Instant Pot Apple Cider
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This homemade Instant Pot apple cider is such a delicious drink recipe! It’s an easy sweet treat for the holidays or any time of year. Gluten-free, vegan
In the fall, one of my family’s favorite indulgences is apple cider. I love learning how to make things myself that people usually buy at the store, so when I discovered that I could make homemade apple cider quickly and easily in the Instant Pot, I knew I had to try it.
The flavor in this cider is beyond anything I’ve ever tasted in store-bought cider. Where I live in Massachusetts, a half gallon of plain, high-quality apple cider at the grocery store usually costs between $3 and $4. This homemade batch cost me $3.39 to make using discounted apples, and I was able to also include the additions of orange, cinnamon, ginger, and star anise to make a mulled cider. These extras give this drink the perfect flavor for the holidays.
This homemade Instant Pot apple cider is a bit lighter than the store-bought version, so it’s more refreshing. This batch yields a half gallon, which is about the maximum I can make in my 6 quart Instant Pot. If you have the 8 quart pot, you could increase the proportions a bit to make a bigger batch. It’s wonderful to have on hand for holiday entertaining.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, try my Crock Pot mulled cider for another delicious holiday drink.
Instant Pot Apple Cider
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 apples cored and cut in half (2 ½ to 3 lbs)
- 1 small orange peeled and quartered
- 6 cups water or to just cover
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 pieces star anise optional
Instructions
- Remove the cores from the apples and cut them in half. Peel the orange and break it into sections.
- Place the apples and orange in the Instant Pot. Add the water, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and star anise. Cover the pot and turn the knob to Sealing. Set the pot to Manual for a 15 minute cook time at high pressure. (Note: It may take up to 30 minutes to come to pressure.)
- After the 15 minute cook time is complete, let the pot come to a natural release for at least 15 minutes. At that point, you can release the remaining pressure. Mash the fruit with a potato masher, then strain the cider through a fine mesh sieve.
- Serve warm or cold. Store in the refrigerator.
Approximate Nutrition Info
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Instant Pot Apple Cider Price Breakdown
This recipe costs a total of $3.39 to make using discounted apples from the reduced produce cart at my grocery store. This comes out to $.42 per one cup serving. Try this Instant Pot apple cider for a delicious, refreshing homemade drink for fall and the holiday season.
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Great recipe. I did not add the orange and had powder cinnamon. Still great tips
Thank you, this was delicious! I used ¼ c. brown sugar since I had no maple syrup and also added cloves. The ginger gave it such a nice kick.
what an easy way to make cider.we went for apple picking and ended up getting 10lbs of apples .we are not big fan of apple and we happened to drink cider at farm it was delicious so i wanted to use some apples to make cider.my question is how many days can we store it??
Cider will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. You can also freeze it if you have extra.
I made this recipe tonight, but it wasn’t very strong.. maybe I added too much water? Can I reduce it in a pot to concentrate the flavour?
I haven’t tried reducing it in a pot, but that should help. You may want to simmer it with a cinnamon stick to add extra flavor if it’s too mild.
How many cups does this recipe make please
Donna, it yields about 8 cups of cider.
Thank- you so that means I can double the recipe
Yes, as long as your Instant Pot is big enough to accommodate the extra volume. Check your owner’s manual to see how much you can fit in your model.
Are you kidding me?? This is fantastic. I decided to brine my turkey in a recipe that required apple cider. Silly me, thought it said apple cider vinegar, so late Monday night, when I realized it used just cider, I decided to attempt to make some. But I didn’t have a few hrs, thank goodness for the instant pot (it’s my best friend so much so, I bought a second on Black Friday). So, I had made a double batch of this on Monday. I have 6 in my home and by Tuesday morning the kids were asking where it went, um they drank it! I only got a few sips. Flash forward to Saturday and my teen daughter is making it now (3rd time this week).
I did make a change. We never have maple syrup so I have substituted both honey and brown sugar and we used red, Granny Smith and gala apples. Thank you for this!
So glad everyone is enjoying it! Thanks for letting me know. There’s nothing like a good batch of apple cider this time of year.
Have you ever made this with just apples? I’m not a spice person, but I love apple cider!
I haven’t, but I’m sure it would be delicious that way. Let me know if you try it.
I just got an Instant Pot and I am loving the heck out of it! My husband and I drink LOTS of mulled apple cider in the fall. I’ve always used store bought cider when I make mulled cider, but you are right — it’s expensive! Now that I know making it with fresh apples is so simple, I’m going to be trying this.
I’ve been looking for this! I just got an Instant Pot and I LOVE this. The flavor sounds spot on.
I have use my Instant Pot for lots of things but never thought of using it to make cider. What an easy way to do it and I bet the smell throughout the house is lovely.
Ooooh I bet that this makes your home smell amazing while it’s cooking up! I love a hot apple cider. Yum!
Oh gosh, I really like the mixture of spices that you have incorporated here, along with the orange! Now that will be perfect for the cold winter days coming up!