How to Make Hard Cider At Home

Learn how to make hard cider at home using this guide. Includes a delicious sparkling hard cider recipe for those of us who enjoy bubbles!

article image
by AdobeStock/Pixel-Shot

Learn how to make hard cider at home using this guide. Includes a delicious sparkling hard cider recipe for those of us who enjoy bubbles!

How to Make Hard Cider

Brewing hard cider from non-alcoholic, or “sweet” cider is a simple process, and the inebriating end product is as delicious as it is discombobulating. Here are the steps you’ll follow to make hard cider of your own.

Find the Ingredients for Hard Cider

Choose Your Juice. The best hard cider is made from sweet apple cider fresh from the cider press — whether your own, or a local cider mill’s. If you’re buying sweet cider, start by checking the label to be sure the cider doesn’t contain chemical preservatives, because these will kill your yeast and your cider will not ferment. (The cider is chemically preserved if sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate are listed on the label.) Your best bet for preservative-free cider is to buy it in season from a local orchard. In a pinch, you can also make hard cider with grocery store apple juice, as long as it doesn’t have preservatives.

  • Updated on Aug 23, 2022
  • Originally Published on Oct 1, 2007
Tagged with: apple cider, cider making, homemade hard cider
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368