Whipped Frozen Apple Cider

This Whipped Frozen Apple Cider is a perfectly balanced fall beverage that you’ll want to sip all season long. Antioxidant-rich cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black peppercorns and allspice berries infuse unsweetened apple cider with warm, earthy notes. A touch of maple syrup smooths out the flavors, and coconut milk provides just the right amount of creaminess and prevents the slushie from becoming too icy. Keep reading for our expert tips, including how to turn this into an adult beverage.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!

• We don’t recommend using dairy milk because it will curdle in the apple cider.
• To make an adult version of this apple-cider slushie, you can add your favorite spiced rum.
• Keeping the ingredients in the fridge or freezer before making this drink, and serving it in a chilled glass, will help it stay frozen for longer.
• This recipe serves 2, but you can make 1 serving with 6 cider ice cubes and ¼ cup coconut milk.

Nutrition Notes

• Apple cider is similar to apple juice. The difference is that cider is not filtered, which affects the taste more than the nutritional content. In fact, according to the USDA, apple cider and apple juice are virtually the same nutrition-wise. The main nutritional difference is that apple juice is often fortified with vitamin C and apple cider is usually not. With that said, apple cider provides small amounts of several vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. As with any fruit, you get more fiber by eating the whole fruit versus drinking the juice.
• Besides adding a warm spiciness to this cider, ginger also adds health benefits. It’s been linked to reduced inflammation and pain, as well as reducing nausea and vomiting. This is, in part, due to ginger’s powerful plant compounds, including antioxidants.
• Coconut milk is made from the meat of mature coconuts. Here we use canned coconut milk, often found in the baking aisle, which is creamier and more concentrated than coconut milk in a carton (aka coconut milk beverage, which can be found refrigerated or on the shelf with other beverages). It also contains more fat and protein but fewer carbs than the coconut milk in a carton, which is thinner and more watered down. Coconut milk contains several essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium, phosphorus and magnesium, all necessary for a healthy nervous system and heart.