Happy Holidays! Presenting my instant pot plum cider with mulled spices and fruits & berries. Instant pot makes everything so easy and hands-free.
Plum cider is a cousin of apple cider. It has apple juice, cranberry juice, pomegranate, blueberries, and mulled spices. Molasses and maple syrup add sweetness to this winter-ey drink. If you like a spiked version, mix in some red wine and rum and leave it in the instant pot in “keep warm” mode. Strain and serve after an hour. I prefer not to cook my alcohol at high heat or pressure cook.
If you have ever been to those quaint European towns and winter markets, you must know the variety of winter drinks they serve. While hot chocolate is still my favorite, I tried a few of spiced non-alcoholic beverages during my last holiday trip. The mulled fruity cider was full bodied and has loads of flavors from spices, fruits, juice and mulled spices. I always wanted to recreate something similar.
The trick is to add some molasses or brown sugar to your cider drink and it gives a nice sweetness that balances the fruity tartness really well.
This plum cider is made in the instant pot. Just like you make mulled wine, you can make this amazing drink. I love this, particularly, because it’s mulled. Being an Indian, I have love for spices. And this sweet, spiced drink with a hint of ginger blown my mind away. The best part is we are not making an alcoholic beverage. We can always add alcohol later and serve mulled spiked plum cider.
How To Make Plum Cider?
Ingredients:
½ gallon apple juice (store-bought), ½ gallon plum juice (homemade unfiltered), 8 plums, cored and sliced, 4 cups of cranberry juice (store-bought), ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 2 tablespoon mulled spices (clove, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, and dried ginger), ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder, ¼ cup orange juice
Spiked version:
2 cups rum, 1 cup red wine
To serve:
Orange slices, Blueberries, Pomegranate seeds, Orange zest, Dried fruits (cranberries and resins)
Instruction To Make Plum Cider:
- Add all the juices, fruits and spices to the inner pot of the instant pot. Stir in sweeteners and mix well.
- Set the instant pot to pressure cook mode, and set the timer for 10-minutes.
- After natural pressure release, open the lid. Use a ladle to smash the fruits, so they release juice. Strain and serve with fresh fruit slices and nuts.
- For a spiked version, add strained plum cider and all the ingredients listed under the spiked version to the instant pot. Set the instant pot to “keep warm” and leave it for 30-minutes.
- After 30-minutes, serve the spiked cider with fresh fruits and berries.
Plum Cider (Instant Pot)
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- ½ gallon apple juice, store-bought
- ½ gallon plum juice, homemade unfiltered
- 8 plums, cored and sliced
- 4 cups of cranberry juice, store-bought
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon mulled spices, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, and dried ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder, Optional
- ¼ cup orange juice
Spiked Version
- 2 cups rum
- 1 cup red wine
To Serve
- Orange slices
- Blueberries
- Pomegranate seeds
- Orange zest
- Dried fruits, cranberries and resins
Instructions
- Add all the juices, fruits, and spices to the inner pot of the instant pot. Stir in sweeteners and mix well.
- Set the instant pot to pressure cook mode, and set the timer for 10-minutes.
- After natural pressure release, open the lid. Use a ladle to smash the fruits, so they release juice. Strain and serve with fresh fruit slices and nuts.
- For a spiked version, add strained plum cider and all the ingredients listed under the spiked version to the instant pot. Set the instant pot to “keep warm” and leave it for 30-minutes.
- After 30-minutes, serve the spiked cider with fresh fruits and berries.
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