How to make mulled cider?

Mulled cider is cider gently heated with spices such as cinnamon, cloves and orange peel. Warm hard or sweet cider until steaming — not a hard boil — then taste and adjust sweetness. Using hard cider keeps alcohol in the cup unless you simmer it for a long time. Ready-made bottles also exist.

Updated 2026-10-05

Key facts

Base. Hard cider or fresh sweet cider, depending on whether you want alcohol in the cup.
Heat. Steam until fragrant; avoid a rolling boil that flattens spice aroma. [1]
Spice kit. Cinnamon, cloves, orange zest and warm baking spices are the usual core. [1]

What ingredients and quantities work for a pot?

A practical BBC Good Food–scale batch uses about 1½ litres of dry cider with 400 ml apple juice, 75 g dark brown sugar, pared zest of one orange, 4 whole cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks (broken), 1 tablespoon allspice berries, and optionally a splash of calvados. [1] Scale down for a litre: roughly 1 litre cider, a short pour of apple juice, a spoon or two of sugar or honey, orange slices, 2–3 cinnamon sticks and 4–6 cloves. For a non-alcoholic pot, start from fresh apple cider or juice rather than hard cider — see what sweet cider is. Whether a mulled cup is alcoholic is covered in is mulled cider alcoholic.

How do you make mulled cider on the stove?

Put cider (and juice, if using) in a saucepan with the spices, zest and sugar. [1]
Warm gently 20–30 minutes until steaming and fragrant — do not boil hard. [1]
Taste; adjust sweetness at the end.
Strain into heatproof mugs or a jug. The BBC batch also stirs calvados into the pot (about 7 tbsp for 1½ litres of cider). [1]

Slow-cooker method: combine the same ingredients on low or warm until hot, then strain. Ready-mulled bottles: where to buy mulled cider.

How long does mulled cider keep in the fridge?

Leftover storage and fridge life depend on whether the base was fresh sweet cider or hard cider — follow how long apple cider lasts or hard cider shelf life.

Guide: what is cider. Glossary: hard cider.

Related answers: is mulled cider alcoholic · where to buy mulled cider

Find it on Cider Radar

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Cider, perry, calvados and pommeau are alcoholic drinks. Enjoy responsibly and follow the legal drinking age where you live.

Questions

Can I use a slow cooker?

Yes — keep the setting on low or warm so the cider steams without a hard boil, then strain spices before serving.

Sources

Mulled cider recipe — BBC Good Food