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Have you ever tried making Mulled Wine in the slow cooker? It’s so easy, it tastes delicious, it’s faff-free and convenient, and oh-my-word the smell! You’ve got to try it.
This is a perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit and serve up something a little special. You won’t ever go back to ready-made after you’ve tried this easy recipe.
This Slow Cooker Mulled Wine is exactly the cosy comfort we need to improve any festive gathering or get-together this Christmas.
Christmas walk? Movie night? Party? All excellent candidates for being improved even further with a batch of this!
Why you’ll love this recipe
⭐️ Festive feel-good comfort
⭐️ Convenient to serve to guests
⭐️ Christmas in a cup!
About Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Yes, making Mulled Wine in the slow cooker is THE way to do it! I love to serve mulled wine cooked like this as it is so easy and doesn’t bubble away to nothing, which can happen when you warm it on the stove and keep it too hot for too long.
Once it’s cooked, you can keep Slow Cooker Mulled Wine happily on LOW for a few more hours to keep warm and serve to guests.
This method is ideal for guests popping round or serving up at a party or function. It’s also a fantastic recipe for flavour and is so easy and there’s very little faff involved. It makes eight glasses/mugs and the smell and zesty, festive flavour of the cloves, star anise and cinnamon is divine.
What you’ll need
- Red wine – The best type to use is something robust like a Rioja or Merlot – something fruity enough to take all of these flavours.
- Light brown sugar – This adds sweetness and richness.
- Oranges – Be sure to follow the recipe and just use peel in the cooking, if you include the white of the orange it can go quite bitter.
- Cloves – Whole cloves
- Star anise – Whole
- Cinnamon sticks – I buy these in bulk from Amazon at this time of year!
- Vanilla extract – Use extract, not essence.
- Brandy – This is optional, to serve
How to make it
- Put the slow cooker ingredients into the slow cooker according to the recipe below.
2. Before serving, remove the spices and orange zest (optional). Add any preferred extra ingredients like brandy and vanilla.
Hint: Peel off as much of the white pith as you can before adding the orange. This stops the mulled wine from becoming bitter as it cooks.
Substitutions
- Sweetness: Do a taste test before you serve the wine and add more sugar or some honey if it’s not sweet enough.
Top Tips for making the Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Oranges
Don’t put the whole orange pieces with white pith in to cook with the wine as it can make it a little bitter. Just peel off some of the orange skin to cook (I use a vegetable peeler).
To sieve or not to sieve
If you’d prefer to serve this without bits floating around, which is often how Mulled Wine comes, you can remove this with a slotted spoon or sieve. But leave it if you’re happy with how it comes.
To serve
There’s the option of making this pretty by slicing up a large orange and serving it on top of the cup.
Remember this will be hot, so no normal wine glasses! Serve it instead in mugs or heatproof glasses.
FAQ
No. A slow cooker doesn’t get up to the temperature required to burn off alcohol, so the wine’s content should still be in tact. Fear not!
Yes, you can. It will need far more tending to though to make sure you don’t over-boil it, which will reduce it down. Keep it on a very low heat.
Yes! How about making my Slow Cooker Ham, Easy Sausage Rolls or Christmas Canapes? All crowd pleasers that are super simple.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Slow Cooker Mulled Wine
Ingredients
For the slow cook:
- 2x 750 ml Bottles of red wine
- 125 g Light brown sugar
- 1 Large orange, Peeled zest and juice
- 8 Cloves
- 4 Star anise
- 4 Cinnamon sticks
To serve:
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 100 ml Brandy, Optional.
- 1 Large orange, Cut into slices.
Instructions
- Put the slow cook ingredients into the slow cooker on HIGH for 2 hours of LOW for 3-4 hours.
- Before serving, remove the spices and orange zest that have been cooked (if you wish!) Use a sieve or slotted spoon to do this. Then add the extra ingredients and serve.
Best mulled wine recipe we have tried, delicious!