Honey-Sweetened Carrot Orange Apple Cider with Elderberries

Spice up this year’s cider with this carrot orange apple cider with elderberries! A fun twist on the classic full of fruits, veggies, and spices. You can make this delicious cider in the Instant Pot or on the stove.

Carrot Orange Apple Cider with Elderberries

Juice. Just like with regular apple cider, this one is made with juice as well! Though instead of just apple juice, you’re gonna need a little carrot juice and orange juice too. I have a post on how to make apple juice and carrot juice easily in your blender. It’s really very easy! You can also easily make your own orange juice by just twisting a spoon in an orange that’s been sliced in half.

If there’ some reason you cannot make your own apple, carrot, and orange juices, I would go for organic juice if you’re buying it from the store.

Spices. Cinnamon sticks and whole cloves are an absolute must for apple cider! I love Azure Standard and Frontier Organics Ceylon cinnamon sticks. Please don’t use McCormick’s cinnamon or Sam’s Club, as these are usually cassia and not true cinnamon. Costco’s Kirkland cinnamon is fine, though.

While sticks and whole cloves work best, you can also use ground cinnamon and cloves. Just remember that there will be a fine layer of spice at the bottom of your cider.

Another spice that goes well in apple cider is ginger. You can either put a chunk of ginger in the pot or use a little bit of ground ginger. I don’t always add ginger in my cider, because not all my family likes it. And they all like apple cider without it!

Elderberries. My kids love the flavor of elderberries in their teas, so I figured they’d love it in this cider. And they do! I’m glad to add them in, since elderberries are packed with amino acids, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins A & B and copious amounts of vitamin C. They’re also anti-viral, antibacterial, antioxidant and do wonders for boosting your immune system. And since their bioflavonoids help destroy the ability of cold and flu viruses to infect a cell, that kinda makes this carrot orange apple cider a health drink…. Right?

Sweetener. Honey is my favorite sweetener to use in apple cider! And the complex flavors of honey pair wonderfully with this carrot orange apple cider. If you can’t have honey for some reason, I would suggest trying maple syrup. I suppose stevia would work for a low-carb version, but what’s really the point of that, since apple juice and orange juice aren’t low-carb anyway?

More delicious fall and winter drinks.

Love this carrot orange apple cider and looking for more delicious fall-flavored drinks? I’ve got you covered….

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