Fall is apple season and it’s the perfect time to cook some Instant Pot apple cider that tastes great, smells amazing, and is full of the spices of the season! You can have this delicious beverage ready fast, with very little time or effort.
And I love the way homemade cider makes my house smell – full of the warm fall smell of apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. It is better than any scented candle.
This pressure cooker recipe is simple with only a few ingredients and a rich warm taste. Take delight in this uniquely fall recipe and make some today!
Why You Will Love this Homemade Apple Cider Recipe
- It is the perfect fall drink.
- Serve it warm, chilled or spiked.
- Using a pressure cooker means it doesn’t take hours to make.
- As the holiday season approaches homemade cider is a great way to bring out the Thanksgiving or Christmas spirit.
- Apple cider is delicious in cooking too, check out my recipes for apple cider beef stew or apple cider turkey brine.
- This recipe is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
What Kind of Apples Should I Use?
Any type will work in cider. I think cider tastes best when you use a variety of apples, combining tart apples like Granny Smith with sweet ones like Cortland.
But if you have a favorite or get a great deal on apples you can just use all one variety. I have seen all Honeycrisp cider in our local store, for example.
Other Ingredients
Oranges – Adding few oranges to the cider is traditional and gives the cider just a bit of a citrusy flavor.
Spices – The cider is flavored with whole spices, including cinnamon sticks, all spice berries, cloves and nutmeg.
Brown sugar – It works best to add the brown sugar after pressure cooking, so you can season it to your tastes. Cider doesn’t usually need much added sugar, because apples are so naturally sweet.
How to Make Apple Cider in the Instant Pot
Note – I made this in a 6 quart pressure cooker and you can make a larger batch if you have an 8 quart model. I’m tempted to buy an 8 quart model just for making cider!
1. Prep
Wash and dry the fruit. Cut the apples into chunks, discarding the core. There is no need to peel the apples. Peel and section the oranges.
Then add all the fruit to the inner pot of the pressure cooker. My fruit went to about the the halfway line on the pot, which is as full as you should fill it.
Add the whole spices to the pressure cooker, pushing them down into the fruit.
Then pour about 8 cups water (2 quarts) into the Instant Pot. Make sure the liquid goes to the halfway mark but don’t go much over that.
2. Pressure Cook
Put the lid on, making sure the sealing ring is in and you have the valve closed. Set the Instant Pot to Manual, high pressure, for 15 minutes. It will take about 10-15 minutes for it to reach pressure.
Once it is done let the pressure release naturally for 10-15 minutes. Then do a quick release and take the lid off.
Fish any big whole spices like cinnamon sticks or nutmeg out of the container. Smaller ones like cloves or allspice can stay in the pressure cooker.
3. Mash
Use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to mash the fruits. This allows the juices from the fruits to be released into the cider.
4. Strain
I like to strain Instant Pot cider twice. First I strain it through a colander into a bowl to remove large things like the remaining spices and peels.
Then I strain it a second time through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, pressing the solids against the strainer to release more of the juices.
You can just go straight to straining it through a mesh strainer, but I find it takes longer in the end because it drains so slowly.
When you are done discard the solids that are left over.
5. Sweeten
Add the brown sugar a few tablespoons at a time and stir until they dissolve. Taste the cider to see if more sweetener is needed.
You can also use maple syrup, honey or a low carb sweetener like Truvia instead of sugar.
How to Serve
You can serve the Instant Pot apple cider warm or cold. If you want to serve it warm put it back in the Instant Pot to make hot apple cider.
Add some apple slices, orange slices or spices like stick cinnamon or star anise to the cider if you like. For a festive holiday beverage add some fresh cranberries to your glass.
You can also spike the cider! A little rum or bourbon will really warm things up. Or try this salted caramel apple cider cocktail.
How to Store
The cider needs to be refrigerated and will keep for 5-7 days. Keep the cider in an airtight container such as a mason jar or a pitcher with a lid.
Whole spices will work much better than powdered spices. Powdered spices don’t dissolve and will settle on the bottom of the pitcher. So use whole spices where ever possible.
Cider is less filtered than juice. It has more pulp in it which makes it darker and thicker.
Homemade cider lasts for about 5 days in the refrigerator. After that it might start to ferment. But it won’t ferment in a good way to make hard cider, you’d have to add yeast and use some home brewing supplies to make that happen. So use it within about 5 days.
Find more Apple Recipes
Instant Pot Apple Cider Recipe
Ingredients
- 8-10 medium apples assorted such as Granny Smith Honeycrisp, Gala or Cortland
- 1-2 oranges peeled and sectioned
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon allspice berries
- 1 whole nutmeg
- Water about 8-10 cups
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar depending on taste
Instructions
- Clean and cut the apples and oranges. I peel the oranges but not the apples.8-10 medium apples assorted such as Granny Smith, 1-2 oranges
- Add the fruit to the Instant Pot. It should fill up to around the mark for halfway.
- Add the whole spices to the Instant Pot. Then add about 2 quarts of water to cover the apples and reach the halfway part of the inner pot. You can go a little over halfway, but don’t overfill.1 tablespoon whole cloves, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon allspice berries, 1 whole nutmeg, Water
- Put the lid on making sure the sealing ring is in place and the valve is shut. Set the pressure cooker on Manual, high pressure, for 15 minutes.
- It will take about 10 minutes for it to reach pressure. Once it finishes cooking let the pressure release naturally for about 15 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure manually.
- Take the lid off and remove the large spices like the cinnamon stick and nutmeg from the pot.
- Mash the fruit with a potato masher or large wooden spoon against the side of the pot.
- Strain the cider. I like to strain it twice, first through a colander into a bowl first to remove spices and large solids like apple peel. Then strain it again through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer, pressing solids against the strainer to release the juice. Discard the solids when you are done.
- Stir in brown sugar to taste, a few tablespoons at a time.1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Serve warm, room temperature or chilled with apple slices and cinnamon stick, if desired.
Notes
- I made this in a 6 quart pressure cooker. You can make a larger batch if you have an 8 quart model.
- You can also sweeten the cider with maple syrup or a low carb sweetener.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
This was so delicious! I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar and it was perfect.
I love apple cider and have never tried it in a pressure cooker, so will be giving it a go!
This is the best spiced cider I’ve ever had. I love that you make it from fresh apples!
Delicious!
Growing up we pressed our own apple cider. I am definitely going to be making your recipe.