Easy Slow Cooker Apple Butter is the perfect way to make your very own spiced fruit spread in the Crockpot. Warm spices, brown sugar and plenty of apples simmer together while you do other things!
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This nostalgic recipe for apple butter in the slow cooker is a hands-off way to do small batch canning with apples.
One of my favorite memories making apple butter was teaching my daughter and her husband to make it so they could give it as homemade Christmas gifts. We laughed and talked while peeling apples.
It doubles as an autumn harvest room scent while it cooks all day!
Just like my Easy Crockpot Pear Butter and Slow Cooker Fig Jam, this apple butter crock pot recipe practically makes itself. All you do is peel and core the apples, then mash it up. Done!
Shortcuts
- Apple pie spice is a blend of warm spices all in one bottle, saving you time measuring out 3ingredients. Saves money, too.
- The slow cooker is a shortcut because it is "hands off" cooking. It's a time-saver, for sure.
Spread it on toast, serve with waffles, pancakes, or French toast for breakfast, or even pair it with savory dishes like sandwiches and use it in marinades!
Ingredients
What you will need to make this slow cooker apple butter recipe.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
These are some of the cooking apples I picked in an apple orchard the Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Apples - If you've got small apples, use about 10 or use 7 large apples
- Lemon juice (Bottled works best if processing in water bath to make it shelf stable.)
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar - Use light or dark brown sugar.
- Molasses - No need to add this if you're using dark brown sugar.
- Apple pie spice - A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. See NOTES in printable recipe below to make your own.
- Salt - Helps to balance out all of the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
Pro Tips
Use cooking apples for apple butter as opposed to snacking apples (sometimes called dessert apples) as they're softer and cook down faster. Apples meant to be eaten on their own tend to have a more firm and crisp texture.
How to Make Apple Butter in the Slow Cooker
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Peel and core your apples, then cut them into six or eight pieces.
- Place the apple chunks in the slow cooker with sugars, lemon juice, molasses (if using), salt, and apple pie spice.
- Cover and cook 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
- Use a potato masher, immersion blender, or stand blender to make the apple mixture smooth.
Safety note: Let mixture cool 30 minutes before adding to a traditional blender and vent the lid. Hot mixtures can build up pressure and cause the lid to pop up.
- Spoon the apple butter into clean jars using a canning funnel, then store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or process in sterilized jars in a water bath to make it shelf stable for up to 2 years. (See NOTES in printable recipe below.)
Keep reading to get some ideas on uses for apple butter!
Pro Tips
This homemade apple butter recipe is perfect to make as edible gifts for the holidays or any special occasion. I recommend canning (processing in a water bath) for gift giving.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this apple butter crock pot recipe.
- Apple pie spice - If you don't have a store bought spice blend, combine cinnamon with nutmeg and cloves. Use about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice.
- Bottled lemon juice - When canning your apple butter, I recommend using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh. It usually has a more consistent pH which means safer canning!
- Dark brown sugar - If you only have light brown sugar but want that deep and rich sweetness, add about a tablespoon of molasses.
- Crockpot applesauce- Follow the directions for apple butter in the slow cooker but reduce the sugar to ½ cup and omit the spices.
Helpful Information
If you're not using the water bath canning method, spoon the apple butter into jars, seal them well, and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Return the apple butter to your slow cooker and cook on high with the lid off. Stir often until it reaches your desired consistency.
I like to use Gala, Rome, or Golden Delicious when making this apple butter recipe. Any "cooking apples" work well--some other examples are Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and McIntosh.
Uses for Apple Butter
- Spread your apple butter on toasted bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter.
- Use slow cooker apple butter as a topping or filling for desserts like Peanut Butter Ice Cream, or Air Fryer Apple Pie Bombs.
- Apple butter can also be used in savory recipes to bring in a nice amount of sweetness. Mix it into marinades, or as a dressing for a salad.
- For breakfast, spread it on my 2 Ingredient Biscuits or stir it into hot oatmeal.
How to Store Apple Butter
- To Store. Store your apple butter in a sealable jar in the fridge for 2 weeks or if canned and unopened, in a cool, dry shelf for up to 2 years.
- To Freeze. If you'd like your apple butter to last longer but don't want to process it in a water bath, store it in the freezer for up to a year. Allow it to thaw in the fridge again before serving.
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Want more Slow Cooker Recipes?
Easy Slow Cooker Apple Butter
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Equipment
- Immersion blend (optional)
Ingredients
- 10 small apples (about 3 pounds) or 7 large apples
- 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 teaspoon molasses (optional)
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and core apples. Cut them into quarters or eight segments. (Cooking time is for eighths; quarters will take 1 hour longer.)
- Place the apples in a 6 quart slow cooker and toss with lemon juice. Add sugars and remaining ingredients and toss well.
- Cover with lid and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until apples are very soft and mash easily, Stir once halfway, if desired.
To Mash the Apples
- If using an immersion blender, let mixture cool at least 30 minutes. Be careful to not raise the hand blender while it’s on. It will splatter the hot mixture.
- To use a traditional blender, allow hot mixture to cool at least 1 hour. Blend in batches in the stand blender with the lid slightly ajar. If mixture is too hot, the heat might push the lid up causing splattering.
- For a potato masher, carefully mash hot apples into the liquid, stirring as you go to blend the mixture together.
Canning Instructions
- Bring a large canning or stock pot of water to a boil. Place a canning rack or trivet in the bottom.
- Spoon apple butter into sterilized quarter pints, half pints or pint jars*. Wipe jar rims clean and screw on lids and rings.
- When water has come to a full rolling boil, carefully lower the jars down onto the rack with canning gripper tongs. Let water return to a full rolling boil. Water should cover the jars by 1 inch.
- Set timer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars with canning gripper tongs and set on a cooling rack or thick kitchen towel. Let cool completely and let stand 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, check to make sure all jar lids have sealed. Unsealed jar lids will be slightly raised in the center and make a popping sound when pressed down.
- Store in a cool dry shelf, free from direct heat or sunlight for up to 2 years.
Notes
- Apple butter can be stored in jars in the fridge for 2 weeks, or canned using the water bath canning method to store for months.
- For quart sized jars, process in the water bath 15 minutes instead of 10.
- Apple pie spice - If you don't have a store bought spice blend, combine cinnamon with nutmeg and cloves. Use about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
Jan Bolt
Love love love this crockpot apple butter
Hardest part is peeling the apples;). Making more for Christmas giving
Kathleen
You can actually leave the peel on the apples if you have an immersion blender or use a stand blender to mash the apples. You might not want to try this for your gift giving this round, but try it next time to see if you still like the texture. Let me know if you do try it and Merry Christmas!