What Is Non-Alcoholic Cider? Your Guide to the Tasty, Perfect-for-Fall Drink
As much as I love a good beer or cocktail, I can’t deny that there are myriad benefits to drinking non-alcoholic drinks—like non-alcoholic IPAs and non-alcoholic cider. Primarily, I love that I don’t wake up hungover or forget what happened the night before.
Secondly, I’m a fan of how refreshing non-alcoholic drinks are as opposed to their inebriating counterparts. Luckily, there are plenty of non-alcoholic drinks to choose from. And non-alcoholic cider is great year-round and not just during the holiday season. (For the record, we definitely count these ciders among our top-rated non-alcoholic drinks.)
Keep reading to learn what non-alcoholic ciders are and the 10 best options out there.
What Is Non-Alcoholic Cider?
Simply, a non-alcoholic cider is a cider that’s, well, non-alcoholic. In case you’re wondering, something can be classified as a cider if it’s made from fermented fruit juice. The most popular craft ciders are probably apple ciders, but that’s far from the only alcohol-free cider.
In fact, you can also make a non-alcoholic sparkling cider from pears, pineapples, and berries. For that reason, the flavor profile of each cider will change depending on which fruits go into it. The thing that makes non-alcoholic cider different from traditional cider is, in fact, that it doesn’t contain alcohol.
The 7 Best Non-Alcoholic Cider Drinks
2 Towns Sidekick Non-Alcoholic Cider Pacific Pineapple
Available at Total Wine ($12)
This yummy non-alcoholic cider from Oregon is made with pineapples and apples sourced in the Northwest. It’s got an ABV of 0.5%, so it’s not technically alcohol free, but it is non-alcoholic. Reviewers have raved about the taste of this drink, saying that it tastes like pineapple-forward alcoholic cider.
Original Sin White Widow Non-Alcoholic Cider
Available at Amazon ($36)
Original Sin is one of the best new-age non-alcoholic cider brands in the game. They have four different flavors (including Golden Widow, Dragon Widow, and Widow’s Tea), but White Widow is by far the most popular. It features flavors like blackberry, apple cider, and monk fruit. You’ll feel good about drinking this alcohol-free cider because it has only a few calories, zero added sugar, and a healthy dose of prebiotics for boosted gut health.
Martinelli’s Gold Medal Sparkling Apple Cider
Available on Amazon ($31)
If I had to pick a single word to describe Martinelli’s apple cider, it would be classic. It’s a winter drink that makes me think of Christmas with my big-ass Mexican family. This tastes essentially like bubbly apple juice, and it may be a bit sweet for some folks. That said, I’d still place it as the best non-alcoholic cider. Plus, it’s extremely convenient that this is the easiest-to-find store-bought option.
The Apple Thief Pink Lady Cider
Available on The Apple Thief ($20)
If you’ve ever tried the Healthade Pink Lady Apple kombucha, it’s safe to say you have the flavor profile of The Apple Thief’s Pink Lady Cider. It’s crisp, refreshing, and just the tiniest bit sweet. Plus, if you have gluten sensitivities, you’ll love this gluten-free and vegan beer.
Mountain Cider Spiced Apple Cider Concentrate
Available on Amazon ($23)
The most impressive thing about this cider concentrate is that it truly and honestly does so much. You can, of course, use it for a non-alcoholic cider cocktail or even alcoholic drinks. But Amazon reviewers also say that they’ve used this for salad dressings, homemade apple cider, and even an apple cider spice cake. If it were me, I’d throw it in a cup, warm it up, add a shot of whiskey and some cinnamon sticks. Now that’s a good hot apple cider recipe.
Hany’s Harvest Unsweetened Fire Cider
Available on Amazon ($27)
If you were worried that the Martinelli’s would be way too sweet for your palate, allow us to introduce you to Hany’s Harvest Unsweetened Fire Cider. It’s made with organic, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, organic lemon juice, yellow onion, garlic, organic ginger root, horseradish root, organic turmeric root, and cayenne pepper—which is where the fire comes from.
Golden State Cider Dry & Mighty
Available on Golden State Cider ($39)
According to the Golden State Cider product page, Dry & Mighty is an apple-forward cider that’s a low-calorie and low-carb option. While this cider is non-alcoholic, it doesn’t exactly start out that way. In fact, it’s fermented with champagne yeast. Then, the cider undergoes a de-alcoholization process. The alcohol might be removed (leaving it at less than 0.5% ABV), but the bright, crisp, and juicy flavors remain.
How to Make Non-Alcoholic Cider
We’re always on the lookout for great non-alcoholic recipes, and this one from Home-Cooked Roots was the best one we found as far as non-alcoholic ciders go. It does take a while to make (approximately eight hours), but those are passive hours—meaning that you won’t be hard at work.
Ingredients
Serves 12
25 ounces Honeycrisp apples, cored and cut into wedges (weigh after chopping)
25 ounces Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into wedges (weigh after chopping)
6 sticks cinnamon (whole)
2 teaspoons whole cloves
¾ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
4 cups water
5 cups unfiltered apple cider, unsweetened
1 Cara Cara orange, thickly sliced
Step 1
Gather all your ingredients and place them into a 6-quart slow cooker.
Step 2
Once in the slow cooker, mix ingredients well in order to get all ingredients evenly distributed.
Step 3
Cook on low for eight hours.
Step 4
Once eight hours have passed, mash the apples and orange slices with a masher. This will help the fruit release all its juices.
Step 5
Strain the apple cider (the smaller the holes on the strainer, the better) to remove any excess pulp.
Step 6
Serve the homemade apple cider while warm and garnish with a cinnamon stick and apple slice.
Step 7
If you have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator or freezer.
