Did you know that you can make the most delicious, perfect mulled wine in a slow cooker? This Slow Cooker Mulled Wine Recipe is the easiest way to make perfectly spiced, warming, festive wine without the risk of it boiling.
Served in heatproof glasses with orange slices, this classic hot Winter drink will lift the spirits and give instant warmth on a cold Winter’s day.
You need mulled wine to serve with your mince pies – it’s Christmas law, isn’t it? I appreciate it’s not to everyone’s taste, but I do a spicy mulled wine on a cold evening.
I’m not much of a wine drinker, but hand me a glass of warm, festive, spicy mulled wine and I’ll be your best friend. For me, it’s the ultimate Winter warmer.
why make mulled wine in a slow cooker?
Making mulled wine in the slow cooker is a breeze – I doubt I’ll make it any other way now.
- Keeps temperature stable – You can leave it on high for a couple of hours or low for even longer, safe in the knowledge that a warming glass of festive cheer is waiting for you when you get home from the pantomime/a Winter walk/Christmas shopping/tick as appropriate.
- It stops the alcohol boiling away – the slow cooker gently warms the wine without it reaching a rolling boil, so all the flavour is locked in. It’s very easy to accidentally overheat it on the hob – but with a slow cooker, you don’t need to worry about it.
- stays warm for hours – Switching the slow cooker on “warm” will ensure that your mulled wine stays at the perfect temperature – there’s no need to reheat it.
- No watching the hob – Once all the ingredients are in the pot, you’re done – no need to stir or babysit the pan. You can go and watch a Christmas film, put up the tree, or wrap presents while it takes care of itself. It’s practically foolproof.
a classic winter warmer
This mulled wine recipe is warming and lightly spiced, with not a hint of the medicine bottle about it.
If you’ve tried to enjoy mulled wine in the past but found the taste too harsh and overpowering, give it a try. I hope you love it as much as I do.
ingredient list for slow cooker mulled wine
- A 750ml bottle of fruity red wine. I definitely wouldn’t break the bank and buy an expensive bottle for mulled wine, but you do need one that you would quite happily drink. Some of the cheaper varieties are rather harsh, but it is possible to get a perfectly decent bottle for around £5.
- caster sugar. I’ve used vanilla caster sugar and soft light brown sugar for mulled wine. Both are good. I rather like mulled wine on the sweet side, but not so much that you feel you’re drinking Ribena. I find 100g of sugar is just right, but you could decrease/increase to your own taste.
- The all essential Christmas spices – cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom pods and star anise.
- Fresh ginger. If you’re not a fan of ginger, you can skip this, but I love the warming flavour it provides.
- The peel and juice of one large unwaxed orange
tips for making slow cooker mulled wine
- While testing this recipe a few times, I found it was best not to add whole orange slices to the pot. After an hour or so of slow cooking, the white pith can turn the wine bitter. It’s much better to add just the peel. If you want to serve the wine with fresh orange slices, that’s fine!
- Whole cloves can tend to overwhelm a recipe, so I stud a couple of pieces of the orange peel with a clove instead of adding them directly to the slow cooker. It makes the taste much milder and it won’t leave you with that undesirable numb “been to the dentist” mouth feeling.
- In the classic Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, George Bailey’s guardian angel asks the barman for a mulled wine…”heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves”. I’m in full agreement with him.
faqs
Nope! The internal temperature in a slow cooker is typically around 90C on low and 150C on high. You can leave the wine to mull very gently in the slow cooker, without fear of boiling all the alcohol away.
Yes! I sometimes add 150ml ginger wine. It pairs perfectly with the gentle spices. Brandy or Cointreau are also lovely.
I’ve tried this and I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s much better to add just the orange peel without the white pith.
Whole orange slices might look quite pretty, but after an hour or so of slow cooking with the wine, you will end up with bitter wine that’s not particularly pleasant to drink. If you want to serve the mulled wine with orange slices, that’s perfectly ok!
Absolutely. I’ve kept this recipe fairly simple, but a few allspice berries, a couple of bay leaves, grated nutmeg and lemon peel are all great additions to mulled wine.
You could always make it a few times over the festive season, tweaking the ingredients every time until it’s perfect for your taste.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, then don’t worry – you can still make this recipe on a cooker hob. Simply place all of the ingredients in a large pan over a low-medium heat. Gently warm for about 45 minutes, stirring now and again until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add extra sugar or brandy/orange juice if you like.
Please be aware that the alcohol can bubble away to nothing if it’s left on the stovetop for too long (which is why I always use the slow cooker method!)
Yes, you can double this recipe with absolutely no problems. This recipe will give you five to six servings, but if you’re making it for a bigger crowd it can easily be doubled or even tripled, as long as your slow cooker is big enough!
best wine for mulled wine
The best wines for making mulled wine are fruity, full-bodied wines that stand up well to the spices – think Merlot, Zinfandel, Malbec or Shiraz. But honestly, this is a matter of personal taste.
I would never splash out on anything expensive for mulling – (total waste of money!) – a half decent mid-range bottle is perfect. Not the cheapest, bargain basement stuff, but not the top range fancy wine either.
troubleshooting
My mulled wine is too bitter
This usually means too much orange pith, too many cloves, or it’s been heated for far too long. Remove the spices with a slotted spoon, and add a little more sugar or honey until you’re happy with it.
mulled wine tastes weak?
If it tastes weak, add a slug of brandy, ginger wine or Cointreau to lift the flavour.
too sweet?
Add a splash of cranberry juice or a couple of strips of lemon peel. This will cut through the sweetness, but won’t change the flavour.
delicious sweet treats to serve with your crock pot mulled wine
more festive drinks to try
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
This Slow Cooker Mulled Wine recipe is perfect for cosy Winter gatherings! It can quite happily be left in the slow cooker on low for a few hours, ready to welcome you home with a glass of warming festive cheer!
Ingredients
- one large unwaxed orange (if you can't find unwaxed oranges, give the orange a scrub under hot water)
- 2 whole cloves
- one 750ml bottle fruity red wine
- 100g caster or soft light brown sugar
- 2 star anise
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cardamom pods
- 25g fresh ginger, sliced (no need to peel)
- orange slices to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your slow cooker. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the orange. You can keep the pieces fairly large. Stud two pieces of the orange peel with the cloves. Cut the peeled orange in half.
- Pour the wine into the preheated slow cooker, followed by the juice of the orange, the orange peel, sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and fresh ginger. Stir, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or HIGH for around 2 hours. Serve in heatproof glasses or mugs with orange slices, if desired. Cheers!
Notes
This recipe serves 5-6, but could easily be doubled for a larger crowd.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 191Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 1g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
Looking forward to making this, but I don’t see orange juice in the 😁
Should say recipe 😂
How much orange juice?
Hi, sorry! It’s the juice of one whole orange 😊
Hi Jean, it’s the juice of one whole orange. I just cut the peeled orange and squeeze it right into the slow cooker, holding my hand over to catch any pips!
I add a slash of cointreau and another of brandy to mine its delicious.
We have it every year and now a bit of a tradition lol 😆
Yes I rarely drink, but I do love a mulled wine on a chilly Winters evening!