How to Make an Apple Cider Slush

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Nothing makes me crave fall more than summer.

When the mercury spikes, the sun is blazing and everyone is at the pool…you can find this ghoul inside listening to spooky music, Halloween shopping online and dreaming of cool fall days wandering apple orchards.

Not that we have cool fall days…or even apple orchards aplenty in south Texas, but that’s beside the point. 😆

We’ve had some record-setting temps this summer in Houston, so I’ve been brewing up cool fall treats to enjoy. One of my favorites is my fall harvest iced tea.

Another one is today’s feature: an apple cider slush.

Keep reading for how to create one at home!

 

 

How to Make an Apple Cider Slush

This isn’t an original idea. I know some of you are lucky enough to be treated to these annually at your local apple orchards. And since we don’t have any in the immediate area in Houston, I decided to figure out how to make one myself.

It’s ridiculously easy, and the hardest part is waiting for the perfect freeze. It’s also the perfect drink to sip while reading some books for The Halloween Book Club – more on that in a minute.

 

We might be in the heat of summer, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to cool off with a favorite fall treat! Here's how to make an apple cider slush that will have you dreaming of chilly fall days at the orchard.

Apple Cider Slush

Dreaming of cool fall days wandering the apple orchard? Make that dream come to life this summer with this easy slush recipe.
Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 10 mins
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Apple Cider Slush

  • 4 cups apple cider
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Rim + Garnish

  • 1 Tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • cinnamon sugar donut
  • apple slices
  • cinnamon stick

Instructions
 

Apple Cider Slush

  • Mix three cups (reserve final cup for later) apple cider, lemon juice and cinnamon in a 9 x 13 pan.
  • Place in freezer for at least one hour. Mixture should not be fully frozen.
  • Remove mixture from freezer and break up gently with a fork. Place chunks in blender, add final cup of liquid apple cider and blend until slushy. You can add more liquid apple cider, if needed.

Cinnamon Sugar Rim + Garnish

  • For cinnamon sugar rim, mix 1 Tbsp cinnamon and 1 Tbsp sugar. Drizzle corn syrup onto a cutting board and gently roll rim of glass through the syrup until coated.
  • Spread cinnamon sugar mixture on cutting board in a line and gently roll rim of glass through mixture until coated. Allow glass to rest upside down on cutting board to prevent drips until garnish dries (5 mins).
  • Pour slush mixture into glass. Add 1-2 apple slices, cinnamon stick and cinnamon sugar donut for garnish.

Notes

You can also freeze your apple cider mixture in ice cube trays or a loaf pan if you don't have a 9 x 13 pan...or room for it in your freezer. The point here is to give the mixture a lot of surface area for a light freeze to avoid needing to add ice and dilute the taste.
I recommend using honey crisp apple juice or cider for this recipe - it is the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

 

 

The key to making a delicious apple cider slush is no ice and a bit of patience. Rather than just throwing ice and apple cider in a blender, hitting a button and calling it a day, I found it works best to boost the flavor of your apple cider with a bit of lemon juice and cinnamon and give it a light freeze before tossing it in the blender.

 

 

I recommend honey crisp apple juice/cider for this recipe…and basically anything you’re making with apple cider. They’re the perfect blend of sweet and tart. They’re also my favorite apples for snacking, and though they’re a bit more expensive than red delicious or granny smith apples…I’m always glad I picked them.

 

 

This was my first recipe using a new trick I’ve picked up for rim garnishes! It got a little drippy, thank you Houston heat, but rolling the rim of my glass in a bit of corn syrup, then a cinnamon-sugar mixture was the perfect addition to this drink.

 

 

To top it all off: a cinnamon sugar donut, fresh honey crisp apple slices and a cinnamon stick!

 

 

This was the perfect summer treat to combine with my love of reading. And just in case you don’t know…I host a year-round Halloween book club! (Complete details here.) We read one book each quarter (March, June, September, December) based around a theme I choose. Book club members make novel recommendations based on the theme, I pick five faves and then we vote to choose our final year.

The book club’s primary home is this Facebook group, but I know not everyone uses Facebook so this summer I launched a sister Instagram account. Join us in both places or wherever you’d prefer to participate. Then keep an eye on my posts for discussion questions, our next read and other tricks and treats readers will love.

 

 

What’s your favorite spooky summer treat?

If you enjoyed this apple cider slush, stay tuned because I have a few more cool treats coming in the next few weeks. You might also enjoy my black lemonade or my Halloween ice scream cake.

 

Happy summerween,

 

 

Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

Miranda is the Houston-based writer, blogger, and Halloween lover behind Spooky Little Halloween, the blog celebrating October 31st all year long. Her favorite Halloween things include pumpkin guts, chocolate bars in her trick-or-treat pail, real haunted houses (including the one she lives in!), and historic cemeteries.

7 Comments

  1. Reply

    Chelsea

    July 21, 2020

    This sounds delightful! I’ve been craving something just like this. I’ll definitely be giving it a go. Aren’t honey crisp apples the best? August is just around the corner so an apple cider slush seems appropriate, especially with the hot weather. Your rimming trick is genius! It opens up so many possibilities. I cannot wait to try this. Now, do you know how this fairs using a carbonated cider such as Martinelli’s?

  2. Reply

    Amber

    July 21, 2020

    Miranda:

    I LOVE reading your blogs whenever the site is updated. My go-to spooky summer drink has to be a recipe I found from Nutribullet recipe book. I always have to check apple juices and make sure they don’t carry corn syrup or corn anything due to my allergies. When I do find it, I blend apple juice, one cut up apple, a cup of spinach and some cinnamon into it. It is healthy and tastes so good. Plus it is green in color. Yay! Frankenstein’s monster. One of my favorite monsters. Also, I could substitute apples and the juice with bannanas and water if I’m not feeling the apple vibes. I just got to add ice cubes if I want cold.

  3. Reply

    Cassie

    July 22, 2020

    Hi Miranda,

    This sounds perfect. I just ordered the ingredients to make this tonight. I can’t wait to sip on it and watch the original “Halloween.” You have an amazing page and I can’t wait to see what other content you create.

  4. Reply

    Mariah Lockwood

    July 23, 2020

    Sounds delicious! Hubby cringed, but I will twist his arm to let me pick up the ingredients. I grew up on apple cider from a neighbor farm…

    Thank you, I can’t wait to try this

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