Instant Pot Apple Cider

December 19, 2022

Apple Cider is a must for fall. Served hot or cold, this delicious drink is piled with fresh fruit, citrus, and fall spices added to it to make it a perfect spiced treat for a winter night. This is also naturally vegan as well! The wonderful aroma will fill the house with joy.

No need to babysit a pot all day for apple cider. You can easily make this in the Instant Pot and have the same result! Walk away and forget about it. With all the fall apples you buy at the store, you can make up a batch of this apple cider whenever you feel like it. Just walking into my kitchen and smelling those warm spices and apples brought me so much joy. It’s super easy to make this at home. The bottles have additives and preservatives that I don’t like. This recipe might take 15 minutes to make but takes about 45 minutes from start to finish because of the time allowed for the Instant Pot to come under pressure.

How to make Instant Pot Apple Cider

I loved how this came out. You’ll see just how easy it is to make your own warm spiced apple cider in the Instant Pot. Fresh fruit and spices are the way to go with this. (Full ingredient amounts and complete instructions are available in the recipe card down below).

Apples: I used granny smith apples and Honeycrisp to balance both sweet and tart flavors. You can use all tart or all sweet if that’s what you prefer. I’m looking into experimenting with Honeycrisp only! I love sweet apples. You don’t need to remove the skins. It gives extra flavor and tannins to the cider. They’re just going to be strained out at the end anyway.
Citrus: I use one orange and 2 slices of lemon, which together also give a balance of sweetness and tartness. The extra flavor from these fruits helps round out the flavors in the cider.
Cinnamon Sticks and Nutmeg: You can also add star anise to this!
Brown Sugar: You can use another sweetener such as honey or agave, stevia, or a sugar substitute.

Core the apples and cut them in half, then put them into the instant pot. Peel the orange and cut it into quarters, then add it to the instant pot along with the lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Lock the lid and set the vent to sealing. Press the pressure cook button and set the time to 15 minutes on high pressure. After the time is up, set the vent to release and allow a natural release for 20 minutes. Open the pot and mash the fruit with a masher. Strain the liquid through a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Serve hot or cold.

Tips & FAQs

Storage: Store in a covered container for up to 5 days
- Freeze: You can freeze this for up to 5 months.
What types of apples can I use? Granny Smith and another sweeter apple, like Honeycrisp, make a great combination for this cider. You can also use Pink Lady, McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious.
Variations:
- Add in some cranberries before letting the instant pot cook.
- Drizzle with some caramel syrup along the cup before pouring and top with whipped cream.
- Change up the spices by using apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Add more spices such as whole cloves, ginger, or star anise.
- Make it spiked cider by adding 1 cup of rum, brandy, Whisky, or bourbon. Even red wine is good, though you may have to add more than 1 cup.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Servings 6-8 cups

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Total time

45 Min

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