What could be more festive than a warming mulled drink? Mulled wine and mulled cider are popular at this time of year, but here is our non-alcoholic version. This Mulled Apple Juice is full of the spices of Christmas and will warm you up after a day of Christmas shopping. This spiced apple juice is perfect for serving up at a party!
As soon as Halloween is over with, we are ready to embrace all things festive. Christmas is, of course, all about the delicious food, but let's not forget about the festive drinks that are on offer too.
This Mulled Apple Juice is the perfect thing to warm up with when you get back from a hard day of Christmas shopping, or when you want something a bit fancy to have in front of the TV. Just add some honey and winter spices to some apple juice and heat it through for a delicious spiced apple drink.
Looking for some more Christmas drinks? Why not try our Chai Tea Latte, Slow Cooker Mulled Wine or Snowman Hot Chocolate? Or take a look at our collection of 25 of the best Christmas Drinks.
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Why you will love it
- A delicious non alcoholic Christmas drink - It can be easy to overdo it on alcohol at Christmas time. If you don't drink, or you want other options, this mulled apple juice recipe is a delicious way to not drink and not feel like you are missing out.
- Perfect for serving up at a party - Having a Christmas party this year? Serve this hot apple juice as your guests arrive. It will be a lovely way to warm them up as they come in from the cold.
- Only a few ingredients - Just a few simple ingredients, and nothing fancy, go into making this mulled apple juice.
Ingredients needed
- Apple juice - The base of this mulled apple juice. As it is the main ingredient, the quality is important, so try to buy the best one you can.
- Orange - Adds some lovely zestiness. You can swap this for lemon if you prefer.
- Cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg - All the lovely warming spices.
- Honey - Adds some sweetness to the drink. Easily swap for maple syrup or sugar.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Mulled Apple Juice - Step by step
One: Pour the apple juice into a pan and gently squeeze some of the juice from the orange quarters into the pan. Add the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods.
Two: Stud the orange quarters with the cloves and add to the pan with the honey. Heat through until warm.
Three: Sieve into mugs with a little grated nutmeg on top.
Non alcoholic Christmas drinks
It's hard enough going to a Christmas party and being one of the only sober ones. But, it's even worse when you are just offered some water or Cola whilst everyone is enjoying fancy festive cocktails.
If you are hosting a Christmas party this year, then why not serve this mulled apple juice to your guests that aren't drinking? I can guarantee that they will appreciate it. It's so simple to make and the bonus is that it makes your whole house smell amazing. A drink and an air freshener all in one!
Variations
We have made this as an alternative to mulled cider, but you could use non alcoholic red wine instead of apple juice to make a non alcoholic mulled wine.
Still use honey and all of the same spices, but swap apple juice for alcohol free wine, or a grape juice. If you did want to make a boozy version of this, you could use cider instead of apple juice.
Speaking of alcoholic Christmas drinks, have you tried our Christmas Punch of Slow Cooker Mulled Wine?
FAQs
This is easy to make into a vegan mulled drink - simply swap the honey for maple syrup, or add some brown sugar.
Still want a bit of a buzz from your festive drink? You can use this same recipe for an alcoholic version by making mulled cider instead of mulled apple juice. Make one alcoholic batch and one non alcoholic batch so your guests have some option.
Also, the non alcoholic version is a great base for then adding rum or vodka to.
Yes, if you are making this for a party then you can make it ahead of time, ready for your guests to arrive. Your kitchen will smell amazing when they arrive too. You can just warm it up when they arrive, as it is best served warm.
Yes, and this is ideal if you are making it for a party. Put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours. You can keep it on warm in the slow cooker too.
I would recommend that this is made and drunk on the same day, as it tastes better fresh. However, if you do have leftovers then once it is cooled it can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
More drink recipes
If you’ve tried this Mulled Apple Juice, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Mulled Apple Juice
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) Apple Juice
- 1 Orange - (cut into quarters)
- 12 Cloves
- 2 Cardamon pods - crushed
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 2 Cinnamon sticks
- Ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Pour 500 ml Apple Juice into a pan and gently squeeze some of the juice from 1 Orange quarters into the pan. Add 2 Cinnamon sticks and 2 Cardamon pods.
- Stud 1 Orange quarters with 12 Cloves and add to the pan with 1 tablespoon Honey. Heat through until warm.
- Sieve into mugs with a little Ground nutmeg on top.
Notes
- Don't let the mixture boil, as it needs to simmer gently.
- Make a non alcoholic mulled wine version by swapping the apple juice for non alcoholic red wine or grape juice.
- You can make an alcoholic cider version of this by using cider instead of apple juice.
- Give this drink a healthy boost by using Manuka honey.
- Use this recipe as a base and let your guests add their own rum or vodka, or keep it alcohol free.
Jacqueline
Oh nice idea. On Guy Fawkes night I usually make hit chocolate for my son and husband and mulled wine for the rest of us but I think I'll give this a go this year.
Matej @ CookWeWill
Now this was a great drink! Everyone in my family loved it. And it's super simple to prepare too. Great recipe.
Tayler
We make this for the holidays every year and my whole family LOVES it! Full of spice and delicious!
Katherine
This is a perfect non alcoholic version! Great that the whole family can enjoy it.
Ieva
A delicious drink that kept us warm last night whilst we gathered around the fire with the family, celebrating my nephew's birthday! Will definitely make it all the way through winter!
Jacqueline Debono
This is such a great idea for guests that don't drink alcohol but still want to enjoy the festive flavours! Will keep this in mind for my Christmas party!
urbanremedyasia
This drink is really healthy and tasty. I tried this morning. Thanks for sharing it with us.
lily
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Mulled drinks always make me feel so festive! Loving this non-alcoholic version.
Julie's Notebook
These look gorgeous and truly festive. It's hard to avoid energy drinks these days isn't it? Almost marketed as healthy.
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Oooh, I love hot apple cider type drinks! I might have to make this on Christmas Eve in the crock pot and add some Fireball to it!
I HATE energy drinks. I think they taste like crap, and I don't do well with caffeine anyways, so I don't think I've ever drank a whole energy drink before. People don't realize that feeding their bodies lots of caffeine in coffee + energy drinks can create adrenal fatigue and be really harmful to their health.
whatlauraloves
Ooh this sounds very warming, I like hot drinks during the colder months xxx
Izzy @ She Likes Food
I usually spend most of my time thinking about holiday food but I never think about fun holiday drinks like this one! This cider sounds so warm and comforting :)