Cranberry Apple Cider Recipe: A Great Holiday Drink!

December 7, 2021 by Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CN

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As the weather changes in the fall and winter months, we begin to look for warming and comforting foods and beverages. My cranberry apple cider recipe is the perfect drink to sip on during those cold nights. It’s packed with antioxidants and serves as a great alternative to mulled wine yet packs more flavor than simple apple cider. Try it out — it’s easy to prepare and undeniably delicious.

The Perfect Fall to Winter Drink

What makes the perfect fall to winter drink? It’s a drink that makes you feel warm, at ease and fulfilled. It also contains warming spices, like cinnamon, cardamon, ginger and clove. That’s exactly what I added to my cranberry apple cider.

It’s made with a combination of apples, cranberries, oranges, maple syrup and these warming, antioxidant spices. It’s easy to drink, but that’s okay because it’s full of free radical-fighting antioxidants and works to improve your health.

So next time you’re looking for the perfect cold weather drink to enjoy, opt for making your own cranberry apple cider. Not only does it make you feel good in the moment, it has long-term health benefits that will keep you energized and healthy for the coming months too.

Have with a caramel apple, apple galette, apple crisp, apple fritters or apple cinnamon muffins.

Key Ingredients

Here are some of the top health benefits associated with the ingredients in this cranberry apple cider recipe:

Apples: Apple nutrition contains fiber, vitamin C, potassium and vitamin K. Apples are also an excellent source of strong antioxidants (like quercetin and catechin) that can help to fight free radical damage and signs of early aging.

Cranberries: Did you know that cranberries are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants? Like apples, eating cranberries can help to fight inflammation and reduce your risk of heart disease. Plus, cranberries can work to help prevent urinary tract infections because the antioxidants found in the fruit can change the bacteria so they don’t stick to the urinary tract.

Orange: Oranges are a great source of vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin B6. Eating oranges or adding fresh orange juice to your water, smoothies or homemade beverages can help to strengthen your immune system, increase your energy levels, aid digestion and boost circulation.

Cinnamon: Like so many of the ingredients in this cranberry apple cider recipe, cinnamon is also packed with disease-fighting antioxidants. Consuming cinnamon (and using cinnamon oil) helps to fight infections, strengthen your immune system, reduce inflammation and even fight diabetes.

Ginger: Did you know that there are 115 different chemical components found in ginger root? Ginger has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which contributes to the many ginger health benefits that you receive when cooking and baking with ginger.

Cranberry apple cider ingredients - Dr. Axe

How to Make Cranberry Apple Cider

To begin preparing your cranberry apple cider, start chopping the fruit into wedges. You’ll need six Granny Smith apples, six Honeycrisp apples and two oranges.

Place the fruit wedges into a large pot and add a 10-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries.

Next, add 3½ quarts of water to the pot. Now add in your spices: ½ teaspoon whole clove, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon cardamom and ½ teaspoon allspice.

Next, place four cinnamon sticks into the pot, ½ cup maple syrup … and one sprig of rosemary.

Now that all of your ingredients have been added to the pot, you’ll bring it to a boil and let it simmer on low for one hour.

Once time is up, with a potato masher, crush the fruit in order to release the juices. This will make your cranberry apple cider super flavorful.

After mashing the fruit, let it simmer for another hour and let it cool. Now it’s time to strain your cider.

Using a cheesecloth, strain out the fruit fibers and herbs so you only have the liquid left.

And just like that, your cranberry apple cider is ready! Store it in a sealable container and you can store it in your refrigerator for about one week.

Reheat your cider before drinking or serving it. I hope you enjoy this comforting and warming cranberry apple cider.