This Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is one of my favourite Christmas entertaining shortcuts. Red wine is gently infused with orange, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, with maple syrup for sweetness and a splash of orange gin for an extra festive twist.
It takes just 1 minute to prepare, then the slow cooker does all the work. Even better, it frees up a valuable ring on the hob at Christmas and, once the mulled wine is ready, you can switch the slow cooker to WARM so guests can help themselves.
At Christmas, every bit of cooking space seems to be spoken for. I love being able to put this on before I start sorting everything else, forget about it for a couple of hours and come back to a warm, spiced drink that makes the whole house smell incredible. It's like a bonus festive air freshener.
Recipe update: This recipe was originally published on 10 December 2020 and was fully retested in November 2026 to check the cooking time and ingredient quantities. The original recipe still worked well, but I've expanded the instructions, tips and FAQs.
We also have a delicious mulled cider recipe too.
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Jump to:
- Why You'll Love It
- Recipe Overview
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- What is the Best Wine for Mulled Wine
- How to Make Mulled Wine in a Slow Cooker
- The Ultimate Christmas Hosting Hack
- Can you Make a Bigger Batch?
- How Long Can You Keep Mulled Wine Warm in a Slow Cooker?
- Variations
- Troubleshooting Guide
- What to Serve with Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
- Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
- Dannii's Top Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Festive Drinks
- Recipe
- Feedback
Why You'll Love It
- Just 1 minute prep - Add everything to the slow cooker and let it gently infuse.
- Frees up the hob - One less pan to find space for when Christmas cooking is in full swing.
- Perfect for entertaining - Keep it on the WARM setting and let guests help themselves.
- Only 7 ingredients - Everything is easy to find in the supermarket.
- Easy to make ahead - Make it the day before, chill and gently reheat when needed.
- Easy to scale up - The recipe makes 4 generous servings, but you can double it for a larger gathering if your slow cooker has enough capacity.
- Full of festive flavour - Orange, cinnamon, cloves and star anise make this taste and smell like Christmas.
Recipe Overview
- Prep time: 1 minute
- Cook time: 2 hours
- Serves: 4 generous servings
- Cooking setting: LOW
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Red wine - A fruity, medium to full-bodied red wine works best. Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel are all good choices. You don't need an expensive bottle, as the wine is going to be infused with citrus and spices, but use one that you would be happy to drink.
- Orange gin - Brandy is a more traditional addition to mulled wine, but I love using orange gin. It adds a lovely citrus flavour and makes this version a little different. If you prefer, swap it for brandy.
- Orange - We use the juice and zest of one orange. When removing the zest, try to take just the orange part and leave as much of the bitter white pith behind as possible. Fresh orange slices can then be added to the glasses when serving.
- Maple syrup - This balances the dry red wine and spices without making the drink overly sweet. Honey can also be used if you don't need the recipe to be vegan.
- Cinnamon sticks - Use whole cinnamon sticks rather than ground cinnamon, otherwise the mulled wine can become gritty.
- Star anise and whole cloves - These add lots of warming festive flavour. Both are quite powerful, so you don't need a huge amount.
- Cranberries - Optional, but a few fresh cranberries make a lovely festive garnish.
What is the Best Wine for Mulled Wine
You don't need to buy an expensive bottle of wine for mulled wine. A reasonably priced, fruity red wine is ideal because it needs enough flavour to stand up to the orange and warming spices.
We used a Shiraz Cabernet, but Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel would also work well.
I would avoid anything very delicate, very heavily oaked or particularly sweet. A dry, fruity red gives you a good base and you can then control the sweetness yourself with the maple syrup.
How to Make Mulled Wine in a Slow Cooker
- Prepare the orange. Remove the orange zest in wide strips, trying to leave the bitter white pith behind. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out the juice.
- Fill the slow cooker. Add the red wine, orange gin, maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and star anise.
- Slow cook. Put the lid on and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, or until the wine is hot and fragrant. Slow cookers can vary, so it may need a little longer in some models. You want the wine gently heated rather than boiling.
- Strain and serve. Remove the whole spices and orange zest with a slotted spoon or pass the mulled wine through a sieve. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
Add fresh orange slices and cranberries to heatproof glasses or mugs and ladle in the mulled wine.
The Ultimate Christmas Hosting Hack
This is where I think making mulled wine in the slow cooker really comes into its own.
Christmas dinner already involves enough juggling without finding space for another saucepan. Making mulled wine in the slow cooker means there is nothing on the hob to stir or keep checking, and the slow cooker becomes the serving pot afterwards too.
Once the wine is hot and properly infused, remove the spices and orange zest and switch the slow cooker to its WARM setting. Removing the spices first stops their flavour becoming too strong while the wine sits.
Put heatproof glasses, a ladle and a little bowl of orange slices, cinnamon sticks and cranberries alongside it and guests can serve themselves. That's one less thing for me to do when I'm trying to get everything else onto the table at the same time.
Can you Make a Bigger Batch?
Yes. This recipe makes 4 generous servings from one 750ml bottle of wine.
For approximately 8 servings, use 2 x 750ml bottles of red wine and double the remaining ingredients, provided your slow cooker is large enough. Never fill it beyond the manufacturer's recommended maximum level.
How Long Can You Keep Mulled Wine Warm in a Slow Cooker?
Once the mulled wine has infused for 2 hours (if cooking on high), remove the spices and orange peel and switch the slow cooker to WARM.
Keep it on WARM while you're serving it rather than continuing to cook it on LOW or HIGH.
This is much better than continuing to cook the spices for hours, as cloves and citrus peel can eventually become overpowering or bitter.
If your slow cooker doesn't have a WARM setting, turn it off once the wine is thoroughly hot and reheat gently when needed rather than allowing it to boil.
Variations
Brandy mulled wine - Swap the orange gin for the same amount of brandy for a more traditional flavour.
Sweeter mulled wine - Taste the wine once it has finished cooking and add a little extra maple syrup if needed. It's easier to add sweetness at the end than take it away.
Less sweet - Reduce the maple syrup to suit your taste.
White mulled wine - You can use a dry white wine instead. The finished flavour will be lighter and less rich than red mulled wine.
Extra fruity - Add a small splash of unsweetened cranberry juice. This adds a slightly sharper fruity flavour.
Non-alcoholic - Use a non-alcoholic red wine in place of the regular wine and leave out the gin. You could also make our non-alcoholic mulled apple drink instead.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Mulled wine tastes bitter | Too much white pith on the orange zest, whole orange slices cooked for too long or spices left in for too long | Remove the citrus and spices, then taste. A little extra maple syrup can help balance mild bitterness |
| It tastes too spicy | The spices have infused for too long | Remove the spices immediately and dilute with a little extra red wine if needed |
| It isn't spicy enough | Slow cooker runs cool or it hasn't infused for long enough | Leave it on LOW a little longer before serving |
| It is too sweet | Wine or added juice was sweeter than expected | Add a little extra dry red wine or a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice |
| It tastes gritty | Ground spices were used | Strain through a fine sieve and use whole spices next time |
| It isn't hot after 2 hours | Slow cooker models vary | Continue heating on LOW until thoroughly hot, checking regularly |
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Mulled wine is made for Christmas nibbles. If we are having people over, I like putting out a mixture of savoury and sweet food rather than making anything that needs lots of last-minute attention.
Our Christmas sausage rolls are perfect for a festive buffet, and air fryer camembert is another useful Christmas space-saving recipe because it doesn't take up the oven or hob.
For something sweet, try puff pastry mince pies, Christmas mincemeat flapjacks, Christmas star cookies or healthy christmas cookies.
If you are setting up a Christmas drinks station, you could make slow cooker hot chocolate or Christmas punch alongside the mulled wine so there is plenty of choice.
Make Ahead, Storage and Reheating
Make ahead: This is really useful when you're entertaining. Make the mulled wine following the recipe, then remove all the orange zest and whole spices. Allow it to cool and transfer it to a covered container in the fridge.
The next day, return it to the slow cooker and gently reheat on LOW until hot, then switch to WARM for serving.
I wouldn't leave the ingredients sitting in an unrefrigerated slow cooker overnight ready to turn on the next morning. If you want to get organised on Christmas Eve, measure everything out but keep anything that needs chilling refrigerated until you're ready to cook it.
Store: Once cooled, store leftover mulled wine in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Always remove the spices and orange peel before storing it, otherwise their flavour will continue to intensify.
Reheat: Reheat it gently in the slow cooker on LOW or in a saucepan over a low heat until hot. Avoid boiling it.
Dannii's Top Tips
- Use whole spices, not ground, so the finished wine stays smooth rather than gritty.
- Remove only the orange part of the zest and leave as much white pith behind as possible to prevent bitterness.
- Add fresh orange slices when serving, rather than leaving them to slow cook for hours.
- Put the cloves and star anise in a tea infuser or small muslin spice bag if you want to make removing them really easy.
- Remove the spices and orange zest before switching the slow cooker to WARM for a long period.
- Slow cookers vary, so use the cooking time as a guide and give yours a little longer if the wine isn't properly hot after 2 hours.
- Taste before adding extra maple syrup, as different wines vary in sweetness.
- A splash of cranberry juice is a good way to add a sharper fruity flavour.
- Serve only in mugs or glasses that are suitable for hot drinks.
- Put garnishes beside the slow cooker and let guests add their own orange, cranberries or cinnamon sticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Once it has finished cooking, remove the spices and orange zest and switch the slow cooker to WARM. This is one of the main reasons I love making mulled wine this way when we have people over.
For this recipe, cook the mulled wine on LOW for around 2 hours. Slow cookers vary, so yours may take a little longer to become fully hot.
Yes. If you've bought a bottle of ready-made mulled wine, you can warm it gently in the slow cooker on LOW and then switch to WARM once hot. Because bottled mulled wine is already sweetened and spiced, taste it before adding any additional maple syrup or spices.
Some alcohol can evaporate during heating, but you should not assume that slow cooker mulled wine becomes alcohol-free.u003cbru003eHow much remains depends on factors including the original alcohol content, cooking time, temperature and whether the cooking vessel is covered. This should therefore still be treated as an alcoholic drink. For an alcohol-free option, use non-alcoholic red wine and omit the gin, or try our non-alcoholic mulled apple juice.
Yes. Crock-Pot is a brand of slow cooker, so you can use the same recipe and method.
Glühwein is the German version of mulled wine and is particularly associated with Christmas markets. There are lots of regional recipes and variations.u003cbru003eThis isn't intended to be a strictly traditional German Glühwein recipe, as our version uses maple syrup and orange gin. It's our easy slow cooker twist on festive spiced wine.
More Festive Drinks
If you've tried this slow cooker mulled wine, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 bottle Red wine - (750ml bottle)
- 50 ml (1 ⅔ floz) of Orange gin
- 50 ml (1 ⅔ floz) of Maple syrup
- 1 Orange - (juice and zest only, then sliced)
- 3 Cinnamon sticks
- 5 Cloves
- 3 Star anise
Optional, to serve:
- Fresh orange slices
- Fresh cranberries
- Cinnamon sticks.
Instructions
- Prepare the orange. Remove the orange zest in wide strips, trying to leave the bitter white pith behind. Cut the orange in half and squeeze out the juice.
- Fill the slow cooker. Add the red wine, orange gin, maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and star anise.
- Slow cook. Put the lid on and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 3-4 hours, until the wine is hot and fragrant. Slow cookers can vary, so it may need a little longer in some models. You want the wine gently heated rather than boiling.
- Strain and serve. Remove the whole spices and orange zest with a slotted spoon or pass the mulled wine through a sieve. Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
Recipe Notes
- Use whole spices rather than ground spices to prevent a gritty texture.
- Avoid including the white pith from the orange zest, as it can make the wine bitter.
- Add fresh orange slices when serving rather than slow cooking them.
- Slow cookers vary, so yours may take a little longer than 2 hours to become fully hot.
- Remove the spices before keeping the mulled wine on WARM for an extended period.
- For 8 generous servings, double the recipe, using 2 x 750ml bottles of wine, provided your slow cooker has sufficient capacity.
- Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, with all spices and orange zest removed.
- Reheat gently in the slow cooker or in a saucepan and avoid boiling.
Nutritional Information
Where nutritional information is provided, it is approximate and calculated using online tools. Values can vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, but we endeavour to be as accurate as possible.
All timings are a guide and may vary depending on the ingredients, equipment and, where relevant, the appliance used. Changing the serving size may also affect the time needed.
Rika says
I always make mulled wine for the holidays! I love the idea of using a slow cooker to make it!