Apple Cider Slush is the frosty, spiced drink your fall table has been missing. This easy apple cider slushie blends warm cinnamon and nutmeg with a fizzy ginger ale topper, and you can serve it spiked or completely alcohol-free depending on your crowd. It comes together with a quick whisk and an overnight freeze, so most of the work happens while you sleep.
If you love a fun cocktail, you have to try my Apple Boilo or my Strawberry Basil Margarita. It makes a party just a little more special.
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Why this Apple Cider Slushie Recipe is a Keeper
This homemade apple cider slush earns its spot in your fall drink rotation because it’s easy to make ahead and even easier to customize for a crowd. It’s the kind of best-of-both-worlds recipe that works for kids’ parties and adult get-togethers alike.
- Make-ahead convenience: Freeze the spiced cider base up to a month in advance so it’s ready whenever you need it.
- Spiked or not, your call: Add bourbon, spiced rum, or vodka for the adults, or leave it out for a kid-friendly treat.
- Big batch friendly: The recipe scales up easily, making it a natural choice for parties and fall gatherings.
- Fizzy, spiced flavor: Warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves meet chilled ginger ale for a sensory hit you won’t get from a plain cider slushie
ONLY USE 2-4 OF THE MOST APPLICABLE FEATURES.
Can I Make Apple Cider Slushies Without Alcohol?
Yes, this apple cider slush recipe is completely non-alcoholic as written. The bourbon, spiced rum, or vodka is listed as an optional splash added just before serving, so you can skip it entirely and still get a rich, spiced, slushy drink.
It’s totally kid-friendly and safe for the whole family to enjoy at fall gatherings. Whether you call it an apple cider slushy or a slushee, the base recipe works great either way. Just whisk it up, freeze it, and blend when you’re ready to pour.
Pro Tip Freeze Apple Cider
Freeze your apple cider slush base in a shallow container instead of a tall one. A wider surface area means the mixture freezes faster and breaks into chunks more easily when it’s time to blend.
If your frozen block feels too solid to chip apart, let it rest at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes first. Blending in batches instead of overfilling your blender also gives you a smoother, more even slush every time.
Ingredient Notes for the Spiced Apple Cider
These are perfect for a sunny fall day. You can dip the glass in apple cider or water and sugar around the rim and add a colorful straw to the apple cider slushee.
This is an overview of key ingredients. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Apple Cider: Use fresh, unfiltered apple cider rather than clear apple juice for the richest, most authentic apple cider slush flavor.
- Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate: This is the secret to a slushy texture that isn’t icy. Let it thaw fully before whisking it in.
- Pineapple Juice: Adds acidity and a lightly tropical note that balances all the warm spices, similar to what you’d find in a classic brandy slush.
- Light Brown Sugar: Packed brown sugar dissolves easily and adds a deeper, almost caramel sweetness compared to white sugar.
- Ground Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves: This spice trio gives the slush its cozy, fall-forward flavor, so don’t skip any one of them.
- Ginger Ale: Chilled ginger ale adds fizz right before serving, so add it last to keep that bubbly texture.
Variations and Substitutions for this Fall Drink
This apple cider slush is easy to adjust depending on who you’re serving and what you have on hand. Here are a few ways to make it your own.
➡️ Spike it for an adult crowd: Add a splash of bourbon, spiced rum, or vodka to each glass for a boozy, spiked apple cider slush that leans closer to a brandy slush recipe than a simple cider slushie.
➡️ Swap the juice base: Try white grape juice instead of pineapple juice for a milder, less tangy flavor.
➡️ Adjust the sweetness: Use less brown sugar if your cider is already on the sweeter side.
➡️ Skip the ginger ale fizz: Top with lemon-lime soda or club soda instead if that’s what you have in the fridge.
➡️ Make it extra festive: Rim the glasses with cinnamon sugar before pouring for a fun presentation at parties.
A Blender and Other Kitchen Tools To Make It Easier
You don’t need anything fancy for this recipe, just a few basics that make the freezing and blending steps go smoothly.
- High-Powered Blender: A strong motor makes quick work of breaking down the frozen chunks into a smooth slush. Shop here or here.
- Mixing Bowls: A large bowl gives you plenty of room to whisk the cider mixture together before freezing. Shop here or here.
- Measuring Cups: Accurate measuring keeps the balance of cider, juice, and spices just right. Shop here or here.
- Measuring Spoons: You’ll need these for the cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Shop here or here.
- Whisk: Whisking helps fully dissolve the brown sugar before the mixture goes into the freezer. Shop here or here.
How to Make an Apple Cider Slushy
This drink is bursting with fall flavor. It is a real crowd-pleasing autumn cocktail.
These are just highlights. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Mix the Base: Whisk together the apple cider, orange juice concentrate, pineapple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until the sugar dissolves.
- Freeze: Pour into a freezer‑safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 8 hours until solid.
- Break it up: Remove from the freezer and break the frozen block into chunks.
- Blend and Serve: Blend the chunks into a smooth slush, spoon into glasses, top with ginger ale, add alcohol if you’d like, garnish, and serve immediately.
Prep Ahead and Short Cut Tips for this Apple Recipe
This apple cider slush is practically built for planning ahead, since most of the work happens in the freezer without any effort from you. A little prep now means you can pour and serve in minutes when guests show up.
➡️ Make the frozen base up to a month ahead so it’s ready whenever you need a quick fall drink.
➡️ Portion the mixture into smaller freezer-safe containers if you want to blend just a few servings at a time.
➡️ Chill your ginger ale the day before so it’s ready to pour the moment you blend the slush.
➡️ Prep garnishes like apple slices and cinnamon sticks a few hours ahead and store them in the fridge until serving time.
Alternate Preparation Method for Delicious Apple Cider
- Food Processor: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, a food processor works well for breaking down the frozen chunks into a slushy texture. Pulse in short bursts and scrape down the sides as needed, since the mixture is quite dense when it’s fully frozen.
- Fork Method: You can also skip the appliance entirely and use a sturdy fork to scrape the frozen block into icy shavings, similar to how you’d make a snow cone. It takes more elbow grease, but it gives you that same fun, frosty texture without any equipment beyond what’s already in your kitchen drawer.
How Far in Advance Can I Make Apple Cider Slush?
The frozen base for this apple cider slush can be made up to 1 month ahead of time. Just whisk the mixture together, pour it into a tightly covered freezer-safe container, and let it freeze completely solid.
When you’re ready to serve, break the frozen block into chunks and blend until smooth and slushy. Top each glass with chilled ginger ale right before serving so you get that perfect fizzy finish every single time.
How to Store and Use Leftovers
Storing: Keep the frozen slush base in a tightly covered freezer-safe container for up to 1 month. Once you’ve added the ginger ale and blended it into slush form, it’s best enjoyed right away since the fizz won’t hold up in the freezer.
Using Leftovers: If you have leftover fresh apple cider on hand, try turning it into a batch of Hot Apple Cider or Slow Cooker Apple Cider for a cozy warm option. Extra pineapple juice and
Expert Tips for Making the Best Apple Cider
Here are a few tips and tricks to remember for making the slushee.
➡️ Break it up: I always break the frozen block into smaller chunks before blending so my blender doesn’t have to work as hard.
➡️ Pulse slowly: I pulse on low speed instead of blending continuously so the slush stays thick instead of turning watery.
➡️ Dissolve sugar first: I whisk the brown sugar in while the cider mixture is still liquid so it never turns grainy once frozen.
➡️ Taste as you go: I taste the base before freezing since spice levels can vary a lot between brands of cider.
➡️ Add ginger ale last: I pour the ginger ale in right before serving so the slush keeps its fizzy, bubbly texture.
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Apple Cider Slush
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Ingredients
- 32 ounces Apple cider, 1 quart
- 12 ounces Frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 2 cups Pineapple juice
- ½ cup Light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground cloves
- 2 cups Ginger ale, chilled
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or pitcher, whisk together the apple cider, thawed orange juice concentrate, pineapple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze for at least 8 hours, or until completely frozen.
- Break the frozen mixture into chunks and transfer it to a high-powered blender. Pulse until the mixture reaches a slushy consistency.
- Spoon the slush into serving glasses, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Top each glass with chilled ginger ale and serve immediately.
Christina’s Notes
- Freeze solid: Give the mixture the full 8 hours in the freezer so it turns completely solid before you try to blend it.
- Use a sturdy blender: A high-powered blender breaks up the frozen chunks fastest and gives you that smooth, slushy texture without straining the motor.
- Store the base only: Keep the unblended frozen mixture in a covered container for up to a month, but blend and top with ginger ale only right before serving.
- Chill your glasses: Popping your serving glasses in the freezer for a few minutes keeps the slush from melting too fast once it’s poured.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.