Best Instant Pot Hot Apple Cider

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This tasty instant pot apple cider is so easy to make in your pressure cooker! Homemade apple cider is made with green and red apples, an orange, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. This is one of the many tasty instant pot apple dessert recipes we have shared!

I love drinking apple cider in the fall and winter months. There is something about the warm drink made with fall’s favorite fruit that warms your soul and brings a sense of joy. It’s even better when you make it from scratch in your own home because it makes your kitchen smell amazing. 

Of course, I knew I needed to create this recipe in my instant pot because it makes everything easier (make sure you try instant pot iced tea and Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes, too)! This instant pot apple cider recipe is ready in under an hour from start to finish. You can set it on the keep warm setting after cooking it and serve it directly from the pot at a party. 

Or you can refrigerate it and enjoy homemade apple cider for over a week – if it lasts that long. My girls were my official taste testers and they approved!

We love our apple recipes around here! Make sure you check out these other tasty apple recipes:

• Instant Pot Apple Butter
• Instant Pot Applesauce
• Instant Pot Apple Dumplings
• Instant Pot Apple Crisp
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies

Apple cider ingredients

Homemade apple cider is very forgiving. You can add extra flavors you like but the basis is lots of apples, citrus, water, sweetener, and warming spices.

• Apples: We like to use a combination of green apples and sweet red apples (like gala or honey crisp)
• Oranges: We recommend peeling your orange as the peel adds bitterness to the apple cider
• Cinnamon Sticks: whole cinnamon sticks are best for apple cider, but they can be substituted for grated cinnamon, if needed.
• Water: Water is the base of your apple cider. Make sure it is at least covering your apples and oranges in the pot.
• Cloves: Another great warming spice. We used ground cloves, but whole cloves also work well.
• Brown sugar: This is our favorite way to sweeten apple cider, but you can also use maple syrup, granulated sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

How to make instant pot apple cider?

• Start by cutting your apples in quarters
• Remove the peel of the orange and quarter it.
• Add the apples, orange, cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, and cloves to your instant pot.
• Cover the fruit with water.
• Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
• Remove the lid and mash up the fruit using a potato masher to release any extra juices.
• Bring the cider back to a simmer using the sauté function and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes.
• Strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve to separate any solids. (Cheesecloth can also be used)
• Whisk in the brown sugar until dissolved.
• Serve warm or chill and serve.

What kind of apples for apple cider?

I love using a combination of tart Granny Smith apples and sweet gala apples in my apple cider. However, you can use any variety of apples that you have on hand. Keep in mind that if you use only tart apples, you may need to add more sweetener at the end.

This is easy enough to do simply by taste testing it and slowly mixing in more sweetener until you reach the desired sweetness. We love using brown sugar to sweeten our apple cider, but you could use maple syrup or a sugar substitute like Splenda.

What is the difference between apple cider and apple juice?

Apple cider is an unfiltered apple juice often made with the addition of warming spices and citrus. Apple juice is made only from apples and is filtered and pasteurized to preserve freshness. 

How long does apple cider stay fresh?

Apple cider will stay fresh in your refrigerator up to 10 days. Any longer than that and you will want to plan on making a fresh batch.

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