Halloween is here! And there’s no better way to ring in the festivities than with a nice mug of this wonderfully flavorful Pumpkin Spice Cider!
It’s great for the kids, comfort for the grown-ups and fuel for the ghouls! (Man, I’m starting to sound like Martha Stewart with these descriptions, no?)It’s also perfect to have on a chilly evening in front of a crackling fire, on Thanksgiving or Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa!
Of course the best part is that this takes NO EFFORT to make at all, is all done in one pot (how witch’s cauldron of me) and saves any stove time/heat courtesy of the Instant Pot!
Here’s How I Made It!:
Begin by taking a little butter…
…and melting it in the Instant Pot.
Then add in some brown sugar and combine with the butter.
Add in some water…
…some canned pumpkin purée….
…and stir nicely until smooth.
Spice it up with some pumpkin pie spice…
…ground nutmeg…
…and orange extract.
Give it all a good stir and het for a few minutes until in an applesauce-like consistency.
Next, let’s add in some apple cider…
…and, you guessed it, stir again so everything is combined.
Then we’ll take some whole (not ground) cloves…
…and add it to a sieve-like bag and then add it to the cider in the pot.Kitchen MacGuyver Hack!: I actually used a teabag by cutting the bottom open, discarding the tea leaves, filling it with the cloves and tying it with the string that’s already attached to the bag. You don’t have to do this, but it makes getting them out much easier when done!
You’ll also toss in some cinnamon sticks.
Give it all a final stir, secure the lid and cook at high pressure.
When done, remove the bag of cloves…
…grab your favorite mug…
…and spoon yourself a loving cup.
If you want to make it all ridiculous and fun, add some whipped cream…
…caramel sundae sauce…
…and a little more pumpkin pie spice to top it off.
Oh yes, and one of the cooked cinnamon sticks of course.
Now go ahead and pig out. A pumpkin a day keeps the doctor away!
Enjoy!
Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Cider
The divide on pumpkin-spiced drinks is real. But enjoying it as a cider in a huge mug on a cold day (and maybe with a few drops of bourbon) is something I can get behind.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of salted butter
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup of canned pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (plus more for optional topping when serving)
- 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
- 1 tsp of orange extract
- 6 cups of apple cider
- 15-20 cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- Whipped cream, for optional topping when serving
- Caramel sundae sauce, for optional topping when serving
Instructions
- Hit “Sauté” on the Instant Pot and Adjust to the “High” or “More” setting. Add in the butter and once melted, add the brown sugar, canned pumpkin purée, water, pumpkin spice, nutmeg and orange extract. Stir for a few minutes until a thick, applesauce-like consistency
- Add the apple cider, cinnamon sticks and cloves (easiest to put them in a little tea bag like the tip/hack I demonstrate in the video) and stirring to combine and deglazing (scraping) the bottom of the pot.
- Secure the lid and hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” High Pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release when done.
- Remove the cloves and transfer to mugs. Top with whipped cream, caramel and more pumpkin pie spice if desired (and maybe even sneak in a little rum or bourbon)!
- Enjoy!
Jeffrey's Tips
Use some whipped cream, caramel sundae syrup and a pinch of pumpkin pie spice for a lovely nice topping!
You can use pumpkin pie extract in place of the orange extract but I like it with the orange – it really adds a lovely light citrus flavor to play in the background!
Want to make it for the adults? Sneak in a little rum or bourbon while the kids are out toilet papering/shaving creaming someone’s house.
Leave a Reply