Homemade Hot Apple Cider Spice Mix recipe with printable gift tag – the perfect easy DIY Christmas gift. Stir into hot apple cider for a delicious drink!
My sister in law gave a jar full of an amazing apple cider spice mix for Christmas last year. I loved it so much I hardly dared to use any of it because I was scared I’d run out of it too fast. But of course it eventually happened and I had to recreate it in my kitchen.
It turned into this recipe for homemade Hot Apple Cider Cinnamon Spice Mix, which is so easy to make with just a few ingredients.
This makes for the perfect DIY Christmas food gift! I like to gift it with a bottle of nice apple juice (or red wine!) that people can stir this into. It’s always very well received.
If you want to make this as a gift, check out the section below for my packaging instructions, and to download my label for printing and using.
Recommended gift packaging
Please note: I used 8-oz jars for the images, but you can use 4-oz jars just as well if it’s for a small present, or if you’re making a large amount (eg as party favors).
For an apple juice to gift these with, these look nice (and can be prime’d in fast if you’re as last minute with your gifts as I often am ?):
Click here to download the printable labels.
Click here to download the printable labels with the METRIC serving size.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to enter your eMail address or anything to get them, they’re absolutely free from me to you.
Serving tips
I mostly use this in my Crockpot Hot Apple Cider! But it’s also delicious in red wine, cranberry juice or even sprinkled on top of muffin batter or to dip Snickerdoodles in!
More easy DIY food gifts
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Hot Apple Cider Cinnamon Spice Mix
Recipe details
Equipment
- see notes for my recommended gift packaging
Ingredients
- 4 cups sugar
- 4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon ground nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and fill into individual jars.
- Use about 1 tablespoon per quart of liquid. Less sweet liquids (like wine or cranberry juice) can use a little more.
Vickie Plummer says
what is the shelf life for your spice mix,
it is very Delicious with Wine and the Apple juice 😋 Thank you 😊
Nora says
Vickie, as long as it stays dry and is kept in a cupboard it keeps well. The spices do slowly diminish in their strength, so I would recommend to use it within a year. Hope this helps!
Margaret Stewart says
If you sprinkle on top of muffin, would you do before you cook or after like snickerdoodles?
Nora says
You can do either! I often sprinkle muffins with brown sugar before baking, but you could dip the tops of the muffins in the mixture while the muffins are still hot for a sugared donut effect. Hope this helps!
Monika says
Delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Jaclyn says
Hi! Want to make these as gifts but I don’t see a recommended serving to tell people (how much mix to add to how much liquid), what do you recommend? Thanks so much!
Nora says
Jaclyn, you can download the label with the recommended serving size. It’s 1 tablespoon per quart of liquid, or 1 teaspoon per cup.
Dawn says
Hi Nora, my family love apple cider! This recipe looks super easy. I want to give them out as holiday gifts. I was wondering if/or how much can be used to make single cups of cider. Thank you for sharing.
Nora says
Dawn, I would start with 3/4 of a teaspoon and then adjust to taste 🙂
Inez says
What apple juice did you gift along with the mix?
Nora says
Inez, I used natural unfiltered apple juice in glass bottles I found on a local farmer’s market. Sorry I’m not more helpful!
Teri Dingler says
Is one tablespoon per quart of water correct? Is that enough for the amount of water?? Seems when you make other recipes it calls for two tsp per eight ounce water.
Nora says
Teri, you don’t stir it into water, you stir it into apple juice and it’s there to season, not to add apple flavor. If it’s not enough spice for you, you can always add more!
As dy says
So this is just spices to add to cider?
Nora says
You add the spices to apple juice, or to red wine in order to add hints of warm spices.
Gwen D. says
You have a recipe for one quart, what would you suggest to make a single mug of cider?
Nora says
Start with 1/2 a teaspoon, taste test and take it from there!
Dorrie Berry says
Easy and delicious!❤️
Stacy Allen says
I am trying to understand where the apple or cider is in this recipe as neither are listed, and the instructions just say “add to liquid” and don’t specify the liquid. Is it to be added to apple cider or apple juice maybe?
I am also a pro chef. ??? thank you for this.
Nora says
Stacy, it’s a spice mix like the recipe name says, not apple cider. Use it in apple cider, apple juice, cranberry juice, mulled wine…
Linda Tiffany says
Love this!?
Elaine says
Because of the name HOT Apple Cider Cinnamon Spice Mix can I mix this with hot water as a tea? Or Hot Apple Cider. Did you drink this cold?
Nora says
Warm, or hot. I think for a tea, you’d be better off boiling the actual spices (not ground) and apple peels. Sweeten with some brown sugar 😉
Lindsay says
Do you just mix it with hot water to make the cider? I know it’s a silly question but I wanted to be sure.
Nora says
No, it’s a spice mix to be used in apple cider, apple juice, cranberry juice, warmed red wine (mulled wine)…
Raina says
What size labels did you use? Or do you print on sticker paper and cut?
Nora says
I print on regular paper and cut/glue, Raina! I first shared this recipe years ago, way before printing on labels was a thing at home ?
Raina says
Thank you so very much!! I think it’ll make a great group craft. Going to make the recipe for demo along with your pumpkin spice and gingerbread spice!!
Nora says
That sounds so fun, Raina! I hope it will be a great success.
Alice says
Do use any particular brand or type of cinnamon?
Nora says
Good question, Alice. I used to buy cinnamon from a company that had the best spices, but unfortunately they closed shop in 2020. I’ve been surviving on grocery store cinnamon ever since. It’s fine, but it’s just not the same – and so far I haven’t found anything that comes close to my former spice source. Sorry I’m not of more help!
Marilyn in PA says
Try Spice Island’s Toasted Ceylon Cinnamon. I think it’s superior to other grocery store brands I’ve tried.
Rene says
You might try Watkins cinnamon!! It’s great
Nora says
Thanks for the tip, Rene!
Ruth Gonzalez says
Hello I love this idea and recipe. The recipe reads tablespoons, do you mean teaspoons? It seems like the 1/2 tablespoon of ground nutmeg and cloves will be too much.
Nora says
Ruth, no, that’s correct. You will be adding this to 4 CUPS of sugar. It makes a lot of mix and is meant to be divided between small jars for gifting.
If you want to see the math to make sure:
You need about 1 tablespoon of mix for 1 quart of liquid. The recipe makes 69 tablespoons.
So, 1 quart of liquid will have 0.007 tablespoons of nutmeg/cloves. You will probably divide 1 quart of apple cider between 4 servings, so 1 serving has 0.00175 tablespoons each of nutmeg/cloves.
That’s… less than a tenth of a pinch. I promise, it’s not too much.
kathy says
Just what I was looking for my hot cider perfect amount of spice ! Will be part of my Christmas gift ❤️ thanks
Nora says
I’m so glad, Kathy!
Dee Dee says
This is perfect, just what I was looking for and I had all ingredients in my cabinet! I like mine a little more spicer so I added more ground cloves.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Dee Dee!
Mary Ellen Bayard says
Hi Nora. This sounds lovely and I’m going to make it for gifts. I tried to download the labels, but they do not come out as smaller only one very large one on a page. I need several smaller ones for the 4 oz jars to print out on an 8 1/2 X 11 page. Any tips?
Nora says
Hi Mary, that is so strange! Does it only have one label on the page when you download it, or only when you print it?
Kathy says
This is delicious! I use 2 tsp per cup of apple juice.
Nora says
I’m glad you like it, Kathy!