Natural form

Freshly pressed apple juice in a clear glass, showing its pale golden color and clarity.

Shows the drink's defining visual qualities — color, translucency, and liquid form — so readers instantly recognize it.

Beverages

Apple Juice

Sweet, mellow juice for drinking, glazes, and braising

Mild and sweet, apple juice refreshes on its own, sweetens a braise, and glazes pork and chicken. A family favorite. Keep it cold and use within a week of opening.

Apple juice is the pressed juice of apples — sweet, lightly tart, and mildly fragrant, ranging from crystal-clear filtered juice to cloudy, fuller-flavored unfiltered 'cider' (the non-alcoholic kind). Its gentle sweetness and soft acidity make it a friendly, family-safe cooking liquid: it braises pork and cabbage, glazes ham and roots, sweetens and brightens marinades and barbecue sauces, deglazes pans, and adds moisture and fruit to cakes and compotes. It's also a leading non-alcoholic substitute for white wine or cider in recipes, especially where a touch of natural sweetness is welcome.

Measured in: ml
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 7 days

Find it in

Beverages

Types & varieties

Clear filtered

Mild, sweet — light cooking

Cloudy/unfiltered (cider)

Fuller apple flavor — braises

Concentrate

Intense apple flavor, less liquid

How to use in cooking

Apple juice braises beautifully with pork, sausages, and cabbage, and reduces into glazes for ham, gammon, and roasted root vegetables. Use it to deglaze a pork or chicken pan, sweeten and tenderize a barbecue or marinade base, or add fruity moisture to cakes and compotes. It's a go-to non-alcoholic swap for white wine or hard cider — add a splash of vinegar or lemon to restore the acidity that wine would bring. Cloudy unfiltered juice has more apple character than clear.

How to choose

100% apple juice (no added sugar) is best for cooking. Cloudy, unfiltered juice or fresh non-alcoholic cider has fuller flavor; clear filtered juice is milder and sweeter. For savory dishes, balance its sweetness with vinegar, mustard, or lemon. It's an excellent family-friendly, alcohol-free cooking liquid.

Common uses

Braise pork, sausages, and cabbageGlaze ham, gammon, or rootsDeglaze a pork or chicken panSweeten a barbecue or marinade baseAdd moisture to cakes and muffinsMake an apple compote or sauceReplace white wine (with added acid)Simmer a mulled, spiced drink