Paraben Free Hot Honey-Cinnamon Apple Cider
Warm, spiced, and deeply comforting, this hot apple cider is the kind of drink that makes a cold evening feel instantly cozier. Fresh apple cider gets gently infused with whole cloves, sliced ginger, and Ceylon cinnamon sticks — a variety prized for its softer, more delicate flavor compared to the common cassia kind — before honey is stirred in to round everything out. Keeping the heat low and never letting the cider boil is the key move here, preserving all that bright, fruity depth rather than cooking it off. For anyone navigating paraben sensitivities, this recipe is a breath of fresh air: every single ingredient is a whole, recognizable food with no synthetic preservatives or additives hiding in the mix. Bottled spiced ciders and flavored drink mixes can be surprisingly tricky territory, which makes brewing your own from scratch the smartest and most satisfying route. A garnish of thin apple slices and a fresh cinnamon stick turns each mug into something that looks as good as it tastes. It's the kind of simple, from-scratch ritual you'll want to repeat all season long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 cups fresh apple cider (not apple juice)
- 2 ceylon cinnamon sticks
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 tbsp honey, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
For serving
- 1 medium apple, cored and thinly sliced, for serving (optional)
- 4 ceylon cinnamon sticks, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the apple cider, Ceylon cinnamon sticks, sliced ginger, and whole cloves in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Warm, stirring occasionally, until the cider just begins to steam and small bubbles form around the edges, about 8–10 minutes — do not let it boil.
- 2
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the honey and ground Ceylon cinnamon. Continue to heat gently for 10 minutes, until the cider is fragrant and the honey is fully dissolved.
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