Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider

Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider not only tastes like the Holidays in a cup, but the smell of it cooking sets the scene for a wonderful cheerful day.  Every sip will invite the smiles to keep on smiling. 

Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider

All hale to the slow cooker!  I love this way of cooking and I may have mentioned that a time or two in my other slow cooker recipes, but Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider is the tastiest little treat wrapped in cinnamon sugar and it makes your house smell like those cinnamon infused pine cones that you smell as you go in and out of the stores.  Fresh oranges, cranberries, and zesty cinnamon sticks and anise all blend in to one big slow cooker of cheer.

Hot Apple Cider is the perfect drink as you nestle around a fire or play games with friends and family and is so easy to make.  One of the great things about Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider is you can keep it warming all day and drink it as you please and it still taste delicious if you warm it up the next day.

How do you make hot apple cider?

• Place 1.5 liter Apple Cider into a 5 qt slow cooker.
• Add in: cinnamon sticks, anise stars, orange slices, fresh cranberries, brown sugar and sliced lime.
• Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.
• Just before serving, rim the glasses with juice from an orange slice and dip them into a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Can you use apple juice instead of apple cider?

• Yes!  Apple juice is sweeter than apple cider so if you use apple juice reduce the sugar added to the hot apple cider.

Tips for making this Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider:

• You can use Apple Juice in place of Apple Cider, just cut down on the sugar added.
• Can you add cloves in place of anise?  Yes, both are very good and have different flavors.  Cloves are pungent and a little sweet and bitter, Anise stars have a more licorice flavor.
• Can this Hot Apple Cider be made on the stove top?  Yes!  Just let it simmer, covered on the stove for an hour don’t let it boil.
• I highly recommend rimming your hot apple cider glasses with cinnamon sugar.
• Can you re-heat the hot apple cider in the slow cooker?  Yes!  You can keep the hot apple cider in your slow cooker and store it in your refrigerator if you have room and then take it out and warm it back up, or store it in a glass container, cover, place in the refrigerator and heat back up on the stove in a large stock pot when ready.

Looking for more Slow Cooker Recipes?

• Slow Cooker White Bean Chicken Chili
• The Best Slow Cooker Ribs
• Slow Cooker Beef Tips with Mushrooms
• Slow Cooker Broccoli and Beef

Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Slow Cooker Hot Apple Cider is happiness in a cup. Every sip is bursting with amazing apple and cinnamon flavors.

Print Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 liters of fresh apple cider
• 4-5 anise stars
• 4 orange slices, thinly sliced.
• 3 lime slices, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup fresh cranberries
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• extra orange slices for garnishing.
  For the Glass Rims:
  1 tablespoon cinnamon
  1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1. Place all cider ingredients into a 5 qt slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
2. Run a sliced orange around the rim of each glass. Mix the cinnamon and sugar on a plate and dip the rim of the glass into mixture.
3. Pour hot apple cider into glasses and garnish with an orange slice, cinnamon stick and cranberries (optional).

All images and text ©The Food Cafe.