just don’t let the liquid cook down for too long!

The crockpot apple cider can be kept in a refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for even longer (hello apple cider slushies!). I hope you enjoy this delicious drink full of the best flavors of fall!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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