If you love the smell of fall, you have to try this tasty Crockpot Apple Butter. It is cooked in the slow cooker for hours, making your house smell of warm apples and cinnamon!
The Best Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe
I absolutely adore this easy recipe for apple butter. It utilizes everyday ingredients and takes minimal prep before putting it all directly into the crock pot. You leave it to cook all day and come back to a deep and dark apple butter! It’s perfect on toast, biscuits, crackers, and even smothered on top of pork chops! I like to eat it by the spoonful when it’s still warm – it’s just that delicious!
The smell of the apples cooking in the slow cooker reminds me of my childhood. Fall and winter were always our favorite times of the year to bake and try out new homemade recipes. Homemade apple desserts and treats were always my favorite. I most looked forward to my mom’s apple crisp! Now that I have children of my own, we are creating new family traditions, and this apple butter recipe is a family favorite for sure.
Looking for the perfect gift for friends and family? Divide this apple butter into small mason jars and add cute fall ribbons for a thoughtful and yummy gift!
What is Apple Butter?
Despite its name, apple butter has no butter in it at all! It is a thick and rich version of applesauce. The apples are cooked longer, giving them more time to caramelize and develop deep flavors. Even though the ingredients are similar to apple sauce, the result is completely different.
We love to serve apple butter with toast, muffins, oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, waffles and even ice cream!
What You’ll Need For Homemade Apple Butter
Apples and sugar are the key ingredients for this apple butter recipe. If you like to pick fresh apples in the fall, this is a great way to use them.
- Apples: You can use any variety of apples that you like. My favorite is Granny Smith but you can also use Honey Crisp, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Cortland, etc. Most groceries have many fresh varieties to choose from or you can pick them yourself in September and October!
- Sugars: you’ll need granulated white sugar and brown sugar.
- Apple Pie Spice
- Vanilla Extract: I highly recommend using pure vanilla extract to get the best flavor.
How to Make Apple Butter in the Crockpot
Once the apples are prepared, all of the ingredients get mixed and left to cook in the crockpot. Making slow-cooker apple butter has never been easier.
- Step 1: Prepare Apples. Peel, core, and slice all of your apples. Place the apple slices directly into your slow cooker.
- Step 2: Mix Sugars. Stir sugar, brown sugar, and apple pie spice in a medium bowl. Use a whisk for best results. Pour over the apples and toss to coat.
- Step 3: Cook. Cover the pot and cook on low for 10 hours. Stir occasionally – every 1-2 hours is just fine.
- Step 4: Add Vanilla. Remove the cover and stir in the vanilla. Cook on high for 2 hours, uncovered.
- Step 5: Blend. Using an immersion blender, blend until you have a puree.
- Step 6: Serve. Enjoy warm with your favorite crusty bread.
Once the apple butter has completely cooled and been placed into jars or airtight containers.
- Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Freezing – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Tips and Tricks
- The first part of the cooking process must be done on the low setting to cook down and caramelize the apples with the sugar.
- If you do not have an immersion blender, use a regular blender.
- I recommend a 7 qt slow cooker so all the ingredients fit well.
- An apple corer makes things faster, but you can cut the apples with a knife instead.
- If you do not have apple pie spice, you can replace it with cinnamon and nutmeg.
- I would skip the Red and Yellow Delicious varieties of apples. They are great to eat, but the texture becomes mealy when you cook them.
More Apple Recipes
- Apple Pie Filling
- Apple French Toast Casserole
- Apple Fritters
- Salted Caramel Apple Butter
- Slow Cooker Apple Bread Pudding
Crockpot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 6-7 pounds apples peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple pie spice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel, core and slice the apples and place in a 7 quart (or bigger) slow cooker.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sugars and apple pie spice and mix with a whisk.
- Pour the sugar mixture over the apple slices in the slow cooker and toss to coat evenly
- Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Stir occasionally.
- Uncover and add the vanilla, stir to mix into the apples and turn the slow cooker to high. Cook for 2 hours, uncovered.
- Use a stick blender to blend the apples (or use a food process/blender).
- Serve with crusty bread, cheese, fruit etc.
Last Step:
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Equipment
- 1 Crockpot
Notes
- Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Freezing – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Nutrition
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8 comments on “Crockpot Apple Butter”
I would like to try this…but can it be preserved in canning jars to keep longer?
Thanks!
Hi Caroline. Yes, this recipe works well for canning.
I didn’t know what apple butter was, so I had to make your recipe. It is to die for. So yummy. I am making more today.
I will be making this recipe this week. I don’t have apple pie spice. Your recipe said that cinnamon and nutmeg could be used in place of the apple pie spice. What amounts of each should be used? Thank you. I love your recipe’s and look forward each week to getting the emails.
Thanks Sharon! If you are using cinnamon and nutmeg I would use 2 teaspoons cinnamon and a 1 teaspoon nutmeg. If you have all spice you could add 1/2 teaspoon as well.
This does not tell me how much it makes, how to store it or how long it will keep – can you freeze, etc.?
Hi Dianne. The recipe yields 3 pints and that info is in the recipe card. The storage information is in the post but I just added it to the recipe card as well.
Looks Wonderful