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Instant Pot Apple Cider

Name: Instant Pot Apple Cider
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 5 apples (of any variety, chopped (no need to peel or remove core)); 2 oranges (peeled and chopped); 3 cinnamon sticks; 3 whole cloves; 1 whole nutmeg; ¼ cup of your choice of sweetener ((brown sugar, maple syrup, agave, etc.)); Water to cover the fruit

Published: Aug 29, 2022 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Toni

Instant Pot apple cider from scratch is made with fresh apple, lightly spiced, and perfect for keeping you warm on chilly evenings and during the holidays! Naturally vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free!

completed Vegan Instant Pot Apple Cider in two glass containers on a white surface

Quick Hot Spiced Apple Cider in an Instant Pot

It feels like cooler weather is just around the corner. And while I’ve been enjoying air fryer apples and cinnamon apple chips all summer long, nothing says Fall/Winter quite like this non-alcoholic Instant Pot apple cider!

A single sip of this hot mulled apple cider will transform you to bustling Christmas markets, family holiday potlucks, and more happy memories. It requires just 6 ingredients, a few minutes of hands-on prep, and will leave your kitchen smelling of an Autumn candle (and Christmas!). Sold yet?

Well, if you need more convincing, did I mention that this hot mulled cider is also highly adaptable? You can adjust the sweetness, swap the spices, and more. More so, making apple cider in an Instant Pot takes the least time to prepare compared to stovetop and slow cooker methods (alternative methods in the FAQs!), and is ready from scratch in under 30 minutes!

Plus, with the price of energy increasing worldwide, I think I’ll be sipping my way through winter, surviving on hot drinks (kept warm in big, insulated thermos flasks) and fluffy blankets. It’s perfect for chilly evenings and special occasions and will even help soothe a sore throat!

What is Apple Juice vs. Apple Cider

Depending on where you live, apple cider can refer to a warm, non-alcoholic spiced apple juice or chilled alcoholic beverage. In the US, though, we’re referring to the former, with the latter being called ‘hard apple cider.’

Apple cider is raw, unfiltered apple juice with pulp/sediment. Mulled apple cider adds several warming spices and heats them together to infuse (‘mull’) for a delicious non-alcoholic apple cider. In comparison, apple juice here in the US is typically translucent, pasteurized, and often packed with preservatives.

For this Instant Pot apple cider recipe, I’m making non-alcoholic apple cider entirely from scratch using whole apples. Can’t get fresher than that!

The Ingredients

The base quick spiced apple cider recipe relies on just a handful of simple ingredients.

ingredients for Vegan Instant Pot Apple Cider against a white surface

Apples: You can use any apples for this homemade apple cider. I like combining sweet and tart apples like Honey crisp, Fuji, pink lady, Golden Delicious, Gala (sweeter), and Jonagold or Granny smith apples (more tart).
Oranges: Oranges, clementines, or satsumas will work. To infuse the hot apple cider with more flavor, add the zest or strands of peel (no pith!) to the spiced apple juice mixture.
Spices: You’ll need cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and nutmeg for this pressure cooker apple cider.

Can you use ground spices for apple cider?

Yes, just make sure to substitute the amounts correctly. I.e., 1 cinnamon stick = 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Once clove is a pinch of ground cloves, etc.

Sweetener: Use the sweetener of your choice. I.e., brown sugar (for a delicious caramel apple cider), coconut sugar (paleo), maple syrup, agave, or even a sugar-free syrup/sugar (keto).
Water: To cover the fruit.

What Could I Add to The Homemade Apple Cider?

Other spices: You can experiment with several spices in this hot apple cider for different flavors. I.e., 2-3 star anise (licorice flavor), a teaspoon of whole cloves, or some nutmeg, cardamom, allspice berries, juniper berries, bay leaves, etc. You could even use a teaspoon or two of apple pie spice.
Vanilla extract: Adjust the amount to taste. Or use a vanilla pod.
Ginger: A small amount of fresh ginger will add heat and a more robust flavor.
Lemon: For a tangy, bright addition to the Instant Pot apple cider.
Cranberries: You can add fresh or frozen cranberries to the mulled apple cider. A splash of cranberry juice would also work.

How to Make Instant Pot Apple Cider?

Making homemade apple cider from scratch couldn’t be simpler when using an Instant Pot. Follow just 5 simple steps for delicious Instant Pot apple cider in under 30 minutes!

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1) First, rinse and chop the apples (no need to peel or core), and peel and chop the oranges.
2) Then, place all the ingredients into your Instant Pot, seal the lid, and cook on manual HIGH pressure for 12 minutes. Once ready, carefully use the quick release valve.

all ingredients for Vegan Instant Pot Apple Cider in an instant pot

You can optionally allow it to manually release for 10-15 minutes first, so it won't 'spit' as much, but it’s not necessary.

3) Remove the spices with a slotted spoon and then mash the mixture with either a potato masher or an immersion blender.

the process of removing cinnamon sticks from instant pot

process of using potato masher on instant pot ingredients

4) Allow the hot apple cider to cool slightly, then pour it through cheesecloth, a nut milk bag, or a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, squeezing the pulp to extract as much of the liquids as possible.

process of using strainer to filter out Vegan Instant Pot Apple Cider ingredients

5) Reheat if needed, then serve hot, adding more sweetener to taste if preferred. Enjoy the homemade apple cider, garnishing the glasses with cinnamon sticks and cranberries.

You can also make this into more of a dessert-like caramel apple cider treat with the addition of caramel sauce and whipped coconut cream.

FAQs

Can I make homemade apple cider on the stovetop?

Add everything to a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours or until the fruit is breaking down. Then mash the fruits, strain the mixture, and enjoy!

How to make crockpot apple cider?

Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours or HIGH for 6-8 hours, mashing the fruits when 40-60 minutes are left. Then, strain, taste, and adjust the sweetener to taste.

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

To save time: Use pre-made apple juice, but make sure it’s unpasteurized, raw, and unfiltered.
If you want to use the pulp: You may prefer to core the apples first to remove their seeds. The leftover fruit pulp can then be added to oatmeal, baked goods, smoothies, etc.
To keep it warm for functions: For large amounts, use a crockpot/Instant Pot on the ‘keep warm/warming’ function. For smaller amounts, coffee dispensers work great to keep the mulled apple cider warm for hours.
Adjust the amount of water: Depending on the size of your pressure cooker, you may need to adjust the amount of water used to cover the fruit.
Adjust the sweetness: Feel free to omit adding the sweetener until after straining the Instant Pot apple cider, then sweeten the drink to taste.

Storage Instructions

Store: Allow the pressure-cooked apple cider to cool and then store the leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheat: I recommend only reheating the spiced apple cider you need, as it should only be reheated once. You can reheat it gently on the stovetop or heat individual mugs in the microwave for between 1-2 minutes.

More Fall/Winter Recipes

If you try this easy Instant Pot apple cider recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla