Spiced Apple Cherry Cider in a Slow Cooker

This Spice Apple Cherry Cider is a delicious way to warm up this fall. It’s simple to make in the slow cooker and a hit for any autumn celebration.

I love warm, apple cider. It’s like I’m holding a cup full of warm memories when I have it in my hands. Nostalgia runs through me when smell the delicious cooked apples with cinnamon.

Besides the good smells, amazing flavor and warm fuzzies, one of my favorite things about apple cider is all the different variations you can create. Combining apple cider with other fruits, spices and herbs can open up a world of flavors that exist in your little cup. Last year I made Hot Buttered Apple Cider with rum and a few years ago this Apple Cider Mimosa, which are both incredible. However, this year I wanted to make something that was equally delicious but more appropriate for my children. This Spiced Apple Cherry Cider fits the bill! And even better, it’s made in the slower cooker so it’s a true hands off recipe.

Making Spiced Cherry Apple Cider

When it comes to making the Cherry Apple Cider, there’s frankly not much to it. However you will need a large slow cooker. One that can hold at least a gallon of apple cider. I have an older version of this one {HERE} and we’ve had it for years now. I love the new version because the lid on it makes it easier to carry! I might have to update mine to this new version.

Besides the slow cooker you will need a gallon of your favorite apple cider. We live on a street that’s known for it’s fruit farms so we are surrounded by apple, peach, cherry and blueberry growers. So we can grab some delicious apple cider right around the farm block. But, feel free to use the one you love the most whether it is from the grocery store or the a local pumpkin patch.

Adding in the cherries, spice and everything nice

So fall isn’t exactly cherry season and I know that, but you don’t have to worry about using fresh cherries in this Spice Cherry Apple Cider recipe. In fact, I wouldn’t use fresh cherries in this because of seeds. Instead, use frozen cherries. when making the Spice Cherry Apple Cider. Frozen fruits and vegetables are almost always frozen at the perfect time so you will get all the flavor and sweetness of the cherries with none of the seeds. 🙂

In addition to the cherries, this recipe also calls for two oranges. Citrus season in the United States is actually in the winter and since we are entering that season soon, you should be able to get some delicious oranges right now. I kind of love that the Spice Cherry Apple Cider bridges the beautiful fruit from several seasons.

Lastly, the spices that really make this recipe sing include cinnamon, cloves and star anise. They just give it the Spiced Cherry Apple Cider that truly cozy, charming fall flavor.

Tips for making Spiced Cherry Apple Cider

• When you make this, you want to make sure the slow cooker is set on low and only cook it for a couple hours. If you go much over 3 hours or cook on high the cherries will start to truly cook and then they don’t tend to look appetizing. They give the Spiced Cherry Apple Cider it’s beautiful color and beautiful flavor but you might not want to include them in the final served drink.
• Make sure to use cinnamon stick versus ground cinnamon. The ground cinnamon will flavor decently, but it doesn’t dissolve well and the flavor doesn’t seem to permeate throughout the drink as well.
• Feel free to try adding other fruit to this if you want too! Cranberries and pears would also be lovely.
• You can also make this ahead of time and serve it cold. In that case, remove all the fruit, and let the cider come down in temperature before storing. Store it in an airtight pitcher in the refrigerator. Something like this {HERE} would work really well and I love that it’s a glass container. This one {HERE} is really nice too and it says it’s heat resistant so you could add the liquid to it when it’s luke warm.

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope that you love this Spiced Apple Cherry Cider recipe and that you’ll come back again. Find the full, printable recipe below. For more delicious apple recipes, click {HERE}.

Spiced Apple Cherry Cider

This Spice Apple Cherry Cider is a delicious way to warm up this fall. It's simple to make in the slow cooker and a hit for any autumn celebration.

 

Print Pin Rate

Course: Drinks, holiday

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cherry cider, cherry apple cider, fall drink recipes, spice apple cherry cider, spiced apple cider

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Servings: 10 -12 glasses

Author: Rachel

Equipment

• Slow cooker

Ingredients

• 1 gallon apple cider
• 12 oz. frozen dark sweet cherries
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 oranges, sliced
• 1 apple sliced Pink Lady, Fuji or Honey Crisp
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 5 star anise pods
• 8 cloves
• Additional sliced fruit and spices for adding to each individual glass.

Instructions

• Combine apple cider and all the other ingredients in a slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Then set on warm if you're serving later.
• Serve by the glass with fresh fruit slices, a cinnamon stick, a clove and a star anise pod.