Boiled Cider Syrup Recipe

Once a New England staple, this simple cider syrup is a versatile addition to any home pantry.

By
Emily Teel
Emily Teel is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Emily Teel
Emily Teel is a seasoned food writer, recipe developer, and food media content creator based in Oregon who has contributed regularly to Serious Eats, Wine & Spirits, The Kitchn, Philadelphia Magazine, Eater Philly, and Edible Philly. She is the senior food editor at Better Homes & Garden. 
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Updated November 30, 2022
Overhead shot of an apple and a spoon filled with boiled cider syrup.

Serious Eats / Emily Teel

Why It Works

  • This recipe is a classic reduction, an ideal way to concentrate the sweetness and tang of a well-balanced cider.
  • Boiled cider syrup can be used to add depth to barbecue or baked beans and as a glaze for an apple cake or homemade apple fritters.

It's bittersweet when we move firmly into autumn, once and for all saying goodbye to the stone fruits and melons for another year. The cool weather is a relief, though, and a bracing, sweet yet tart glass of apple cider is a true pleasure once we've let summer go. Long ago, orchard-rich New Englanders figured out a way to preserve the autumn lure of apple cider by reducing it into a syrup, as dark as maple and just as appealing.

It's called boiled cider and the recipe for making your own is about as simple as the name. It's a classic reduction, an ideal way to concentrate the sweetness and tang of a well-balanced cider. A true preserve, boiled cider used to be a pantry mainstay in New England, but as cane sugar became more widely available and local orchards gave way to housing developments, people grew out of the habit of using it. There are plenty of delicious reasons to make your own, though.

A bowl containing four apples.

Serious Eats / Emily Teel

Boiled cider syrup can be used to add depth to barbecue or baked beans as easily as it can become a glaze for an apple cake or homemade apple fritters. Mixed with hot water or seltzer, it makes a great apple toddy or spritzer, and it's fantastic splashed into a salad dressing or as an option for your home bar.

To yield any quantity, it bears starting with a considerable amount—at least a gallon—of fresh, minimally processed cider, and if you're going to bother canning it, you might as well make an even bigger batch than that. You will also require your largest non-reactive pot, a wooden spoon, and several hours. There are just a few ingredients to make it, and the one of key importance is time. For best results, seek out cider that doesn't taste watery. It should instead have a full-bodied sweetness and a pronounced sour note. You'll need that tart edge to balance out the sweetness once you concentrate the flavors.

October 2013

Recipe Details

Boiled Cider Syrup Recipe

Active 2 hrs
Total 10 hrs
Serves 60 servings
Makes 5 jars
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 3 gallons minimally-processed apple cider

Directions

  1. Prepare boiling water canner and sterilize five 12-ounce jars by boiling them for 10 minutes. Wash lids and rings and bring to a simmer in a separate, small saucepan of water. Turn off heat and allow jars, lids and rings to sit in hot water until you need them.

  2. Pour cider into your largest heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot. Insert chopstick into cider until it touches the bottom of the pot. Using a pen or a paring knife, mark or notch the chopstick at the level of the cider. Then, removing the chopstick from the pot, measure from your first mark (the cider level at the start) and the end of the chopstick (the bottom of the pot) and make a second mark or notch at the halfway point. Make a mark/notch at the 1/3 point as well. The marks on the chopstick will serve as visual cues to help you see how much your cider has reduced.

  3. Bring cider to a boil over high heat and then reduce to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until thoroughly reduced, 5-8 hours, depending on your stove. Check the cider level against your chopstick measurements regularly.

  4. Cider is finished when it has reduced to one third of its original volume, and it coats the back of a spoon. When cider is finished, remove from heat and strain, in batches, through a paper coffee filter or a fine sieve strainer lined with a clean, dampened dishtowel.

  5. Pour cider into prepared jars, leaving a quarter inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jar lids with a clean kitchen or paper towel and seal.

  6. Place sealed jars back into the canning kettle. When all jars are added, make sure that the water level clears the jar lids by at least 1 inch. Add more water if necessary, and, over high heat, bring the water back up to a boil. Once the water boils, set a timer for 5 minutes.

  7. After 10 minutes, turn off heat, and allow jars to sit in water for 5 additional minutes. Then, using a jar lifter, remove jars to a cooling rack.

  8. Once jars have reached room temperature, remove rings and test that all lids have sealed properly. If any have not sealed, store them in the refrigerator. Label and store sealed jars in a cool place out of direct sunlight.

Special Equipment

Boiling water canner, disposable wooden chopstick

Notes

To learn more about the canning process, check out our beginner's guide to canning.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51Calories
0gFat
13gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 60
Amount per serving
Calories51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 13g5%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg29%
Calcium 6mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 104mg2%
*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.)

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