This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Celebrate all of your fall festivities with this Apple Cider Sangria! Made with apples, cinnamon, red wine, and citrus, it’s fresh, spiced, boozy, and perfectly sweet. Serve it at holiday get togethers, autumn dinner parties, and Thanksgiving!
The crisp fall days are officially here, and I’m celebrating with my favorite chilly weather drinks, such as this apple cider sangria recipe! Though sangria may sound more fit for warm weather days, this autumn version is perfect for the season. It warms and comforts with favorite fall produce, apple cinnamon syrup, boozy brandy, and red wine.
Prep is simple — simmer, stir, and rest! — and the results are stunningly delicious. Each juicy, fresh, sweet, and spicy sip is a festival of fall flavors, perfect for serving anytime friends gather. I poured it recently for our Halloween party, and it was the talk of the evening! For best results, make this red apple sangria up to 3 hours ahead or even the night before. The longer the flavors meld, the more fruity, tasty, and festive it will be. For more apple recipes, check out my Apple Smoothie, Vegan Apple Pie, and Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Mix.
Ingredients
Apple Cider: The star ingredient of this fall sangria recipe. Red wine balances its sweetness and complements its fruitiness. Choose your favorite non-alcoholic sweet apple cider, though dry (with alcohol) varieties can work if you prefer a less sweet drink. Find fresh apple cider in the produce aisle of well-stocked grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and farm stands.
Apples: Choose one red apple (such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn) and one green (such as Granny Smith) for balanced sweet-tart flavors. Peel, core, and dice the apples and reserve the peels and core to make the apple cinnamon syrup. You can use two of the same, if you need.
Pears: You will need two gently ripe pears, one Bosc and one D’Anjou. Core and chop them into sizes similar to the apples and reserve the cores. You can use two of the same, if you need.
Pomegranate Seeds: Also known as pomegranate arils, these add a pop of color and tangy-juicy flavor. You will need 1/4 cup.
Orange: Slice half an orange with the skin intact for a touch of citrus. Oranges are a classic sangria fruit and the perfect complement to apples and red wine.
Red Wine: A full-flavored dry wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Malbec, are the best picks for fall red sangria.
Brandy: Adds that signature boozy kick! Use your favorite drinking brandy, though it doesn’t need to be top shelf.
Cinnamon Sticks: For warm fall flavor. You will need two sticks — transfer them from the saucepan to the pitcher after making the apple syrup.
Cane Sugar: You will need 1 cup of sugar to make and sweeten the syrup. I recommend cane sugar, but white granulated works if needed (though it isn’t considered vegan by some definitions).
How to Make Apple Cider Sangria
- Make Apple Cinnamon Simple Syrup. Peel, core, and chop the apples and pears. Add the cores and peels (reserving the chopped fruit for the sangria), 1 cup of cane sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2 cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low or low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced in half. Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the solids, and pour the simple syrup into a glass jar to cool.
- Assemble the Fall Sangria. Add the chopped apples, pears, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, red wine, apple cider, brandy, and 1/4 cup of apple cinnamon simple syrup to a large pitcher.
- Stir and Chill. Using a long spoon, thoroughly stir the ingredients until well combined. Rest the sangria in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight for the best taste.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Let it rest. For the best fall sangria, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but up to overnight. This gives the mixture time to meld the flavors.
- Save the cores and peels. One of the many things I love about this autumn sangria is how it efficiently uses food scraps! Save the apple peels and apple and pear cores for the simple syrup recipe. After simmering the syrup, add the cinnamon sticks to the pitcher to further flavor the drink!
- Don’t boil the syrup. Cook it over a low simmer, not a boil, for 30 minutes until reduced. If medium-low is too high of heat, reduce it to low.
- Chill or add the syrup immediately. If making the apple simple syrup fresh for this red fall sangria, add 1/4 cup to the pitcher immediately after straining. Otherwise, the syrup can last covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken upon cooling. To loosen it, just warm it on the microwave on medium heat.
- Storage: Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap and refrigerate leftover cider sangria for 2-3 days. For longer storage, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days
Recipe Variations
I’d argue that this fall sangria with apple cider is already more than perfect on its own, but you can make any of the following substitutions to add a twist!
- Ginger Brandy: Use ginger brandy instead of traditional for additional festive layers of warming spice.
- White Wine: Try white instead of red fall sangria! Pour in a bottle of your favorite dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
- Cinnamon Whiskey: Swoon the cinnamon lovers in your life! Stir in 1/2 cup of cinnamon whiskey (or bourbon) instead of the brandy.
- Caramel Vodka: Swap caramel (or salted caramel) vodka for the brandy for a caramel apple style fall sangria recipe!
- Bubbles: Make refreshing effervescent cider sangria by using Prosecco instead of red wine or sparkling cider in place of sweet. Stir in the bubbles just before serving (mix and rest all of the other ingredients ahead of time as directed).
Serving Suggestions
Serve this festive sipper at fall dinner parties and holiday get-togethers alongside any of the following recipes for a memorable meal:
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Autumn Kale Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- The Best Pan-Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- Roasted Beets and Carrots
More Fall and Winter Cocktail Recipes
Apple Cider Sangria
Ingredients
Apple Cinnamon Simple Syrup
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- peels and cores from 2-4 apples and pears , (from the apples and pears used in the sangria)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Apple Cider Sangria
- 1 green apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and chopped (save core and peel for simple syrup)
- 1 red apple (such as HoneyCrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn), peeled, cored, and chopped (save core and peel for simple syrup)
- 1 Bosc pear, gently ripe, cored and chopped (save core for simple syrup)
- 1 gently ripe D'Anjou pear, gently ripe, cored and chopped (save core for simple syrup)
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (seeds), from about 1/2 medium pomegranate
- 1/2 orange, sliced (peel intact)
- 1 bottle dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup apple cinnamon syrup , see recipe above
Instructions
Apple Cinnamon Simple Syrup
- Add the cores and peels (reserving the chopped fruit for the sangria), 1 cup of cane sugar, 1 cup of water, and 2 cinnamon sticks in a small saucepan.
- Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low or low heat. Simmer for 30 minutes or until reduced in half.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the solids, and pour the simple syrup into a glass jar to cool. You can use it immediately in the sangria. The remaining sangria will thicken as it cools because of the pectin in the apple cores.
Apple Cider Sangria
- Add the chopped apples and pears, pomegranate seeds, orange slices, red wine, apple cider, brandy, and apple cinnamon syrup to a large pitcher.
- Using a long spoon, thoroughly stir the ingredients until combined. Let the sangria rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight for the best taste.
Notes
- Let it rest. For the best fall sangria, let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but up to overnight. This gives the mixture time to meld the flavors.
- Save the cores and peels. One of the many things I love about this autumn sangria is how it efficiently uses food scraps! Save the apple peels and apple and pear cores for the simple syrup recipe. After simmering the syrup, add the cinnamon sticks to the pitcher to further flavor the drink!
- Don’t boil the syrup. Cook it over a low simmer, not a boil, for 30 minutes until reduced. If medium-low is too high of heat, reduce it to low.
- Chill or add the syrup immediately. If making the apple simple syrup fresh for the red fall sangria, add 1/4 cup to the pitcher immediately after straining. Otherwise, the syrup can last covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It will thicken upon cooling. To loosen it, just warm it on the microwave on medium heat.
