Description
A comforting and fragrant Korean Apple Tea recipe with a hint of ginger and cinnamon, perfect for enjoying hot or cold.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Apples:
- 2 lbs (900 grams) Apples *Sweet, firm, preferably organic apples such as Gala, Fuji, Cortland, Ambrosia, or McIntosh.
Other Ingredients:
- 10 cups water
- 2 Tbsp (25 grams) brown sugar
- 4 inch (55 grams) Ginger *preferably organic
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
Instructions
- Chop apples. Wash apples thoroughly. Quarter and core the apples. They do not need to be peeled.
- Instant Pot directions: Add apples, sliced ginger, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and 10 cups of water to the cooking pot. Lock the lid into place and cook for 18 minutes at high pressure. When the timer beeps, release the steam manually. Remove the cooking pot insert and set on the counter to cool briefly.
- Stove top directions: Add apples, sliced ginger, brown sugar, peppercorns, and 10 cups of water to a stock pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer (covered) until the apples are soft and the cinnamon sticks have uncurled a little, about 30 minutes. Keep covered and steep for an additional 10 minutes, off the heat.
- Transfer to a pitcher. Place a pitcher or mason glass jar (you may need several) on the counter. Place a fine mesh sieve over the opening of the pitcher or jar, which will catch any debris. Pour the apple tea slowly and gently so the apples and cinnamon sticks stay inside the cooking pot and do not fall out. Every so often, press the apples with the back of a large spoon to release the juices. They will be very soft. Be careful as you pour!
- Cool. Cool completely at room temperature. Transfer and store in a pitcher or glass jar, tightly sealed.
- Enjoy. Pour the Apple Tea into a cup. Enjoy hot, cold, or room temperature.
Notes
- PRO Tips:
- Halve the recipe. The recipe makes a large amount — 10 cups! For my family of 5, it’s the perfect amount. Feel free to reduce to a smaller portion. I’ve purposefully written the recipe so it’s easy to halve to 5 cups.
- Adjust sweetness to your liking. The apples add plenty of sweetness on their own. But my grandma added a little sugar to balance the spicy warmth of the ginger and cinnamon. The recipe is not too sweet, as written. If you prefer, add more sugar! It will also depend on the sweetness of the apples.
- Variations:
- Pears. Swap the apple with pear. Or add a combination of apples and pears. I recommend sweet, firm pears like Bosc or Bartlett.
- Cloves. Swap the black peppercorns with cloves for a mulled apple cider flavor. The cloves are quite strong, so I recommend only 1/4 tsp instead of the 2 tsp recommended peppercorns.
- Honey. Instead of brown sugar, add honey for sweetness. Changes the flavor profile entirely.
Nutrition
- Calories: 63kcal
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 0.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.04g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 0.4g
