Crockpot Apple Butter
This Crockpot apple butter recipe comes together with just six ingredients and can be used atop bagels, yogurt, oatmeal, and more!
Now that fall is in full swing it’s time to crank out some delicious fall recipes. One thing that screams fall to me, aside from pumpkin everything, is apples. We love apples in our house and eat them year round!
I’ve been using my Crockpot like crazy lately and I’m quickly beginning to realize how much I’ve missed using it. I’ll find any excuse to break out the Crockpot and throw something in it, so Crockpot apple butter was a no brainer.
Now I just need to figure out how two people are going to consume 5 cups of apple butter. Who am I kidding… we will find a way!
Recipe Ingredients
This slow cooker apple butter calls for six basic ingredients, one of the many reasons I love this recipe!
- Apples: It’s best to use a combination of different apples for this recipe. Some great options are granny smith, gala, honey crisp, and fuji apples.
- Sugar: I’ve come to realize that a lot of apple butter recipes call for insane amounts of sugar. In my opinion apples are already sweet enough, so 4 plus cups of sugar seemed to be a little bit too much. There is only 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar in this recipe (a combination of granulated and brown sugar), but I can assure you that it was more than enough to sweeten this apple butter.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: Makes this apple butter taste even more like fall!
- Salt: Just a pinch of salt enhances the apple flavor and balances out the sweetness.
How to Make Apple Butter in a Crockpot
The only work you really have to do with making this apple butter is to peel, core, and slice the apples. Once you’ve done that you toss the apples with the sugar and spices and then let it cook in the crockpot.
Once you let the apple butter cook for about 10 hours (yes, 10 hours!) you’ll mash up any chunks of apples and then let it go for another 2 hours. Once those 2 hours are up, you’ll use an immersion blender to blend it until smooth.
I put my apple butter back into the Crockpot for another 45 minutes to 1 hour with the lid slightly ajar to let it thicken up a little more, but this step is completely optional. Once it was finished, I ended up with about 5 cups of apple butter.
What Are the Best Apples To Use?
I’ve used several different kinds of apples in this recipe, some great options are Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith apples.
You can feel free to use whatever combination of apples you prefer for this recipe, just try to go more for apples that tend to be a little sweeter.
Crockpot Apple Butter Uses
This Crockpot apple butter is great spread on some toast, English muffins, muffins, or eaten with a spoon. You can also spoon it atop yogurt, overnight oats, oatmeal, and more!
Baking Tips
- The five pounds of apples is measured before peeling, coring, and slicing.
- Apple butter will keep for about two weeks in the fridge and can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- For a sweeter apple butter, feel free to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more brown sugar.
More Apple Recipes to Try!
Crockpot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples , peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar , lightly packed
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare crockpot by spraying well with cooking spray or use a crockpot liner.
- Peel, core, and slice all of the apples and place them in the crockpot.
- In a separate bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and stir well, making sure to coat all of the apples.
- Set the crockpot on low for 10 hours. After the 10 hours, mash any chunks of apple that remain. Allow to cook for an additional 2 hours.
- Remove the lid and use an immersion blender to blend the apple butter until it's smooth. If you prefer, you can let the apple butter cook a little longer with the lid slightly ajar to let it thicken up some more.
- Once the apple butter is finished, transfer to containers and allow to cool completely, then refrigerate.
Notes
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
What a great idea! I love that you used less sugar. Apples don’t need that much more!
And the crock pot is one of my favorite cold-weather kitchen gadgets. Nothing beats plugging it in before work and coming home to a great dinner!
Thanks, Mir! I agree, nothing is better than the crockpot when the weather starts to get colder!
Nothing beats homemade apple butter! I got into quite the rhythm making batch after batch of apple butter last fall, but I still have yet to give it a go this year. Um, yeah that’s gonna be changing ASAP after seeing yours reminded me of how awesome the stuff is. 🙂 I can’t wait to try your version, Danielle!
I have a feeling this won’t be my last batch either! Hope you enjoy it, Sarah!
We are DEFINITELY on the same page, Danielle! I made crock pot apple butter about three weeks ago, although it won’t post to my blog for another two weeks. Isn’t it the best?! I can’t believe how easy it is, and how much of the jar I ate with just my spoon!
I’m beginning to think we think too much alike, Gayle! But that’s definitely not a bad thing! Can’t wait to see your version too 🙂
Oh WOW! DIY Apple Butter sounds amazing!!
Thanks, Karen!
I love this simp version of homemade apple butter! I agree that most recipes call for a lot of sugar, which is unnecessary! I would love to spread it over some whole grain waffles or crepes.
Thanks, Mira! Love the idea of eating it with waffles or crepes, I’ll have to try that out.
I’ve never actually made apple butter. You’ve totally inspired me to try it! I love it smothered on warm biscuits. Yum!
It’s so good with biscuits! Now I need some to eat it with 😉
Wow! What a great idea! Can you can this apple butter?
Thanks, Valya! I haven’t tried canning it, so I can’t say for sure.
Yes, I canned my apple butter. After putting it in the jars, I turn the oven to 250 degrees set a pan of water with about 3 inches of water and set the jars in until I see the apple butter boiling. Set it out onto a cooling rack and it will seal.
That’s great to know! Thanks for sharing, Marlene.
I am so thankful you posted this recipe. Ive been wanting to make apple butter for the last two weeks.
Oh my gosh, I looooove apple butter and yours fantastic! I’ve never made my own and now I can’t wait to try your version especially since it’s make in the crockpot 🙂 I really like that you used less sugar in yours too – pinning!
Thanks, Kelly! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
That looks yummy, I love how thick it looks – I like my apple butter to be almost as thick as jam.
I’ve been wondering what to do with the 9 apples we got in our CSA share this week, and I think I’ll make some apple butter for later in the year!
I prefer it to be thicker too, Kate! Hope you enjoy it!
4 cups of sugar??!! that is crazy! That is awesome that you only used 1 1/2 cups instead! I can see myself spreading this on everything and I bet it would be so good in some warm oatmeal! I also love how easy it is to make 🙂
Thanks, Isadora! This would be perfect in oatmeal, that’s a great idea. I’ll definitely have to try that out!
I love making my own apple butter. I literally put it on everything!
This apple butter delicious, Danielle! Bookmarking the recipe to try!
Yum! Spreading warm apple butter on a pastry is one of those unbeatable fall things 🙂
I don’t think I’ve actually had apple butter before but it sounds soo good! Any ideas for how to make this without a crockpot?
Hi Karishma, thanks for stopping by! I’ve only made mine in a crockpot, but you might be able to cook it on the stove top. I can’t say for sure though as I haven’t tried it yet.
You can make apple butter on the stove top or bake it in the oven. Either way works great and easy to can if you want to.
I definitely need to give that a try! Thanks for sharing, Jackie 🙂
I’ve also made it in the oven, in a heavy roaster like one of those enamaled ones, at a low temperature of about 225 – 250 degrees. You might not be able to leave it all day like with the crock pot but it turned out delicious.
That’s a wonderful idea, Susan! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I’ve been using my slow cooker like crazy these days! I’ve always wanted to try apple butter, and this recipe sounds delicious 🙂
This a great recipe to start with, Louisa 🙂
Oh my! My first batch is cooling on the counter, as I type. It is SO good…my New Year’s Day guests will be receiving a jar as a gift! I have bookmarked your page and can’t wait to dig in!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Julie! I love the idea of giving this as a gift too, I hope your guests enjoy it as well!
Just made this tonight and it is delicious. Followed the recipe exactly using an immersion blender at the end. Getting ready to start my second batch. I am planning on canning it with my steam canner. I got 6 1/2 pint jars out of this recipe for gifting plus a pint jar for eating!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Tracie! Hope your friends and family enjoy the gift 🙂
will it taste ok even if I use all 5lbs of fuji apples? also i don’t have a crockpot. will cooking it over really low heat suffice?
The fuji apples should work fine. I’m sure you could cook it on the stove top, but I haven’t tried it before so I’m not sure how long it would need to cook.
This recipe looks amazing!!! I love the way it has less sugar! Another recipe I found on the internet had 4 cups of sugar – yikes!! Just curious though…what is the best way to freeze it? I just had someone give me 10 pounds of fuji apples!!
Hi Carla! Once it’s cooled, you can add it to a freezer container (or freezer bag), then seal it and freeze it. Just thaw it out in the refrigerator whenever you’re ready. You could also add it to some jars and give it as gifts to people too 🙂
The reason traditional apple butter recipes use so much sugar is because sugar is a preservative. Most apple butter recipes are canning recipes. In the days before refrigeration, people canned their fruits to preserve them for the winter–and they needed lots of sugar to extend the shelf life.
Also, most people want their fruit preserves to have a certain amount of “set,” or firmness. To achieve a set, you don’t just need pectin, you need a specific amount of sugar (and acid). One of the reasons why so many people don’t get their preserves to set up is because they skimp on sugar but try to use regular pectin. (Of course, apple butter generally is supposed to be more “saucy” than “jammy,” so the point about sugar being needed to help it set is kind of moot.)
Finally, there are apple varieties for fresh eating (like the ones called for in this recipe) that are already very sweet, but traditionally apple butter (as well as applesauce and apple pie) used cooking apples, which are strong on apple flavor, but not nearly as sweet. If one were using the old fashioned cooking apple varieties, it would definitely need added sugar.
Anyway, if one is not going to be preserving their apple butter via canning or wanting it to have a longer shelf life, and is using fresh eating apples, then reducing the sugar content is definitely the way to go.
I’m so glad your shared this, Kelli! I actually didn’t realize that was why many recipes call for more sugar, but after reading this it totally makes sense now. I always end up just refrigerating this apple butter because it doesn’t last long in our house 😉
I also don’t have much experience with canning, but now I’m intrigued. Definitely something I need to read more about!