Spiced Apple Chai Mulled Cranberry Cider

There are very few fall problems that can't be improved by putting a pot of cider on the stove. It makes the entire house smell good, it’s easy to make for a crowd, and unlike a lot of party drinks, nobody has to stand in the kitchen making them one at a time.

This Spiced Apple Chai Mulled Cranberry Cider takes that idea and uses our Spiced Apple Chai as the mulling spice. Instead of buying a separate packet of cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and other spices, they're already right there in the tea, along with real apple and naturally sweet honeybush. Add apple cider, tart cranberry juice, and fresh orange, and you get a deep ruby-red fall drink that's warm, fruity, and just spiced enough.

It’s also naturally caffeine-free and non-alcoholic, which makes it an easy drink to serve pretty much everyone at a fall gathering. And if someone wants to add a splash of something stronger to their own mug, they can make that decision for themselves.

Can You Really Use Chai as Mulling Spice?

Absolutely, and once you think about what's actually in chai, it makes perfect sense.

Traditional mulled cider is usually warmed with spices like cinnamon, cloves, star anise, ginger, allspice, or nutmeg. Spiced Apple Chai already contains apples, cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and cloves, along with a honeybush base.

Instead of measuring five different spices and then fishing whole cloves out of the pot later, you can put the loose-leaf tea into a large infuser and let it steep directly in the cider.

It's one of my favorite ways to use chai beyond simply making a cup of tea. Tea blends are already carefully balanced combinations of ingredients, and there's no rule saying water has to be the only liquid we steep them in.

Why Add Cranberry to Mulled Apple Cider?

Apple cider on its own is naturally pretty sweet. Cranberry brings the acidity that keeps this drink from becoming heavy, especially after we've warmed it and added all of those cozy spices.

I recommend using 100% cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail if you can find it. Pure cranberry juice is intensely tart, which sounds slightly alarming on its own but is exactly what we want when we're mixing it with sweet apple cider.

If you're using cranberry juice cocktail instead, that's completely fine. Just taste the finished cider before adding any additional sweetener because you may not need it at all.

Cranberry also gives this drink its gorgeous deep red color, which makes it especially nice for everything from October gatherings to Thanksgiving.

Don't Forget the Orange

Orange is doing more than making the pot look pretty.

Fresh orange brings a little brightness to the apple, cranberry, and warming spices. As the orange slices warm in the cider, the peel also releases aromatic oils that work particularly well with cinnamon and cloves.

You don't need a lot. A few thin orange slices are enough to make a noticeable difference without turning this into orange cider.

I also like saving a few fresh slices for the individual mugs. It's an easy garnish, and the fresh orange aroma hits before you even take the first sip.

How Long Should You Mull Cider?

The biggest mistake you can make with mulled cider is assuming that longer automatically means better.

You want enough time for the spices and orange to infuse into the cider, but you don't need to boil everything for an hour. In fact, I don't recommend boiling this at all.

Bring the cider and cranberry juice up to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat before adding the tea. Give the Spiced Apple Chai about 10 minutes to infuse, then remove it. You can leave the orange in a little longer if you'd like.

Once the flavor is where you want it, keep the cider warm over low heat.

This is particularly important when you're using loose-leaf tea as the mulling spice. Even though honeybush is very forgiving, there's no real benefit to leaving the tea sitting in the pot for three hours.

Does Mulled Cranberry Cider Need Added Sugar?

Probably not.

Between the apple cider and the natural sweetness of honeybush, I would make the entire recipe before deciding whether it needs anything else. If you're using sweetened cranberry juice, I especially doubt you'll need additional sugar.

If your cranberry juice is particularly tart and you want to soften it slightly, maple syrup or brown sugar both work well. Start with a tablespoon for the entire batch, stir, taste, and go from there.

The goal isn't to eliminate the tartness from the cranberry. That contrast is what makes this more interesting than regular mulled apple cider.

An Easy Fall Drink for a Crowd

This is one of those recipes that actually gets easier when you make more of it.

You can make the entire batch on the stove and keep it warm over very low heat when people are coming over. A slow cooker also works well, especially if you want to put it out for a party and forget about it.

If you're using a slow cooker, I would still put the Spiced Apple Chai into an infuser or reusable tea bag so you can remove it once the flavor is right. Add the cider, cranberry juice, and orange to the slow cooker, let everything get hot, then steep the chai for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing it.

After that, the cider can stay on the warm setting for serving.

It also makes your house smell like you've been doing considerably more fall-related domestic activities than you actually have, which is a nice bonus.

The Easiest Mulling Spices Might Already Be in Your Tea Cabinet

I love recipes that find another use for something you already have, and chai is basically a ready-made mulling blend hiding in plain sight.

Spiced Apple Chai works particularly well because apple is already part of the tea. The honeybush gives the drink a little natural sweetness, while cinnamon, ginger, star anise, and cloves bring all of the flavors we'd normally add to mulled cider separately.

Then cranberry and orange keep everything bright enough that it doesn't become overly sweet or heavy.

Make a pot for a chilly weekend, put it in the slow cooker for a Halloween party, or save it for Thanksgiving when the kitchen is already busy enough.

And if people walk into your house and immediately tell you how amazing it smells, you are under no obligation to explain that you basically put tea in apple cider.