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    Home » All Recipes

    Author: Donna | Published: Jul 30, 2021 | Modified: Jul 30, 2021

    Spiced Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider

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    Slow cooker cranberry apple cider

    Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider makes for the perfect Holiday drink. It is fragrant and delicious and requires only a handful of seasonal ingredients and about 2 minutes of hands-on time. Come home to Fall in a glass and get the warm and fuzzies without much effort at all. After you try this one you should check out this Fall Harvest hot apple cider which is perfect for using up leftover Fall fruit that might be about to go off.

    Cranberries, applies, lemon slices, cinnamon and cheese cloth filled with mulling spices inside a slow cooker
    Jump to:
    • Spiced Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider
    • How Much Skill Does It Take To Make Homemade Apple Cider?
    • What Ingredients Are Needed?
    • Ok, Now For The Easy Bit: How To Enjoy Your Homemade Cranberry Apple Cider
    • What To Do With Leftover Cider
    • Recipe

    Spiced Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider

    I came home from the store today to the smell of this Spiced Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider smacking me in the face as soon as I opened the door.

    My house smelled like a bunch of apple cinnamon candles had been left burning all day, instantly making the house more homely and giving me the warm and fuzzies.

    It also left me craving some apple pie....that particular craving will have to be satisfied on another day...

    two wine glasses fun of cranberry apple cider, apple slices and cinnamon sticks

    How Much Skill Does It Take To Make Homemade Apple Cider?

    Not much.

    Picture yourself cozied up in front of the fire with a big snuggly sweater and comfy slippers on, while the wind and rain wail outside.

    That's exactly what Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider tastes like! And it requires no effort at all.

    Well two minutes of chopping fruit, and then throwing everything into the crockpot and leaving it to cook away, but I am sure you can handle that!

    wine glass containing hot cranberry apple cider with cranberries, a crimped apple slice and a long cinnamon stick

    What Ingredients Are Needed?

    Just pop a handful of ingredients, all of which you will either have on hand or can easily find at your local market, into the slow cooker, set for 4 hours and walk away. Come home to a flavorful and antioxidant-rich, body-warming drink.

    You will need:

    • apples
    • cranberries
    • lemon
    • unsweetened apple cider
    • cinnamon sticks
    • mulling spices
    • honey or maple syrup to sweeten

    See nothing hard.

    Mulling spices can be found in the spice section of your local store, or if you can't find any then you can grab some online here.

    Same with cinnamon sticks. They can tend to get a little bit expensive, so I usually buy them in bulk when they have them in stock at Costco, or you can grab some from Amazon here.

    Fall Harvest Crockpot Cider. Pop all the beautiful, fresh fruit from the farmers market into the crockpot, and warm up with this delicious warm cider. Perfect for chilly nights.

        Also see Crockpot Apple Cider  

    Ok, Now For The Easy Bit: How To Enjoy Your Homemade Cranberry Apple Cider

    This is the part you have been waiting for.

    Set the slow cooker to 'keep warm', pop on a lid, and you have a nice warming drink to soothe sore throats, warm cold hands, and bellies and give everyone that comfy Holiday feeling.

    Add more honey or maple syrup until you get the level of sweetness you like. The kids usually like to put an extra little swirl in there for theirs.

    For the adults, you can add some cheap red wine and get a great mulled wine/cider concoction! I say this because this is my signature 'on the porch' drink at Halloween for the neighbours to share whilst handing out candy. 

    To make it even prettier, why not add a slice of dehydrated orange to the glass when serving!

    And yes I will have the slow cooker plugged in outside, lets hope it's actually cold, unlike the last time I tried this out!

    a childs hands holding forth a glass of hot cranberry apple cider in a wine glass with floating cranberries, a crimped apple slice and a large cinnamon stick poking out of the glass

    What To Do With Leftover Cider

    After you have enjoyed your hot apple cider, store it in a glass jar with a lid in the fridge.

    You can reheat it in the microwave or the slow-cooker when you want to serve it up again, however, I would probably replace the fruit as it can get a bit sluggish after the first batch is warmed up.

    If you have lots of leftovers and want to preserve them for longer then have a look at this article: Can You Freeze Apple Cider And Apple Juice?

    Want something a little more 'grown up? Why not try this Vin Chaud from Vanilla Bean Cuisine?

    Happy drinking

    xx

    Recipe

    Spiced Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider

    Slow Cooker Cranberry Apple Cider makes for the perfect Holiday drink. It is fragrant and delicious, requires only a handful of seasonal ingredients and about 2 minutes of hands on time. Come home to Fall in a glass and get the warm and fuzzies without much effort at all.
    4.94 from 43 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 4 hrs
    Total Time 4 hrs 2 mins
    Course Drink
    Cuisine Drink
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 141 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 apples cored and quartered
    • 2 cups fresh cranberries
    • 1 lemon sliced
    • 2 cups unsweetened apple cider
    • 7 cups water
    • 3 cinnamon sticks
    • 2 tablespoon mulling spices
    • honey or maple syrup to taste (optional)

    Instructions
     

    • Pop all of the fruit, along with the apple cider, water, cinnamon sticks and mulling spices (tie these into some cheese cloth so that they are easily removed), into the slow cooker. 
    • Set on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
    • Once cooked, remove the cinnamon sticks, the mulling spices and as much of the fruit as possible
    • Pour the remaining liquid into a blender (I do this in 2 batches), blend, and then pour through a fine mesh sieve (I actually used a nut milk bag), into a clean container
    • Pour the cider back into the slow cooker, and set to keep warm
    • Serve warm, and use some honey or maple syrup to sweeten if required (I usually find you don't need to as the fruit makes it sweet enough). Garnish with some cranberries and apple slices to make it pretty (optional)

    Notes

    Remember to tie the mulling spices into a little square of cheese-cloth to make it easily removable. If you don't have any, that's fine - just be sure to use a super fine mesh sieve to get all the 'bits' out of the cider

    Nutrition

    Calories: 141kcalCarbohydrates: 29.9gProtein: 1.1gFat: 2.1gSaturated Fat: 0.4gSodium: 59mgFiber: 3.5gSugar: 21.1g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Don’t forget to follow Whole Food Bellies on Pinterest for more recipe inspiration! Or if Pinterest isn’t your style, bookmark this post! Let’s keep the conversation going- join my Facebook group! 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kiki Johnson says

      October 14, 2018 at 8:03 am

      This is the perfect drink for the holiday season! Love the reddish hue the apple cider gets from the added cranberries. Makes it look even more festive!

      Reply
    2. Kelly Anthony says

      October 13, 2018 at 11:31 am

      I love this! It's so perfect for the fall, and I'll bet it smells fantastic!

      Reply
    3. Courtrey says

      October 11, 2018 at 6:22 pm

      Great recipe! Can't wait to try this in my Instant Pot!

      Reply
    4. Catherine says

      November 24, 2017 at 10:26 am

      I made this for Thanksgiving yesterday, and it was a huge hit! I was too lazy to blend or strain it...just said it was, “with pulp” cider, and everyone still loved it 😀 So delicious...thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 25, 2017 at 1:08 pm

        Hahaha love the 'cider with pulp' 🙂 You did better than me, I made it and then totally forgot I had it in the slow cooker until later that night when everyone had left! More for me 🙂

        Reply
    5. Megan says

      November 20, 2017 at 6:05 pm

      Looks delicious!! After it’s all cooked down how many servings are there?

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 25, 2017 at 1:10 pm

        Hey Megan, it is about 8 standard servings, although I always serve mine in huge mugs so it ends up being about 4 🙂

        Reply
    6. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says

      November 06, 2017 at 8:37 am

      This looks fabulous. I ca totally see myself making a very batch of this for our Thanksgiving party and I'm sure everyone will love it. I love the festive flavors!

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 18, 2017 at 8:17 am

        Haha love it!! It also adds a great smell to the house, which is always nice when you have guests coming over 🙂

        Reply
    7. Michele Hall says

      November 06, 2017 at 8:03 am

      I love that you are doing this in the slow cooker... its going to make my house smell so wonderful.... A definite added bonus!

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 18, 2017 at 8:18 am

        I know right, the slow cooker is such a handy tool to have around. And you kill two birds with one stone - awesome warm drink and a delicious smell throughout the house!!

        Reply
    8. Amanda says

      November 06, 2017 at 5:04 am

      I love making cider in the slow cooker. It's so convenient for holiday parties, and keeps it just at the right temperature for serving. I love that you've added cranberries to yours! So pretty and festive!

      Reply
    9. Sarah says

      November 05, 2017 at 10:32 am

      I make spiced slow cooker apple cider all the time, but I never thought about adding cranberries! What a great idea!!

      Reply
    10. Leah says

      November 03, 2017 at 8:11 pm

      I can almost smell this through my screen! This sounds delicious and I love the cranberry touch, makes it even more perfect for the holidays! Thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    11. Debbie says

      November 02, 2017 at 9:51 pm

      How long will this keep in the warm crock, and in the fridge? Sounds delicious, can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Donna1 says

        November 03, 2017 at 4:11 pm

        It can keep warm in the crock for a good few hours, I had mine in for about 4 hours after it finished cooking. In the fridge it usually lasts about 4 days or so, but you probably don't want any fresh fruit pieces in there as they may get soggy. Enjoy 🙂

        Reply

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    Hello and welcome, I'm Donna!

    I am so glad you are here!

    Since I have a part-time job, 3 little kids, and a love of good food (as do you I assume), I have learned how to get the most out of the kitchen in the smallest amount of time.

    Forget about hunting down weird ingredients and making trips to specialty shops.

    We are going to make the most of what is available at the store and farmer's markets all whilst enjoying some delicious meals the whole family (hopefully...if you have fussy eaters I guarantee nothing) will enjoy.

    Pop on that apron and let's get creative in the kitchen!

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    Hello and welcome, I'm Donna!

    I am so glad you are here!

    Since I have a part-time job, 3 little kids, and a love of good food (as do you I assume), I have learned how to get the most out of the kitchen in the smallest amount of time.

    Forget about hunting down weird ingredients and making trips to specialty shops.

    We are going to make the most of what is available at the store and farmer's markets all whilst enjoying some delicious meals the whole family (hopefully...if you have fussy eaters I guarantee nothing) will enjoy.

    Pop on that apron and let's get creative in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    Summer Salads

    • Zesty Heirloom Tomato and Nectarine Salad
    • Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe with Passion Fruit Vinaigrette
    • Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad
    • Summer Stone Fruit and Spinach Strawberry Pecan Salad

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