This Crock Pot Cranberry Pear Cider is made from scratch in your slow cooker! A festive, warm fall and winter beverage, perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
Do you have Christmas Carols stuck in your head yet? I won’t let myself listen to them until the day after Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t stop them from popping into my head! I am pretty excited for the holidays this year.
Another thing I’m excited about is this Crock Pot Cranberry Pear Cider. I actually thought of this recipe two years ago. I tried it twice but it didn’t turn out great either time, and then I was tired of making it so I put it to the side.
After my last attempt though I figured out what was missing, so when I came back to it this year I knew what needed to be done. The key to making this mulled cider in the crockpot is to be sure to add an orange. I don’t know why the orange makes all the difference, but it does.
This slow cooker Cranberry Pear Cider is also naturally sweetened with maple syrup. The pears give quite a bit of sweetness on their own, so you might not even need the maple syrup. I suggest tasting it first, then adding maple syrup to your desired sweetness. You could also use brown sugar if you don’t want to use maple syrup.
I love how festive this Cranberry Pear Cider is. The cranberries give it a pink hue, and a little bit of a tart flavor – but there is still plenty of sweetness from the pears. This would be great for a fall or winter party, Thanksgiving day, Christmas or just to have waiting for you when you come back from getting your Christmas tree.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pear Cider
Ingredients
- 10 pears quartered
- 1 orange quartered
- 2 cups cranberries
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 16 cloves
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup can sub brown sugar
- 8 cups water
For Garnish (Optional)
- sliced oranges
- sliced pears
- cranberries
- cinnamon sticks
Instructions
- Push the cloves into the orange rind.
- Add pears, orange, cranberries and spices to a large slow cooker/ crock pot. Fill with 8 cups of water.
- Cover and set to low for 4-5 hours.
- About one hour before it is done mash all the ingredients with a whisk or potato masher. Continue to cook for one more hour.
- When finished cooking, strain all solids with a fine mesh sieve. Rinse out slow cooker. Return to strained cider to slow cooker. Pour in the maple syrup and stir to combine (Can add more or less to taste, or use brown sugar instead of maple syrup).
- Garnish with orange and pear slices, cranberries and cinnamon sticks.
Nutrition
Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
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Maddie says
This looks amazing! Where did you get those mugs?
Meghan says
Hi Maddie, thank you! They are from Williams Sonoma.
Lorraine says
Can’t wait to make this! How long can you store it for?
Meghan says
Hi Lorraine – In the fridge it should last about a week.
MaryAnn says
Any other adult beverage to add besides whisky or bourbon? Seems too heavy?
Meghan says
Hi MaryAnn – Yes, I think lots of different things would work well. If you prefer vodka, I’m sure that would be fine!
Shana Lenard says
I made this today and post it to Facebook. It was a big hit with my family.!! It’s delicious! If you want to make it an adults beverage, add bourbon or whiskey. It finishes very well!
Meghan says
Yay! So happy you liked it Shana!
Cheryl says
What about using half pears and half apples? Have you tried that? I am making this for Thanksgiving.
Meghan says
Hi Cheryl – I haven’t tried it, but it sounds super tasty! Let me know how it turns out!
Amy says
Looks great! Wondering what kind of pears you used or suggest using?
Meghan says
Hi Amy – I used a combination of Anjou and Bartlett, but I think any juicy pears would be fine!
amanda says
What do you think about subbing apples for pears?
Meghan says
I think that would totally work!
Natalie Dawn says
If I don’t have a crock pot can it go on the stove in a pan?
Thank you this is such a festive recipe!
Meghan says
Hi Natalie – I think it would work on the stove top! Just keep it on a low simmer until the pears are very tender.
Tami says
i was wondering if you have made this and then froze it? I am in the middle of making 2 batches and my event was cancelled. Thanks!(heads up my ability to capitalize isn’t working)
Meghan says
Hi Tami – I have not frozen it but I think it would be fine! Thanks for letting me know about the caps, I’m working on getting that fixed.