How to Make Instant Pot Apple Cider Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make cider with just cooking apples? ›

They could be cookers, eaters or a blend of many different types. In an ideal world, cider apples would be best but again any type of apple is capable of making you a nice, real home made cider!

The process for making apple cider and spiced apple cider is the same. The main difference is that spiced apple cider is, well, spiced! It typically has been infused with flavors of different warm spices (like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg) versus regular apple cider which gets its flavor solely from the apples.

As a general rule you will need in the region of 9 kg (20 lbs) of apples to produce 4.5 litres (1 gallon) of juice. Before you start it's a good idea to try and secure a good mix of different apples.

The apple varieties that we generally find in stores and that are used for the making of modern-style ciders include McIntosh, Golden and Red Delicious, Goldrush, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Idared, Jonagold, Granny Smith, Gala, and Fuji.

It take about 3-6 medium sized pressed apples to make an 8 oz cup of cider.

In order to remove any unwanted muck, insects and harmful bacteria that could potentially harm and affect the cider, the apples should be washed thoroughly. Washing apples may be best done outside using a large bucket, tub, anything big enough to hold your apples. Fill your vessel with water soak and wash the apples.

Rather than letting them go to waste, thoughts turn to making cider at home. Once you've done it and tasted your own cider, you'll want to make it again and again. It really is such a simple thing to make. And as well as being lovely to drink in the summer, it's great for mulled cider and casseroles in the winter.

Fresh apple cider doesn't contain alcohol. It's possible for unpasteurized cider to ferment over time and become alcoholic, creating hard apple cider. If you don't want your cider to become alcoholic, then it's best to drink it within two weeks of making it.

As it's not filtered, the drink does keep some of its pectin content. Pectin is a soluble fiber that can keep you regular. Apple cider can also help to relax your intestines, which can help create a healthier digestive system and alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Cider contains more of apples' polyphenol compounds than clear commercial apple juice. Fresh cider from cider apples may contain from two to four times the amount of these healthful compounds compared to clear commercial apple juice because of the apple varieties used and the extra processing to make clear juice.

Is apple cider high in sugar? ›

The fruit used to make cider is naturally high in sugar, which is why cider is higher in sugar than beer. As part of the brewing process, yeast is added to the juice to begin fermentation. The method used in the fermentation process generally dictates how much sugar is in the cider.

If you are relying on the wild yeasts which naturally occur in apples, it may take one or two weeks for the fermentation to get under way. If there is still no fermentation after 2 weeks, add a cultured yeast, such as Vigo Presses cider yeast, which is a high quality cider yeast widely used by commercial producers.

To the cider add 1lb. of sugar per gallon for a dry hard cider (not sweet) or 1 1/2 lbs. for a sweet drink. Honey can be substituted for sugar on a pound per pound basis.

The reason Campden tablets are called for in a cider recipe before adding yeast is to destroy any trace amounts of mold spores or bacteria that may be in the juice. Any small amounts can multiply into a full-blown spoilage if the yeast doesn't happen to grow and take over the juice first.

Director of Chef Walters Cooking School

A gallon of apple cider is made from approximately one-third of a bushel, or 36 apples. Composed of these fruits and nothing else, apple cider has no cholesterol and is a good source of potassium and iron.

In my experience, a decent yield is 100 lbs of apples to make 5 gallons.

Basic Hard Apple Cider recipe

Approximately 20 pounds of apples for each gallon of juice. (Depending on how much juice is in apples and how they are processed.

I recommend planning for 2 cups of cider per person, but you can always make a bit extra and store the remainder in your fridge for up to three days. P.S. If you're left with too much cider to drink, try turning it into pie or donuts.