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Our easy apple cider recipe will have you making this beloved fall beverage at home in no time. Instead of using an apple press, our simple recipe calls for a food processor, colander, and cheesecloth, plus a heavy pot like a Dutch oven to serve as a weight. And the only ingredients needed? Just a whole lot of apples (seven pounds to be exact!). It’s the perfect thing to make after a day of apple picking or when you’ve overloaded your basket at the farmers market. The process takes about 20 minutes of active work, plus four hours or so to drain the juice. Drink it as is, add bourbon for a fall-friendly cocktail, or heat it with spices for a truly fabulous mulled cider. You may just never buy it bottled again.
Brie Goldman
How to Prep Apples for Cider
Wash well: As the apples will be pureed with their skins on, it’s extra important to wash them thoroughly. Working in a few batches, add apples to a colander and rinse under cool running water, rubbing at the skins with your fingers. If you’d like to reduce the amount of pesticides on the surface of apples, try this tip from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Combine 2 cups clean water and 1 teaspoon baking soda in a large bowl, then add apples and soak for 10 to 20 seconds; rinse and dry before using.
Core and slice: Core apples and cut into wedges before pureeing. You can use a round apple cutter or apple corer for this step, or simply employ a sharp chef’s knife.
Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a compound made up of cyanide and sugar. In small doses, amygdalin is completely harmless (so don’t worry if you ingest a few seeds from time to time), but it can be poisonous in extremely large doses, especially when crushed or chewed. For that reason, it’s best to core the apples—and therefore remove the seeds—before pureeing.
Equipment Needed for Homemade Cider
Food processor: Instead of a traditional press, this recipe calls for a food processor to puree the apples until they resemble an uncooked applesauce. Be sure to only fill the bowl of the food processor halfway—it’ll slow the process down if it’s too full.
Colander: Once the apples are pureed, you’ll transfer them to a cheesecloth-lined colander to drain. We suggest using a sturdy colander rather than a fine-mesh strainer for this step because it’ll be holding quite a bit of weight.
Cheesecloth: To keep your cider free of apple pulp, line the colander with a triple layer of cheesecloth. In a pinch, you can use a piece of muslin fabric.
Two large pots: For maximum extraction, weigh down the bundle of pulp with a heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven. You’ll also need a pot (or another large vessel) to capture the cider as it drains.