Hot ciders are super comforting during cold weather. They’re also a great way to utilize fruit! This hot orange cider is easy to make in the Instant Pot, especially if you have a strainer basket. The addition of black tea bags to this hot orange cider add so much flavor as well!
During the fall season, I typically opt for hot milky drinks, like my masala chai latte or a hot chocolate. However, I also sometimes crave hot fruit drinks like tea or cider. This orange cider recipe calls for cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole allspice in addition to A LOT of oranges. There’s just something so very comforting about the warmth you get from the spices in a hot fruit drink!
Mash!
Even though it takes 9 minutes on the Instant Pot, this orange cider takes a little bit of work during the fruit-mashing part (at least for me). I usually delegate the mashing to my husband because he’s able to squeeze more juices out of the cooked oranges than I can. The strainer basket really does make a difference though.
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
- 7-8 navel oranges
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp whole allspice
- 2-3 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 8 cups water
- 8-10 black tea bags
Instructions
- First, put the brown sugar to the Instant Pot. Then, put the strainer basket in to the pot. Cut your oranges into wedges and place them into the strainer basket along with the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and whole allspice. Add the water. If not all the oranges are submerged in the water, push them down until they are fully covered.
- Follow the Instant Pot guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook, on high, for 9 minutes. After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the Instant Pot guide for quick release and wait until the quick release cycle is complete. Careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid.
- Using the potato masher, squeeze as much juice out the cooked oranges as possible. If you prefer, you can transfer them to a bowl and put another bowl on top to squeeze the juices into the pot. This is optional, but you can save some of the cooked oranges to put in your cup of cider later.
- Add the lemon juice to the orange cider. You can start with just juice from two lemons, but if you want it slightly tangier, add the juice from the last lemon too.
- Steep all the black tea bags in the orange cider for at least 5 minutes. I like using half English breakfast tea and half earl grey tea because the earl grey has bergamot and citrusy notes that work really well with this cider.
- If you opted for saving the cooked oranges, you can add a bit of it in your cup of cider. In the same way tea adds more flavor the longer you steep it, steeping the cooked oranges in the cider will keep adding a bit more orange flavor. If you want it a little sweeter, you can also add another 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Enjoy!
// ON THE SCENE
- Back backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Rad Tile
- Bottom backdrop: Woodville Workshop — Amsterdam
- Props: cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, whole cloves, linen towel