These refreshing apple cider slushies combine frozen and fresh spiced apple cider, blended to a smooth icy texture and lightly sweetened with maple syrup. Make them boozy with your favorite spirit or keep them non-alcoholic—either way they’re perfect for fall gatherings.
They deliver crisp apple flavor with warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Simple to make and impossible not to enjoy.
This apple cider slush is an ideal fall drink for both adults and kids. Pick up a jug of fresh apple cider at an orchard, farmers market, or grocery store and keep some on hand for slushies and other recipes.
If you have leftover cider, reduce it into a syrup for baking and desserts. It’s delicious in caramel candies, cheesecakes, cookies, and cookie bars—add depth and concentration to many treats.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fall flavors: One sip evokes an apple orchard: bright apples warmed by spiced cider aromatics. The spice blend—cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice—pairs beautifully with apple.
Refreshing: The slushie balances bright apple notes with cozy spice. As it melts it becomes a refreshing, lightly spiced drink perfect for crisp days.
Great for groups: Make taller single servings or smaller portions to stretch the batch. This recipe doubles easily to serve a crowd.
Ingredients
- Apple cider — fresh pressed (not the filtered apple juice). Use spiced cider if available, or add your own spices if needed.
- Spices — cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice if you’re making your own spiced cider.
- Maple syrup — a touch of natural sweetness; omit if you prefer less sweet.
- Cinnamon sugar — optional, for rimming glasses.
- Alcohol (optional) — 2–3 oz per batch if you want a boozy slush. Dark or spiced rum, bourbon, or vodka all work well.
See the recipe card below for quantities and full details.
Substitutions and Variations
- Do not substitute apple juice for apple cider — the flavor and production differ.
- Add alcohol up to 3 oz per batch. Stir it into the blender or add as a floater on each glass.
- If you don’t have a blender, use a food processor or an ice cream maker in batches.
- No appliances? Make a granita in a shallow metal pan and scrape with a fork as it freezes.
How to Make This Recipe
Start the night before: the cider ice cubes need at least 8–12 hours to freeze solid for the best texture.
One: Freeze 3 cups of apple cider in ice cube trays or freeze flat in zip-top bags.
Two: Wet the rim of each glass with cider or water.
Three: Dip rims in cinnamon sugar and place glasses in the freezer to chill. This helps the slush melt more slowly.
Four: Put the cider ice cubes into a blender.
Hot tip! If you froze cider flat in bags, break it into pieces before blending using a rolling pin or mallet while still sealed.
Five: Add maple syrup and alcohol (if using) to the blender.
Six: Pour in the remaining 2 cups of cold apple cider. Add additional spices now if you didn’t use spiced cider.
Seven: Blend until you reach a smooth, frozen slushie consistency. Keep it slightly thick so it doesn’t melt too fast; add a splash more cider only if needed to finish blending.
Eight: Spoon or carefully pour the slush into chilled glasses and serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- Choose a full-flavored cider with a deep color and natural sediment for best taste — orchards and farmers markets are great sources.
- Shake the cider before pouring and before freezing to reincorporate sediment and flavor.
- Freeze overnight; sugar in cider slows freezing compared to water.
- Chill glasses ahead of time to slow melting and preserve the slush texture.
- Serve immediately after blending for the best consistency.
Recipe FAQs
For best flavor use frozen cider within one year.
Use fresh pressed cider, spiced or unspiced, with a deep color and some sediment. Orchard or farmers market cider tends to be the most flavorful.
Storage
Serve the slushies immediately for the best texture. If they melt, refrigerate any leftovers for up to one week — they’ll taste like concentrated spiced cider.
More Apple Recipes You’ll Love
-
Dutch Caramel Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
-
Apple Danish
-
Apple Galette with Puff Pastry
-
Apple Crumble Tart
Did you make this recipe? Share a photo and rating to let us know how it turned out!
📖 Recipe
Spiced Apple Cider Slushies
Callan Wenner
Equipment
- Ice cube trays or zip-top bags
- Blender
Ingredients
- 5 cups apple cider, spiced, divided
- 2–3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2–3 oz alcohol (optional) — dark or spiced rum, bourbon, or vodka
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rim)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (for rim)
Instructions
- Freeze 3 cups of apple cider in ice cube trays or flat in zip-top bags the day before so they freeze overnight. Keep the remaining cider cold in the refrigerator.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Dip glass rims in cider or water, then into the spiced sugar. Place glasses in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Add the cider ice cubes, maple syrup, remaining 2 cups cold cider, and alcohol (if using) to a blender. Blend until a slushy consistency forms. Keep it slightly thick; add a splash more cider only if needed to finish blending.
- If the cider was frozen in bags, break it into smaller pieces before blending by pounding gently with a rolling pin or mallet while sealed.
- Pour or spoon the slush into chilled glasses and serve immediately.
- Garnish with apple slices and cinnamon sticks if desired.
Notes
If you can’t find spiced cider, add before blending: 1 tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ tsp allspice, and ¼ tsp nutmeg to taste.
Tips:
- Shake the cider before pouring and freezing to redistribute sediment and flavor.
- Freeze glasses ahead of time to slow melting.
- Serve slushies immediately after blending for best texture.
- To make only individual servings boozy, add alcohol as a floater to each glass instead of blending it into the whole batch.
Nutritional estimate per serving: Calories: 164; Carbs: 36 g; Protein: 0.2 g; Fat: 0.3 g; Sugar: 32 g. Values are estimates and not guaranteed.