15 Recipes To Make With Apple Cider This Fall

For that big jug of apple cider you just bought.

By
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated November 13, 2023
Sara Bir

A certain crispness in the air brings about craving for apple cider. If you've ever visited an apple orchard in the fall, sipping fresh apple cider is just as vital to the experience as picking the apples themselves.

Easy to make apple cider donuts piled up on in a white bowl with sliced apples by them
Cindy Rahe

There are three kinds of cider, which can make matters confusing if you're shopping for a recipe. Here's a quick guide.

  • Fresh cider is the juice of fresh apples. Usually it's unfiltered and sometimes it's unpasteurized. It needs to be refrigerated.
  • Hard cider is fermented into an alcoholic beverage. It's fizzy. You buy it in cans or bottles. Some are quite sweet, while others are pleasantly dry, almost Champagne-like.
  • Processed cider is nothing but mass-produced apple juice. It's sold on shelves in bottles and keeps for months, if not years. Very occasionally it's carbonated (think Martinelli's Sparkling Cider).

Most of these recipes call for fresh cider. You'll find warming drinks, cozy bakes, and savory entrees. Cider season is fleeting, so get cooking! However, there's a workaround to fresh apple cider's short shelf life: it freezes very well, allowing you months of enjoyment.

  • Apple Cider Glazed Donut Holes

    A hand holding a fork above a bowl of donut glaze, letting the glaze drip from the donut back into the bowl
    Cindy Rahe

    Apple cider goes into the glaze and dough of these sugary, craggy donut holes. You scoop the dough straight into the frying oil, so there's no rolling.

    Get Recipe

  • Roasted Root Vegetables With Cider Vinaigrette

    Cider Roasted Root Vegetables
    Elise Bauer

    Roast root vegetables while you simmer cider down for a warm vinaigrette. Toss the vegetables in the dressing and serve for a lovely symphony of fall flavors.

    Get Recipe

  • Apple Cider Muffins

    A halved apple cider donut muffin on a plate, and in the surroundings, a cup of apple cider vinegar and more muffins stacked on a plate

    Simply Recipes / Sarah Crowder

    Not everyone can get to the orchard to sample the glories of just-fried cider donuts. And what home cook wants to mess with all the oil and spatters of deep-frying? Roll these easy, stir-together muffins in cinnamon sugar and you'll have an autumn ritual at home that's just as satisfying as the "authentic" counterpart.

    Get Recipe

  • Apple Butter

    Cooking apples down to make an apple butter recipe.
    Ciara Kehoe

    This is a sweet and sour apple butter, but if you prefer something with a less sharp flavor profile, sub apple cider for the cider vinegar. This stuff only gets better and better as it ages.

    Get Recipe
    Continue to 5 of 15 below.

  • Chicken Thighs With Cider and Sweet Potatoes

    apple cider braised chicken thighs with sweet potatoes in black cast iron skillet
    Nick Evans

    If you bought a big jug of cider only to discover your household is slow in drinking it, think beyond the glass and pour cider into your dinner. Here, seared chicken thighs and diced sweet potatoes are braised in cider for a sweet and tart fall supper.

    Get Recipe

  • Hot Mulled Cider

    A mug of Hot Mulled Cider garnished with a cinnamon stick
    Elise Bauer

    The aroma of mulled cider warmly welcomes guests before they even take one sip. Mulled cider makes any occasion feel more special, yet it is so simple to make. I like to let mine infuse a slow cooker, then serve it straight from the cooker, which keeps it warm.

    Get Recipe

  • Easy Apple Cake

    A square of easy apple snack cake on a plate with an apple slice
    Alison Conklin

    Making this cake is a simple stir-together affair, but the flavor and mega-moist crumb are a festival of complexity. Diced fresh apples and applesauce go into the batter, while a glaze of reduced cider goes on top of the just-baked cake.

    Get Recipe

  • Slow Cooker Cider Pulled Pork

    Crockpot Pulled Pork on a sandwich bun
    Summer Miller

    This recipe is deeply personal to author Summer Miller, who makes it for the giant outdoor fall bash her family throws every year. The pork is perfect for making ahead and reheating—a rest makes it even more succulent—and it freezes beautifully.

    Get Recipe
    Continue to 9 of 15 below.

  • Apple Cider Hot Toddy

    hot toddy recipe with spices apple cider and bourbon
    Nancy Mitchell

    Cider, spices, and bourbon come together for this apple-fied take on the classic hot toddy. You can swap whiskey for the bourbon, or leave the booze out for a not-toddy.

    Get Recipe

  • Pomegranate Mimosa With Hard Cider

    Glasses of Pomegranate mimosas
    Elana Lepkowski

    Bubbly hard cider stands in for Champagne and pomegranate juice plays the orange juice role in this mimosa. You could use non-alcoholic sparking cider for an alcohol-free drink.

    Get Recipe

  • Cider Glazed Salmon

    Apple Cider Honey Glazed Salmon
    Elise Bauer

    Cook salmon fillets in a skillet with a little cider. The cider reduces and creates the eponymous glaze. Serve with mashed rutabaga for a change of pace from mashed potatoes.

    Get Recipe

  • Chai-Spiced Spiked Cider Punch

    Glass mug with Spiced Brandy and Chai Tea Holiday Punch
    Nancy Mitchell

    Tea punches are a festive and enlivening addition to celebrations. Did you know that party punches predate cocktails? This old-fashioned blend of brandy, cider, and lemon gets a modern twist from the addition of brewed chai.

    Get Recipe
    Continue to 13 of 15 below.

  • Chicken Normandy

    A portion of Chicken Normandy on a dinner plate with green beans
    Elise Bauer

    France's Normandy region is known for apples, plus the brandy and hard cider made from them. A little cream takes the edge off the fresh apples and hard, dry cider that flavor this traditional dish. Hard cider might be hard to come by, so if you like, sub fresh cider and dry white wine.

    Get Recipe

  • Holiday Punch

    A big bowl of Holiday Punch with orange slices floating on top
    Garrett McCord

    Cranberry and orange juice plus cider (hard or fresh) meet cinnamon in this cheerful punch that'll fit right in at most any party.

    Get Recipe

  • Sauerkraut With Bacon and Apples

    A plate with a pork chop and a side of sauerkraut with bacon and apples
    Elise Bauer

    Use two cups of apple cider as the cooking liquid for this bacon-laced sauerkraut. Serve it with pork chops or pork roast.

    Get Recipe