Instant Pot Mulled Cider: A Fast Batch Recipe

Instant Pot mulled cider starts with prepared apple cider, so there are no apples to cook or strain. Warm one gallon of cider with one ounce by weight of whole mulling spices on Sauté Low/Less, keeping the pressure lid off. Then turn off Sauté and let the spices steep. Plan on approximately 35–50 minutes total for about sixteen 8-ounce servings.

Instant Pot Mulled Cider at a Glance

One gallon makes approximately sixteen 8-ounce servings. Larger mugs, refills, or a little evaporation may reduce the number of pours.

Ingredients

• 1 gallon pasteurized or otherwise treated apple cider

• 1 ounce by weight of Olde Tradition Whole Mulling Spice Pieces

• The muslin brewing bag included with the whole spice pieces

• Orange slices or cinnamon sticks for serving, optional

• Honey or maple syrup, optional and to taste

Equipment

An Instant Pot with a Sauté Low/Less setting, a food thermometer, a kitchen scale, and a ladle. Check that the cider and spice bag fit comfortably within your model’s fill guidance.

Instructions

1. Prepare the spices. Weigh one ounce of whole mulling spice pieces. Put them in the muslin bag and secure it so the pieces remain contained.

2. Add the cider. Pour the treated apple cider into the Instant Pot’s inner pot and add the spice bag. Starting with chilled cider may change the time needed to heat the batch.

3. Warm with the lid off. Select Sauté on Low/Less. Keep the pressure lid off, stir occasionally, and heat gently for approximately 15–25 minutes, until the cider is steaming without boiling.  Instant Pot’s Sauté instructions say to keep the lid off during Sauté; check your own model’s controls.

4. Infuse and taste. Turn off Sauté when the cider is hot. Leave the spice bag in the warm cider for approximately 15–20 minutes after heating, tasting a small sample near the end. Remove the bag when the flavor is balanced. If the cider needs more heat before serving, briefly return to Sauté on Low/Less with the lid off and check its temperature.

5. Serve. Taste before offering sweetener. Ladle into mugs and add an orange slice or cinnamon stick if you like. The batch makes approximately sixteen 8-ounce servings.

This method uses Sauté with the pressure lid off; it does not pressure-cook the cider. Allow approximately 35–50 minutes from preparation through steeping. Heating times vary by model and the cider’s starting temperature.

Why Use Whole Spices for a Batch?

Olde Tradition’s guidance is one ounce by weight of whole spice pieces for a gallon of cider. Measuring by weight keeps the quantity clear even though cinnamon chips, cloves, and pieces of orange peel have different sizes. The muslin bag lets you lift the spices out when the cider tastes right, without ladling around floating cloves. For broader guidance on quantities and other drinks, see how to use mulling spices.

Olde Tradition’s Original Blend contains cinnamon chips, cloves, allspice, orange peel, and pure orange oil. Because orange is already part of the blend, extra orange slices are a serving choice, not an essential ingredient. The spice blend has no added sugar, though apple cider contains its own sugars. Taste the finished drink before deciding whether it needs honey or maple syrup.

How to Keep the Cider Pleasantly Spiced

Heating and infusion are separate steps. Warm the cider gently on Sauté Low/Less, then turn off Sauté and let the spices steep in the hot cider for approximately 15–20 minutes. Taste near the end and remove the bag when the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and orange complement the apple flavor.

If the spice flavor is balanced before the cider is hot enough to serve, take out the bag and continue warming gently with the lid off. If you want a stronger flavor after steeping, leave the bag in a little longer and taste again. Avoid a vigorous boil.

For one cup, there is no need to heat an entire gallon. Olde Tradition’s mulling spice tea bags are presented as one bag per hot cup, steeped for 5–7 minutes. Whole pieces are the more straightforward format for measuring the gallon batch in this recipe.

Choosing Cider and Serving Guests

Start with cider you enjoy drinking on its own. For a batch shared with guests, choose pasteurized or otherwise treated cider. The FDA’s juice-safety guidance explains that untreated juice and cider can contain harmful bacteria. Gentle warming for flavor should not be presented as a substitute for buying treated cider. If you pick up cider at an orchard and the label is unclear, ask how it was treated.

Set out mugs, a ladle, and optional garnishes before guests arrive. If you plan to hold the batch hot during service, remove the spice bag first so the flavor does not keep intensifying. Check the cider with a food thermometer: the USDA’s hot-holding guidance calls for 140°F or above. Do not assume an Instant Pot’s Keep Warm function maintains that temperature in your particular setup without checking it.

Prefer to start the drink well before guests arrive? Follow our slow cooker mulled cider for a crowd. It uses the same one-gallon cider and one-ounce spice quantity, with a longer, hands-off heating period.

Olde Tradition is a second-generation family business with roots dating to 1994. You can read more about our family’s spice tradition; for this recipe, the useful choice is simply whether you are preparing a batch with whole pieces or a mug with a tea bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to pressure-cook mulled cider in your Instant Pot?

No. We use Sauté on Low/Less with the pressure lid off to heat prepared cider, then turn off Sauté and let the spices steep for approximately 15–20 minutes. The drink is not pressure-cooked. Follow your own model’s fill and control guidance.

Can you use apple juice instead of apple cider?

Yes. We recommend choosing a juice you enjoy drinking, then tasting it before adding any sweetener. Juice and cider can differ in flavor and texture; our guide to apple juice instead of cider explains what to expect.

Can you use tea bags for a gallon?

For this recipe, we specify one ounce by weight of whole spice pieces so the batch quantity is clear. We present our tea bags for individual cups, at one bag per cup with a 5–7-minute steep. Do not substitute one tea bag for the entire gallon.

Can you make the cider ahead of time?

You can measure the spices and set out the serving supplies ahead. For cider prepared earlier, remove the spice bag and any fruit before storing it. Refrigerate leftovers promptly; the USDA advises refrigerating leftovers within two hours. Reheat the cider before serving rather than treating Keep Warm as a way to heat a cold batch.

How many mugs will you get from one gallon?

We estimate approximately sixteen 8-ounce servings from one gallon. Larger mugs, refills, or a little evaporation may mean fewer pours, so plan extra cider if guests are likely to ask for seconds.

Making a batch or just one mug? Compare our mulling spice formats and choose the one that fits your plans.