Easy Homemade Mulled Wine (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
Warm up to this easy homemade mulled wine, which is flavored with beautiful warm spices, making it the perfect cozy winter drink for a cold night. Totally gluten-free and vegan too.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
What is Mulled Wine?
Mulled wine is basically a warm, alcoholic beverage made by heating red wine with sweeteners (such as sugar, maple syrup or honey), warming spices and additional ingredients such as fruit or liquors.
A traditional winter drink, mulled wine is particular popular during the holiday season in European countries (such as glühwein in Germany), but basically can be enjoyed during anywhere during the winter.
Basically because of how warm and comforting it is, it’s great for cozying up to during chilly winter months!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe:
- Simple Ingredients: The main ingredients required for making this easy mulled wine recipe are easily accessible at the local grocery store (nothing fancy required!).
- Easy to Make: All you need is just 5 minutes of prep time, and you can have this homemade mulled wine ready in under an hour.
- Totally Gluten-Free & Vegan: The best part is that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances can enjoy this easy mulled wine without issues.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for making this homemade mulled wine recipe.
(For exact measurements, please scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
Recipe Notes + Substitutions:
- Wine: I recommend using a dry or semi-dry red wine with good body and flavor (such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or syrah). Try not to use sweet wines as that will result in an overly sweet mulled wine (unless that’s the taste you’re going for). Also, go for affordable wines as the heating and spices will reduce the nuances of more expensive wines.
- Sugar: I used brown sugar, but wine sugar or cane sugar can work just as well.
- Orange: I used orange slices as they add a beautiful citrus flavor to the mulled wine, but lemon slices or grapefruit slices will work well too.
- Spices: I used a mix of whole spices such star anise, cinnamon sticks, whole cardamom pods and whole cloves. Feel free to add nutmeg too if you enjoy.
How to Make Homemade Mulled Wine (Step by Step):
1. Combine Wine, Sugar & Spices
Pour wine into a large pot or medium saucepan. Add sugar, spices and sliced orange.
2. Simmer on Low Heat
Without bringing the ingredients to a boil, simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Let Wine Steep
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let the wine steep for half an hour under the lid, then strain the hot wine, removing the spices and orange slices.
4. Garnish & Serve
Serve this cozy drink warm or hot, garnished with fresh orange slices, fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary if you wish.
Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Type of Wine: It’s best to usea dry or semi-dry red wine with good body and flavor (such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or syrah). I don’t recommend using sweet wines as that will result in an overly sweet mulled wine (unless that’s the taste you’re going for). Affordable wines will work as the heating and spices will reduce the nuances of more expensive wines, so you don’t have to spend on an expensive wine for this.
- Fruit: I used orange slices as they add a beautiful citrus flavor to the mulled wine, but lemon slices or grapefruit slices will work well too. Alternatively, you can also use apple slices too if you wish.
- Spices: I recommend using whole spices as opposed to ground spices, so you can easily strain the mulled wine once cooked.
- Slow Cooker Method: If you wish, you can also use the slow cooker (crockpot) by combining the ingredients in the slow cooker and cooking on low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, then switching it over to the “keep warm” function once the mulled wine is ready.
Other Beverages You’ll Enjoy:
Easy Homemade Mulled Wine (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Warm up to this easy homemade mulled wine, which is flavored with beautiful warm spices, making it the perfect cozy winter drink for a cold night. Totally gluten-free and vegan too.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of dry or semi-dry red wine (750ml)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 orange, sliced
- 2–3 star anise
- 3–4 cinnamon sticks
- 3–4 cardamom seeds
- 5–7 cloves
Instructions
- Combine Wine, Sugar and Spices: Pour wine into a saucepan. Add sugar, spices and sliced orange.
- Simmer on Low Heat: Without bringing the ingredients to a boil, simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Let Wine Steep: Remove the saucepan from the heat, and let the wine steep for half an hour under the lid, then strain the wine, removing the spices and orange.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve the mulled wine warm or hot, garnished with slices of fresh orange.
Notes
Wine: I recommend using a dry or semi-dry red wine with good body and flavor (such as merlot, cabernet sauvignon, or syrah). Try not to use sweet wines as that will result in an overly sweet mulled wine (unless that’s the taste you’re going for). Also, go for affordable wines as the heating and spices will reduce the nuances of more expensive wines.
Sugar: I used brown sugar, but wine sugar or cane sugar can work just as well.
Orange: I used orange slices as they add a beautiful citrus flavor to the mulled wine, but lemon slices or grapefruit slices will work well too.
Spices: For the spices, I used a mix of star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds and cloves. Feel free to add nutmeg too if you enjoy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Western
