Honey Mulled Cider Recipe: Stovetop and Slow Cooker

Honey mulled cider is apple cider simmered with cinnamon, star anise, cloves and orange until the kitchen smells like the holidays, then sweetened with raw honey instead of white sugar. It takes 20 minutes on the stove, or you can start it in a slow cooker before guests arrive and let it hold on warm all afternoon.

This is not mulled wine. There's no alcohol in the base recipe, which makes it the drink you can set out for a mixed crowd — kids, designated drivers, grandparents — with a bottle of bourbon on the side for anyone who wants to spike their own mug.

TL;DR: Simmer 8 cups of apple cider with 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 star anise, 6 cloves and sliced orange for 15-20 minutes. Strain, let it sit off the heat for a minute, then stir in 3 tablespoons of raw honey. For a party, do the same thing in a slow cooker on low for 3-4 hours and keep it on warm.

Honey Mulled Cider at a Glance

Yield	8 cups, about 6-8 mugs
Prep time	5 minutes
Simmer time	15-20 minutes
Honey	3 tablespoons, to taste
Best season	October through December
Alcohol	None — spike individual mugs if you want it

Ingredients

• 8 cups (64 oz) apple cider, unfiltered. Cider, not clarified apple juice — the cloudiness carries more of the apple flavor that stands up to the spices.
• 3 tablespoons raw honey, plus more to taste
• 2 cinnamon sticks, plus extra for garnish
• 2 star anise pods
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds, plus extra for garnish
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced (optional, for more heat)
• Pinch of ground nutmeg, for dusting

A gallon jug of cider from a farmers market or grocery store works fine. If you have access to fresh-pressed cider from a local orchard, it will taste noticeably better here than the shelf-stable kind, since there's nothing else in the glass to hide behind.

How to Make Honey Mulled Cider (Stovetop)

Step 1: Combine cider, spices and orange

Pour the cider into a large saucepan — at least 3 quarts, since it needs room to steam without boiling over. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, orange slices and ginger if you're using it.

Step 2: Simmer, don't boil

Heat over medium-low until the cider is steaming, then turn it down until it barely bubbles. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. A full boil drives off the aromatics along with the steam, which is the single most common reason mulled cider tastes thin. Keep the lid on and the heat low.

Step 3: Strain

Pour the cider through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher, or directly into mugs if you're serving right away. Discard the spent spices and orange, or save them to flavor a second, milder batch.

Step 4: Stir in honey off the heat

Let the strained cider sit for about a minute so it drops just below a rolling simmer. Stir in the honey until it dissolves completely. Taste before adding more — raw honey's floral notes come through more clearly in cider that isn't scalding hot, the same reason we let honey ginger tea cool for a minute before sweetening it.

Step 5: Serve

Ladle into mugs, dust with a little nutmeg, and garnish with a fresh cinnamon stick and an orange wheel.

Slow Cooker Version (Best for a Crowd)

For a party where the cider needs to hold hot for hours, skip the stovetop and use a slow cooker instead.

1. Combine all the ingredients except the honey in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours, or on high for 1.5-2 hours, until the kitchen smells like the spices have fully infused.
3. Strain out the solids, or leave them in and let guests dip their own mug past the cinnamon sticks and orange slices — either works for a party.
4. Stir in the honey once the cider is below a simmer (turn the slow cooker to warm first), then keep it on the warm setting so guests can serve themselves for hours without the cider scorching.

Scale the recipe up directly: double everything for a gallon and a half, which fills most 6-quart slow cookers with room to spare.

Variations

Spiked mulled cider. Add 1.5 oz bourbon, spiced rum or apple brandy per mug after straining. Pour the liquor into the mug first, then top with hot cider so the alcohol doesn't cook off over direct heat.

Cranberry mulled cider. Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries to the pot before simmering. They soften and turn the cider a deeper red, and a few burst cranberries make a nice garnish.

Extra spicy. Add a few thin slices of jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne along with the other spices for a cider with real heat behind the sweetness.

Iced mulled cider. Make it as directed, sweeten while it's still warm so the honey dissolves fully, then chill and serve over ice. Good for a warm-weather holiday gathering.

Which Honey to Use

• Raw wildflower honey is what we reach for. It has enough floral character to hold its own against cinnamon and clove without turning the cider one-note sweet. Our raw California wildflower honey is unfiltered and never heated above 95°F, so it keeps that character.
• Clover honey works if you want the spices to lead and the honey to stay in the background — a cleaner, milder sweetness.
• Skip very dark, strongly flavored honeys like buckwheat here; they compete with the cinnamon and clove rather than supporting them.

For a party-size batch, a 64 oz jar of raw honey covers several rounds of the slow-cooker version without running out mid-party.

Storage

• Leftover cider (unsweetened, strained): 5 days refrigerated in a sealed container. Reheat gently and stir in honey fresh, since honey's flavor is best added right before serving.
• Fully mulled, sweetened cider: 3-4 days refrigerated. Reheat on the stove over low heat; avoid the microwave, which can scorch spots before the rest warms through.
• Freezing: Freeze the unsweetened, strained cider in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw, reheat, and sweeten with honey after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make honey mulled cider ahead of time?

Yes. Make the base (cider plus spices, strained) up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Reheat gently on the stove or in the slow cooker and stir in the honey right before serving, so the flavor is fresh rather than dulled from sitting.

What's the difference between mulled cider and mulled wine?

Mulled cider starts with apple cider and has no alcohol unless you add it to individual mugs. Mulled wine starts with red wine and is simmered with similar spices. Mulled cider is the better choice for a gathering that includes kids or anyone who isn't drinking.

Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?

You can, but the drink will taste thinner and sweeter with less depth. Cider is unfiltered and less processed, which is most of what makes mulled cider taste like more than spiced sugar water. If juice is all you have, cut back the honey by half and taste before adding more.

Is honey mulled cider safe for kids?

The base recipe has no alcohol, so it's fine for kids old enough to drink honey — meaning over 12 months. Honey can contain Clostridium botulinum spores that an infant's gut cannot yet handle, so don't give any honey-sweetened drink to a baby under 12 months (CDC). Let it cool to warm, not hot, before handing a mug to a child.

Why did my honey clump or sink instead of dissolving?

The cider probably wasn't warm enough, or the honey went in too thick and cold straight from a jar stored somewhere cool. Warm the honey slightly (a few seconds in the microwave, or set the jar in hot water) if it's very thick, and stir well after adding it.

The Simplest Holiday Drink in the House

Honey mulled cider is one pot, five whole spices, and a jar of honey — no special equipment beyond a strainer. Make it on the stove for a quiet evening or in the slow cooker for a party that needs a drink station that runs itself for hours. Pair a mug with a batch of honey baked apples and it covers dessert too. If you'd rather sip something warm without the fruit, our honey hot toddy is the other side of the same holiday drink cart.

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The honey in this recipe is our own raw California wildflower honey, strained once and never fine-filtered, so it still tastes like the flowers it came from.