Store-Bought Apple Cider Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

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Nothing quite says fall like biting into a crisp apple on a cool autumn afternoon, but a sweet glass of apple cider? Even better. According to its traditional definition, apple cider differs from apple juice in that it is unfiltered. That said, don't feel like you have to go prancing through an orchard to get your fix; there are plenty of delicious apple cider options lining grocery store shelves, and it's high time they got some recognition. 

​In this post, I'm filling my grocery cart with as many store-bought apple cider brands as I can find in hopes of discovering the one that's truly best. Though the upcoming ranking will be based mostly on overall flavor, other factors, including pricing, opaqueness (i.e., the amount of sediment found in the juice), and whether or not the apple cider is from concentrate, will also be explored.​ 

Bear in mind that pricing and availability are subject to change, and that the apple ciders reviewed were found locally and may not be representative of every apple cider brand available at your local market. With that, I invite you to come along on a tasty journey through the many apple cider brands I found in my local Wisconsin grocery store in hopes of unveiling which cider brand will become the apple of my eye this autumn. ​

​Judging by its appearance, I figured Amazon Grocery Apple Cider might rank low; unfortunately, I was right. Amazon Grocery Apple Cider comes priced at $2.40 per half-gallon and is the cheapest on the list. The cider is from concentrate, contains no preservatives, is pasteurized, and comes unrefrigerated. Its appearance was very clear, almost identical to apple juice, though I did notice a few tiny specks that looked like spices floating throughout the juice while pouring. ​

Amazon Grocery Apple Cider is just as hum-drum as I figured it'd be. It has no depth of flavor, and tastes exactly like apple juice — watered-down apple juice, at that. Given that apple cider is supposed to be unfiltered, I'm not exactly sure how Amazon Grocery Apple Cider lives up to the beverage's definition. I will say that Amazon Grocery Apple Cider has a slight (and I do mean slight) cidery flavor to it, but it's certainly nothing to write home about. 

Given its mundane characteristics, I would recommend skipping Amazon Grocery Apple Cider altogether in favor of a higher-quality grab. Nevertheless, if you find yourself with a bottle of it anyway, consider upgrading its taste with a dash of cinnamon or spiking the apple cider with bourbon, if you're into that sort of thing. All in all, though temptingly cheap, Amazon Grocery Apple Cider is far from the best apple cider out there.

My expectations for Kroger Spiced Apple Cider were admittedly low, but because of its "spiced" designation, I still held on to hope. Kroger Spiced Apple Cider comes in a half-gallon for $2.89 at my local Pick 'n Save. Like the Amazon Grocery apple cider option, it too contains no preservatives, but is comprised of filtered water, apple juice, natural flavors, and ascorbic acid. As you might expect from the photo, Kroger Spiced Apple Cider is from concentrate, and sports a liquid even clearer than the previous Amazon Grocery cider brand — it was so see-through, in fact, that I wondered if it would even be worth the couple dollars it cost. 

It wasn't. Kroger Spiced Apple Cider, though certainly possessing a more interesting flavor profile than the aforementioned Amazon Grocery apple cider brand, is far from the best. As expected, it lacked the complexity of a real cider, and had none of the fresh apple flavor that other, higher-ranking brands have. As for the spice, well, it was definitely there — imagine placing several drops of clove essential oil into a single cup of apple juice. Yeah, no. The spice is way too strong and was a major turn-off, even for a fall spice-lover like me.

It might be more work, but I'd actually recommend choosing the best grocery store apples and making homemade hot apple cider before buying Kroger Spiced Apple Cider. It ranks low for good reason, and you definitely won't find it back in my grocery cart.

Great Value Spiced Apple Cider tastes as expected — kinda. It's priced at $3.12 per half-gallon at my local Walmart at the time of publication, making it the priciest unrefrigerated option yet. Interestingly, despite a run-of-the-mill generic offering, Great Value Spiced Apple Cider isn't from concentrate, which made me curious. The fact that the cider comes "spiced" worried me a bit; I could literally see the spices floating around through the bottle, and was afraid it be a repeat of the over-spiced mess that was Kroger Spiced Apple Cider.​

Great Value Spiced Apple Cider wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but that doesn't mean I'd buy it again. It's certainly the most flavorful generic-branded unrefrigerated apple cider on the list, but it is by no means worthy of a top spot. Remember those spices I saw floating in the juice? There are so many of them, I could feel them on my tongue. Aside from its strange grittiness, the actual flavor of the spice wasn't bad — rather than potent clove, the drink tasted more like apple pie. ​

All in all, while Great Value Spiced Apple Cider isn't exactly my cup of, well, cider, I do think it's the best of the unrefrigerated category. Still, I absolutely hated the graininess of the drink and would never recommend this cider over the many high-quality ciders out there. 

Martinelli's Apple Cider left me confused; I was already concerned by its transparency, but it's the price tag that really left me boggled. Martinelli's Apple Cider goes for a whopping $5.49 per 33.8 fluid ounces at Pick 'n Save; that's a little over half the size of the traditional half-gallon apple ciders I've reviewed thus far. It comes in a fancy little glass jar and looks rather pretentious — nevertheless, the juice itself was giving Mott's; it was completely clear, with no sediment anywhere in sight. 

Going into the tasting, I assumed Martinelli's Apple Cider would be a let-down, and I was right. Though I'd agree that Martinelli's Apple Cider is tasty, it's by no means a good apple cider. It tastes like a smooth, high-quality apple juice, and though enjoyable, it doesn't evoke the fresh, crisp, apple-y flavors of fall. By definition, apple cider is unfiltered apple juice, so how Martinelli's got away with labeling this as a "cider" is beyond me. Maybe I'm missing something here, but one thing's certainly clear: Martinelli's Apple Cider isn't worth buying.

Out of all the fresh, refrigerated apple ciders I've ranked on the list, Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider was the most disappointing. I found Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider at Pick 'n Save priced at $3.49 per half-gallon, making it the cheapest refrigerated cider I've come across. After shaking the jug, I noticed it contained lots of sediment, which I found encouraging; Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider looked the part, and I was ready to give it a swig. ​

Unfortunately, Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider didn't please my taste buds; despite being made with fresh apples and containing all the characteristics of what a good cider should be, Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider was unbelievably sweet. So sweet, in fact, that I could scarcely take another sip. None of the other ciders had this quality to them, which makes me wonder if it's a certain apple or juicing process Zeigler's uses that makes it taste the way it does. 

My advice? Skip cloyingly sweet brands like Zeigler's Old Fashioned Apple Cider and opt for sparkling apple cider instead; Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider and others can be used to make a delectable fall apple float when your taste buds are craving something new. 

Good & Gather groceries from Target tend to be hit or miss with me; thankfully, I found myself pleased with Good & Gather Original Apple Cider. This Target-branded fall beverage goes for $4.29 per half-gallon and comes refrigerated. It is not from concentrate and contains no artificial preservatives; instead, it uses glycolipids as a natural way of stabilizing the drink, thereby appealing to those looking to avoid synthetic preservatives.​

Good & Gather Original Apple Cider has an opaque and murky appearance, but, of course, that's a good sign. One sip of Good & Gather Original Apple Cider and I felt refreshed; it was like taking a bite straight out of an apple. Its overall flavor was very apple-y, and I mean that in the best way. Still, I'd be lying if I didn't say something was missing; there was no complexity or tart flavors to counteract its sweetness, which means Good & Gather Original Apple Cider is a bit boring when compared to others. Still, Good & Gather Original Apple Cider is a basic yet solid pick, even if it isn't exactly the best grocery store apple cider on my list.

Like the previous cider, Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider is very apple-forward, and I absolutely love it. I found this apple cider at Pick 'n Save for $3.99 per half-gallon. It comes with two preservatives: potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. When shaken, Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider contained very little sediment compared to other brands, leading me to believe it might not be as tasty as some of the others. I also feared its "Honeycrisp" designation would yield a cider that's uncomfortably sweet, similar to what I experienced with the Ziegler's apple cider brand; fortunately, my worries were unwarranted.

Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider tasted pretty amazing. It didn't have a lot of tartness, but still managed to pack enough complexity to make it more interesting than other brands without being cloyingly sweet. I also love that Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider is cheaper than a few of the other refrigerated apple cider options, making it an easy thing to throw in your cart during a weekly grocery run. That said, Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider still isn't the best option on the list — the upcoming apple cider grabs are a bit more robust in flavor, leaving Riveridge Honeycrisp Blend Apple Cider to rank a little lower than the rest.

This Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider caught me totally off-guard, and I'm lovin' it. In case you aren't familiar, Meijer is a regional family-owned grocery store in the Midwest and can be found checkering states like Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. It's here you can find the Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider; in my area, it's sold for $3.99 per half-gallon. Like a few of the other apple cider offerings on the list, Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider features two types of preservatives: sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. It features a very plain and boring label; the only thing about the apple cider that caught my eye was that it is "Michigan-made."​

Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider blew me away, first, because I didn't expect it, and second, because of its complexity. Considering it's a generic store-branded apple cider offering, Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider is extremely flavorful with plenty of tangy sweetness. It's one of the only brands on the list I felt got the balance of sweet and tang right — the two attributes harmonize with one another beautifully to create a deliciously enjoyable sip from start to finish.

Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill Apple Cider is possibly one of the best ciders I've tasted in life. It's a little pricier compared to other apple ciders on the list, at $4.99 per half-gallon, but the higher price tag is well worth it. Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill Apple Cider is a fresh, refrigerated beverage that isn't from concentrate and contains lots — and lots — of sediment. 

So, what makes Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill Apple Cider so special? For me, it's all about its deep, rich flavor. Marked "premium" on the label, this cider comes from a well-known orchard near Detroit, Michigan. My first swig had me hooked; its flavor was incredibly robust. It wasn't the straightforward apple notes I got from other brands — the taste here is more concentrated, with a remarkably pronounced flavor. I will say that Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill Apple Cider isn't very tart, so if you're a fan of that sweet and sour effect that some ciders have, I'd go with the previous Fresh from Meijer Apple Cider instead. And while sediment in apple cider is to be expected (it is unfiltered apple juice, after all), Blake's has more of it than usual, so keep that in mind. 

Overall, Blake's Orchard & Cider Mill Apple Cider is a great pick despite its high(er) price tag. If you're lucky enough to have a Meijer near you, it's worth making a special trip.

Store-bought apple cider brands were selected on the basis of local and regional availability, and may not feature all brands available at certain grocery markets. The store-bought apple cider brands mentioned in this post were evaluated based on several factors, including taste, whether or not the apple cider is from concentrate, whether sediments exist (proof that the juice is indeed unfiltered), whether it features sweet or tart notes, and more. 

Each apple cider was sampled fresh immediately after opening for consistency when comparing across brands. As always, pricing and availability may vary.