Easy Apple Cider Syrup Recipe

Applesauce Pancakes With Apple Cider Syrup

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 20 mins
Servings: 20 servings
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Enjoy the flavors of fall with this apple cider syrup recipe. Made with four simple ingredients that consist of a brown sugar and apple cider mixture spiced with cinnamon, this syrup is sure to become a favorite topping in your home. So versatile this can be used on pancakes and waffles, or use it to top or accompany bread pudding, baked apples, or other desserts. Drizzle it over apple dutch baby pancakes or some apple bread pudding. It's great on ice cream, too.

You might find yourself mixing a couple of tablespoons into your apple filling or glaze. It's also good added to apple muffins or donuts for an extra apple flavor.  Make your own homemade apple cider to use in this recipe and to drink.

Make a batch or two and pack the syrup up into decorative jars to give to family and friends as gifts, too.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 2 cups apple cider

  • 1 cup brown sugar

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.

  3. When the butter stops foaming, add the apple cider, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, stirring.

  4. Continue cooking over medium heat, frequently stirring, until reduced by half to about 1 to 1 1/4 cups. This will take about 15 minutes.

  5. The syrup will thicken as it cools.

  6. Serve this apple cider syrup over pancakes, waffles, bread pudding, or pound cake slices.​

Tips

This cider syrup is not only great as a topping for ice cream, pound cake, cheesecake, pancakes, etc. Try slicing up some fresh apples and dipping the slices into some of this syrup. Yum! It's also good in apple-flavored cocktails or drizzled on salads with apples in them.

Recipe Variations

Try adding some other spices and ingredients for a different twist to the syrup. You could add a dash of nutmeg, whole cloves, or allspice. Or add a slice or two of fresh ginger.

How to Store and Freeze

  • Apple cider syrup can be kept in a mason jar at room temperature and should be used within one month. 
  • Freeze cider syrup in a freezer-safe airtight container and place in the freezer for up to one year. Note that it might not freeze to a solid due to the sugar content.

What's the difference between apple cider and apple juice?

Apple cider is made from pressed apples and is sometimes spiced. It is enjoyed both cold or hot, and has a stronger apple taste. Apple juice is apple cider that has been filtered and pasteurized. It is lighter in color than apple cider, and sometimes has sugar added to it.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51 Calories
1g Fat
12g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 8mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 10mg 48%
Calcium 11mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 38mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)