Canning apple cider is my favorite way to preserve fresh-pressed cider, and it’s perfect for a cup of hot mulled cider all winter long. Don’t fill the freezer with cider when you can store it on the pantry shelf instead.
Our orchard produces apples by the truckload, so we use every preservation method we can. I store fresh apples in our basement root cellar on a homemade apple storage rack, which can keep the fruit for up to a year when I stick to the best storage varieties. The pantry fills up with jars too: home-canned applesauce, apple pie filling, apple jam, and more.
When the harvest is large we bring out our double-barreled cider press to extract juice for hard cider and apple wine. Even after filling carboys and fermenters, there are often still more apples to use. This past year we had several hundred pounds left over and ended up canning more than ten gallons of fresh-pressed apple cider.
Follow the gentle Ball canning method and the cider will keep its color, flavor and character. You heat the fresh-pressed juice to 190°F (88°C) — enough to sterilize it — then seal the jars in a water bath canner. Because you don’t boil the cider, the pectin doesn’t set and the cider retains its fresh-pressed taste.
Ingredients for Canning Apple Cider
My method assumes you have fresh-pressed cider from a press. It typically takes about 15–18 pounds of apples to make a gallon of cider, so this is best done with orchard fruit or apples picked at a U-pick rather than expensive supermarket fruit. If you don’t have a press, Ball and other sources provide tested methods for extracting juice by simmering apples in water and straining, but that produces more of an apple juice than a true pressed cider.
Recent testing shows that some modern, very sweet apple varieties or apples grown with heavy nitrogen can have a higher pH. To ensure safe acidity for home canning, add bottled lemon juice to each jar before filling:
- 1 quart fresh-pressed apple cider (about 4–5 lb apples per quart)
- 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice per quart (or 1/2 Tbsp per pint, 2 Tbsp per half gallon)
Jar sizes for Canning Apple Cider
The National Center for Home Food Preservation generally avoids half-gallon canning for most foods, but there are tested exceptions for pressed apple cider and grape juice. This method can be used for any jar size up to a half gallon, including:
- Half pints
- Pints
- Quarts
- Half gallons
Processing time for all jar sizes at elevations below 1,000 feet is 10 minutes. See the altitude adjustments section below if you are at higher elevations.
Making Apple Cider
Begin by washing your apples and pressing them in a cider press. There’s no need to peel the fruit; the skins add flavor and nutrients. Collect the fresh juice in a clean container. If you prefer a clearer cider, refrigerate the juice for 24–48 hours so sediment settles, then carefully decant or ladle clear juice into a saucepan, leaving sediment behind.
Canning Apple Cider
Prepare your water bath canner, jars and lids. For a hot pack, preheat the canner so its water is simmering at roughly 180–190°F (82–88°C).
Heat the cleared apple juice in a large stainless steel saucepan to 190°F (88°C). Hold it at that temperature for about 5 minutes to sanitize the juice, but do not boil—boiling changes flavor and can set pectin.
Place the measured bottled lemon juice in the bottom of each jar (1 Tbsp per quart, 1/2 Tbsp per pint, 2 Tbsp per half gallon). Ladle the hot cider into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw bands down fingertip-tight.
Lower jars into the preheated water in the canner so they’re fully submerged. Bring the water to a rolling boil and process jars for 10 minutes at elevations up to 1,000 feet. After processing, remove the canner lid and let jars rest in the hot water for 5 minutes to reduce siphoning and thermal shock, then remove and cool on a towel or rack.
When jars are cool, check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used soon. Properly sealed jars store best in a cool, dark place and retain peak flavor for 12–18 months.
Altitude Adjustments
Adjust processing times for altitude as follows:
- 0–1,000 ft: 10 minutes for all jar sizes.
- 1,001–6,000 ft: 10 minutes for quarts and smaller; 15 minutes for half gallons.
- Above 6,001 ft: 15 minutes for quarts and smaller; 20 minutes for half gallons.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your canned cider chilled on warm days or warmed with a cinnamon stick and cloves for mulled cider on cold evenings. It also works well in marinades, sauces, or as a mixer for seasonal cocktails. We keep a few jars in the fridge for the kids after school and warm others with spices for quick mulled cider on chilly nights.
Apple Canning Recipes
Cranberry Apple Jam
Apple Jam
Apple Blossom Jelly (Or Cherry, Peach, Pear, etc.)
This recipe is adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and follows tested guidance for home canning. Canning times are based on recommendations from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Canning Apple Cider
Equipment
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Water Bath Canner
Ingredients
- Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
- Bottled Lemon Juice
Instructions
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Press apples to extract fresh juice.
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If desired, refrigerate juice 24–48 hours and decant clear cider into a stainless pot, leaving sediment behind.
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Preheat your water bath canner for a hot pack; water should simmer around 180–190°F (82–88°C).
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Heat the cider to 190°F (88°C) over medium-high, hold 5 minutes without boiling, then remove from heat.
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Add bottled lemon juice to each jar (1 Tbsp/quart; 1/2 Tbsp/pint; 2 Tbsp/half gallon).
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Ladle hot cider into hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, and tighten bands fingertip-tight.
-
Process in a boiling water canner: 10 minutes (see altitude adjustments). After processing, remove the canner lid and let jars sit 5 minutes before removing.
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Cool jars completely and check seals before storing.
Notes
Yield
Per quart: about 1 quart fresh-pressed apple cider (≈4–5 lb apples) and 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice.
Altitude Adjustments
Adjust processing times for elevation as noted above to ensure safe preservation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an approximation.
Apple Canning Recipes
Looking for more ways to store apples in a jar?
- Apple Jam
- Sweet Cider Apple Butter
- Cranberry Apple Jam
Drink Canning Recipes
Looking for more drink canning recipes?
- Canning Lemonade (and Lemonade Concentrate)
- Canning Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
- Canning Limeade (& Limeade Concentrate)
- Canning Berry Juice
- Canning Rhubarb Juice
