Make the popular Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice at home! This popular fall seasonal drink is ready in less than 10 minutes! Warm up with this cozy and satisfying hot apple cider recipe.
This homemade Starbucks caramel apple spice brings all the cozy fall flavors you love right to your kitchen in under 10 minutes! What makes our version special is that we skip the overly sweet cinnamon dolce syrup and add warm spices directly to the drink, creating a more balanced flavor that lets the apple cider and caramel shine through without being sugar overload.
As someone who loves coffeehouse drinks but also appreciates saving money, I’ve developed more than 20 DIY coffeehouse recipes for this blog over the years. Through all that testing and experimenting, I’ve learned that the best homemade versions often come from simplifying the original and focusing on quality ingredients rather than just adding more sugar.
What I love most about this recipe is how it captures that cozy coffeehouse experience at home while being much more manageable on the sweetness scale. Since apple cider is naturally sweet and we’re adding caramel sauce plus whipped cream, there’s really no need for additional syrups or sugars (or to pay for them either!). The result is a warming, satisfying drink that tastes like fall in a mug!
Pair this spiced cider with our cinnamon scones for a wonderful treat!
Jump to:
- Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Ingredients
- DIY Caramel Apple Spice Ingredients
- How to Make a Caramel Apple Spice
- Make This Hot Apple Cider Recipe for a Party!
- Starbucks Apple Cider Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- How to Store and Reheat Starbucks Apple Cider
- Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Recipe FAQs
- Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- Caramel Apple Spice Starbucks
- More Starbucks Copycat Recipes to Try
Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Ingredients
Level of difficulty: Easy.
Flavor: Apple, cinnamon, and caramel
Time: It will take you less than 10 minutes to prepare your hot caramel apple cider
DIY Caramel Apple Spice Ingredients
Apple Cider: Fresh squeezed from a local apple orchard or bottled at your grocery store, apple cider (not apple juice) is the base of this caramel apple spice Starbucks copycat recipe.
Ground Cinnamon: Adding this to your apple cider brings all those cozy fall flavors that you’re expecting in this hot apple cider recipe. Option to sprinkle a little extra on top too. You can find ground cinnamon in your grocery store’s baking aisle.
Caramel Syrup or Sauce: The caramel is in this hot apple cider recipe AND drizzled on top… does it get any better than that?! I personally love and use the Torani or Ghirardelli caramel sauces. Look in your grocery store’s coffee aisle or by the ice cream.
Whipped Cream: Using your favorite canned whipped cream makes preparing this drink extra easy, but feel free to use homemade whipped cream too!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make a Caramel Apple Spice
Place apple cider, cinnamon, and caramel into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and stir periodically throughout the heating process. Warm to desired temperature (approximately 5-10 minutes).
Pour hot cider into a mug, leaving room for whipped cream.
Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel, and a dusting of cinnamon.
Make This Hot Apple Cider Recipe for a Party!
While this recipe is written out for a single serving, you can easily double it or multiply the ingredient ratios out for a larger group!
Make it for 4-8
Having a small get together? You can still make this on the stove!
- Make sure you have a medium or large size saucepan to heat your cider and caramel sauce in in (size will depend on how many servings you are making).
- Allow yourself a little more time to heat up your cider. With the larger volume, it will take a little longer to get your cider heated up. Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait!
Make it for 8 or More
Having a larger gathering? It’s time to bust out the crock pot!
- Pour 8 cups of apple cider and ½ cup of caramel sauce into the crockpot and stir.
- Add 2-3 cinnamon sticks to the crock pot (replacing the ground cinnamon).
- Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally to help the caramel dissolve.
- Have mugs, whipped cream, caramel sauce, and ground cinnamon ready for your guests to serve themselves and enjoy!
Starbucks Apple Cider Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Replace the ground cinnamon with a cinnamon syrup. Ok, ok, if you REALLY want to use the Starbucks cinnamon dolce syrup, I’m not going to stop you! I’d recommend checking out the Torani cinnamon syrup as it’s a fraction of the cost, or making your own cinnamon simple syrup though. To do this swap, replace the ground cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon syrup (per 1 cup of apple cider) in this recipe.
- Use apple juice instead of apple cider. If you’re making this outside of the fall season, apple cider can be hard to find. Apple juice is also filtered and pasteurized, so may be a better option for mamas-to-be if they’re craving one of these. Note: apple juice is sweeter than apple cider.. which may or may not be a big deal to you. If I were making this swap, I’d start with less caramel in my drink and adjust to taste.
- Make this into a spiked apple cider. If you’re wanting to turn this into a warm and cozy caramel apple cider cocktail, add a shot of your favorite bourbon or brandy to your serving glass. Do not add your liquor of choice to the apple cider on the stove as you’ll cook off some of the alcohol (and then, what’s the point of spiking it?).
How to Store and Reheat Starbucks Apple Cider
Leftover caramel apple spice can be stored in the refrigerator (after cooling) for up to 2 days. To reheat, either pour it into a saucepan and warm it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 3-4 minutes). Or microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until your desired temperature has been reached. Add fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce before serving, as the original toppings won’t store well.
Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Recipe FAQs
No, the caramel apple spice does not have coffee in it. Just apple cider (or apple juice), caramel, cinnamon, and whipped cream to top it off!
The Starbucks cinnamon dolce syrup is a fancy cinnamon simple syrup. Apple cider is already sweet…and we’re adding caramel…and we’re topping our drink with whipped cream… plus some extra caramel… the added sugar just isn’t necessary. This version of the Starbucks caramel apple cider skips the white sugar and brown sugar (and other miscellaneous ingredients) used for the cinnamon syrup, and adds our favorite fall spice directly to the drink.
No, the Starbucks caramel apple spice is caffeine-free! This cozy fall drink is made with steamed apple cider, cinnamon dolce syrup, whipped cream, and caramel sauce (no coffee or tea is used). It’s a great option when you want something warm and comforting without the caffeine.
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Caramel Apple Spice Starbucks
Ingredients
- 1 C apple cider
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon + more to top
- 1 tablespoon caramel sauce or syrup + more to top
- whipped cream for topping
Instructions
- Place apple cider, cinnamon, and caramel into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to combine and stir periodically throughout the heating process. Warm to desired temperature (approximately 5-10 minutes)
- Pour hot cider into a mug, leaving room for whipped cream
- Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel, and a dusting of cinnamon
Notes
-
- Replace the ground cinnamon with a cinnamon syrup. To do this swap, replace the ground cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon syrup.
-
- Use apple juice instead of apple cider. Replace 1-to-1. Note that your drink will be sweeter if you do this.
-
- Make this into a spiked apple cider. Add 1-2oz of your favorite bourbon or brandy before adding your toppings and enjoy!
-
- Make sure you have a medium or large size saucepan to heat your cider and caramel sauce in in (size will depend on how many servings you are making).
-
- Allow yourself a little more time to heat up your cider. With the larger volume, it will take a little longer to get your cider heated up. Don’t worry, it’s worth the wait!
-
- Pour 8 cups of apple cider and ½ cup of caramel sauce into the crockpot and stir.
-
- Add 2-3 cinnamon sticks to the crock pot (replacing the ground cinnamon).
-
- Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally to help the caramel dissolve.
-
- Have mugs, whipped cream, caramel sauce, and ground cinnamon ready for your guests to serve themselves and enjoy!
Sara says
Absolutely delicious! If you like cider or caramel, make this right away!
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear you loved these too Sara! Thank you for making my recipe 🙂
Ry’Anne Sage says
Taste just like an apple pie! Absolutely delicious! It was a hit with my husbands side of the family, they couldn’t get enough! It’s so easy too! You want it more cider-y add more cinnamon, want my sweet, add more caramel! And you should definitely add fresh apple slices to the bowl! Truly incredible! Thank you so much!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so, so happy to hear that this was a huge hit Ry’Anne! Thank you so much for making my recipe 🙂
Bethany Gunderson says
I could drink those all day! So good!
ourlovelanguageisfood says
Happy to hear it! Enjoy!