In this episode of In The Kitchen With Matt, I will show you how to make apple cider from scratch. This homemade apple cider recipe is super easy to make and a great drink to make if you have a bunch of leftover apples you are not going to eat.

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Follow the easy steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both! :)

Supplies

Ingredients:(Note this is for a large stock pot or dutch oven or Crock Pot, the ingredients will need to be reduced for a smaller pot)

10 to 12 apples, I like to use a variety of them. But you can use all the same kinds.
2 oranges
8 to 10 cups of water, enough to get to the same level as the fruit
4 to 5 fresh cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg (1g)
1 Tbsp of whole cloves
1 Tbsp of red hots
1 cup of brown sugar (can easily be substituted with other sweeteners)

Tools/Equipment:

Large Dutch Oven, Stock Pot, or Slow cooker
Knife
Apple corer, optional
Long spoon
Fine mesh strainer
Cheesecloth, optional but works great
Ladle

Step 1: Rinse, Rinse, Rinse

Rinse both the apples and the oranges. You can use whatever variety of apples that you want or a combination of several of them. I like to use Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Fuji, and Gala apples.

The oranges I use are Navel, but you can use whatever oranges you want, or just leave out the oranges, if you don't want t hint of citrus taste to your homemade cider.

Step 2: Slice

Slice all the apples and oranges and place them into your Dutch oven, Stockpot, or slow cooker. The fruit shouldn't be any higher than an inch from the top of the pot.

Step 3: Water

Now add enough water so it reaches the top of the fruit. I always use filtered water because my tap water is gross.

NOTE: There are several types of cider some that involve adding water and others that result from juicing just the apples without adding extra water. But that method takes a heap ton of apples to make. I prefer this method. Also, there are fermented and unfermented cider, alcoholic as a result of the fermentation (Hard Cider), and non-alcoholic. This cider is non-alcoholic and perfect for the whole family.

Step 4: Spices and Sweetener

Now add all the spices, the brown sugar, and the cinnamon sticks. I like adding the red hots because it helps with the flavor and color of the resulting cider, but those are optional. If you don't have whole cinnamon sticks, just use a half teaspoon to a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Don't have whole cloves? Use 1/4 tsp of ground gloves.

NOTE: I add brown sugar at this stage. But you can wait and add the sweetener later when the cider is almost done. Especially if you want to use something other than sugar, like honey, stevia, monk fruit, agave nectar, etc.

Step 5: Bring to a Boil

Set the burner to high heat and cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Once you have it boiling turn the heat to medium and let it cook for 45 minutes.

Step 6: Mash Heat Mash

After 45 minutes remove the lid and then use a potato masher and mash the fruit really well. Then turn the heat to between low and medium-low heat, replace the lid, and cook for 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Remove the lid and give it one more mash with the potato masher. Allow the cider to cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

There you go, it is ready to be strained.

Step 7: Strain That Cider

Time to strain the cider. I like to use both a cheesecloth and a strainer for this. Sometimes I do just use the mesh strainer and not the cheesecloth, however.

Use a ladle and scoop some cider mush into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. The amount will vary depending on large your mesh strainer is. Then bring the sides of the cheesecloth together and let the cider drain into a large bowl or pitcher.

Use clean hands and squeeze the cider out of the cheesecloth, if it is still too hot, use the back of the ladle to press the filled cheesecloth against the strainer, which will release more cider. There are several methods for straining the cider from the pulp/mush.

Then you will be left with the yummy cider in the large bowl. Give it a taste and sweeten it more as desired. At this point, if you didn't use brown sugar, most likely you will want to use some sort of sweetener.

Step 8: Serve That Cider

Time to serve the cider. Ladle some into a mug, then put a cinnamon stick in it and drink. So yummy!

You can also drink it chilled if you like. Store it in the fridge for up to a week. After that, the flavor will start to change and it will even start to ferment, creating an alcoholic cider.

Print the homemade apple cider recipe here if you want.