Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Enjoy the comforting flavors of fall with our easy slow cooker apple butter recipe. Minimal effort for maximum taste!
This rich, boldly flavored slow cooker apple butter recipe is a classic taste of autumn, perfect for slathering on toast, stirring into oatmeal, or even serving alongside savory dishes.
There’s something uniquely comforting about a slow cooker full of spiced apples simmering away. The spices fill your kitchen with the inviting aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet apples. While traditional methods can involve hours of stovetop stirring, the slow cooker offers a hands-off approach. Fresh apples are transformed into a velvety, spiced butter with minimal effort. This recipe uses the gentle, consistent heat of a slow cooker to break down the fruit and meld the flavors, resulting in a perfectly smooth and delectable apple butter that captures the essence of apple season.
What You’ll Like About This Recipe
Low-effort, high-reward cooking. With just a few minutes of prep, the slow cooker takes over and transforms apples into a richly spiced fruit butter. There’s no stirring, no watching the pot, and no risk of burning—just set it and walk away.
Deep, concentrated fall flavor. Slow cooking intensifies the natural sweetness and character of the apples. Brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice melt into the fruit, creating a warm, cozy flavor that tastes like autumn in a jar.
Customizable sweetness and spices. Whether you prefer bold spice or a milder, fruit-forward flavor, it’s easy to tailor this recipe. You can adjust the sugar, swap in maple, add ginger or cloves, or even incorporate pears.
Versatile for sweet and savory dishes. Apple butter is wonderful on biscuits, toast, and pancakes, but it also shines in glazes, sandwich spreads, baked goods, charcuterie boards, and fall casseroles.
Freezer-friendly and gift-ready. This recipe makes a generous amount and freezes beautifully. Pack it into jars for holidays, teacher gifts, or hostess presents—it’s a homemade treat everyone loves.
Ingredient Notes
- Apples – A mix of sweet and tart apples gives the best depth of flavor. Try combining Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or Braeburn. Avoid mealy apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh.
- Brown sugar – Adds warmth, molasses depth, and helps caramelize the apples during the long cook time.
- Granulated sugar – Balances tart apples and keeps the overall flavor bright rather than overly dark.
- Cinnamon – Essential for classic apple butter flavor. Use freshly purchased cinnamon for the best aroma.
- Nutmeg & allspice – Add roundness and a nostalgic, pie-like warmth without overpowering the apple flavor.
- Salt – Just a pinch enhances sweetness and balances the spices.
- Lemon zest and juice – Brightens the rich apple flavor and helps maintain color.
- Vanilla extract – Stirred in at the end for a soft, mellow finish that complements the spices.
How to Make It
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into uniform pieces. Smaller slices cook down faster and soften more evenly, which helps create a smoother finished apple butter.
- Combine the apples with sugars, spices, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Toss well so each slice is coated—this helps the apples release their juices early in cooking.
- Cover and cook in the slow cooker until the apples are very soft. They should collapse easily when pressed with a spoon.
- Purée the apples with an immersion blender or in batches in a countertop blender. Blend until completely smooth, or leave it slightly chunky if you prefer a rustic texture.
- Return the purée to the slow cooker if it needs thickening. Continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is thick enough to mound on a spoon.
- Cool slightly before transferring to jars or containers for storage, freezing, or gifting.
Pro Tips
- Use a mix of apple varieties. Combining sweet and tart apples creates deeper, more complex flavor than using one type alone.
- Cook uncovered to thicken. After blending, leave the lid off so steam can escape. This concentrates flavor and improves texture.
- Don’t rush the purée. Blend long enough for a velvety, butter-like finish—smoothness is what distinguishes apple butter from applesauce.
- Sweeten to taste. Apples vary widely in sweetness; add more sugar at the end if needed, after the apples have cooked down.
- Add spices gradually. Start with the recipe amount, then adjust near the end—spices intensify during slow cooking.
Recipe Variations
- Spice: Add a star anise, a pinch of ground cloves, or a bit of ginger to make a bolder flavor statement. Remove whole spices before blending.
- Add Spirit: A splash of bourbon, rum, or apple brandy added during the last hour of cooking can impart a sophisticated depth of flavor.
- Play With the Texture: Leave the apple butter slightly chunky, with small pieces of apple left intact, or blend it until it’s perfectly smooth.
- Pear Apple Butter: Replace 1 or 2 pounds of the apples with ripe pears for a slightly different flavor profile.
- Maple Twist: For a rich, more nuanced sweetness, substitute 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/3 cup of the brown sugar with 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve on toast, biscuits, English muffins, or cornbread for a cozy breakfast.
- Add to pancake or waffle batter, or swirl into oatmeal or yogurt.
- Pair with roast pork, grilled chicken, or turkey as a warm, slightly sweet glaze.
- Choose baked goods like muffins, cinnamon rolls, thumbprint cookies, or cakes to use apple butter as a filling or swirl-in.
Why Use a Slow Cooker
- Hands-Free: One of the most significant advantages of the slow cooker is that it allows you to “set it and forget it” for hours. No constant stirring or scorching worries.
- Even Heating: The slow cooker provides consistent, even heat that gradually breaks down the apples, creating a smooth and uniform texture.
- Flavor Development: The low and slow cooking process allows the flavors of the apples and spices to meld and intensify, adding complexity to the apple butter.
- Energy Efficiency: The slow cooker is often more energy efficient than the oven or stovetop.
How to Store
Refrigerate: Transfer cooled apple butter to airtight jars or containers. Store in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
Freeze: Spoon cooled apple butter into freezer containers or bags, leaving headspace for expansion. Label and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge before using.
Canning: While this recipe was not specifically developed or tested for canning, it aligns closely with traditional apple butter methods. If you choose to can it, process half-pints or pints in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, following USDA guidelines.
How to Use Apple Butter
Spiced apple butter can add warm, sweet depth of flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. here are a few creative ways to use it:
- Breads and Biscuits: A classic spread for toast, biscuits, English muffins, or cornbread.
- Pancakes: Swirl into pancake batter or spread over the top with butter and maple syrup.
- Baked Goods: Use as a filling in muffins, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, or thumbprint cookies.
- Glaze: Use to glaze pork chops, chicken, or turkey while roasting or grilling.
- Sandwich Spread: Add to turkey or ham sandwiches.
- Charcuterie Boards: Serve alongside crackers, cheeses, and cured meats.
- BBQ Sauce: Stir into your favorite barbecue sauce for a flavorful twist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 6 pounds apples
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep the Apples: Peel, core, and slice the apples thinly and add them to the slow cooker.
- Combine: Add the brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla to a bowl and mix to blend. Add to the slow cooker and stir to coat the apple slices.
- Slow Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for about 5 hours. The apples should be very tender.
- Process: Use an immersion blender to blend the apples and liquids until smooth, or transfer everything to a blender and pulse until smooth. If the mixture is too thin, put it back in the slow cooker and cook on high until thickened.
Nutrition
Disclaimer:
Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.
