Crockpot Apple Butter is a delicious fall condiment to make with fresh apples!
This slow cooker apple butter is smooth in texture and sweet in flavor. It’s wonderful spread on toast for breakfast. Stir it into oatmeal for breakfast. Drizzle it onto your pancakes or waffles. Swirl it into cakes. Make apple butter muffins. What a fun fall project to make with your bounty of apples!
Only 4 Ingredients are needed to make Homemade Apple Butter:
- apples
- white sugar
- cinnamon
- cloves
What are the best variety of apples to use for making Apple Butter?
When making apple butter, you want to use a variety of apple that tends to break down while cooking. Good varieties for this are Fuji, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Jonagold, Red Delicious or Gala (or use a combination of any of these).
How to make Crockpot Apple Butter:
You’ll need 12 to 14 medium apples. Peel, core and chop those apples and add them to the insert of your slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 10 to 12 hours. This lengthy process means that this is a good recipe to make overnight. Add the apples to your slow cooker in the evening, set the timer, and check on them in the morning!
Remove the cooked apples from the slow cooker and purée them in a food processor. Return the puréed mixture to the crockpot. Add sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Cook, uncovered, on low until the mixture is reduced to the consistency desired, 4 to 6 hours.
Pour the apple butter into jars. You should be able to fill about 5 small jars. This is an apple butter recipe that is meant to be stored in the refrigerator and used within several weeks. I’m not super familiar with traditional canning, but if you are skilled in canning practices then you may know how to can this apple butter instead of storing it in the refrigerator. Let me know if you try it!
The lovely thing about this apple butter recipe is that it makes a wonderful gift. Bring a jar of it to a special friend, share for the holidays, surprise a neighbor, send to your child’s teacher or bring as a hostess gift. Everyone loves something homemade. Wrap it with a ribbon, and include a card sharing what it can be used for. Enjoy!
Crockpot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 medium cored, peeled and chopped apples (see notes below for suggested apple varieties)
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Fill the insert of your slow cooker with the chopped apples. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until apples are mushy. You can do this overnight.
- Remove the apples and purée in a food processor. Return the puréed mixture to the slow cooker. Add the sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Cook, uncovered, on low until the mixture is reduced to the consistency desired- a very smooth apple butter consistency- 4 to 6 hours.
- Pour into jars and refrigerate. This will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
- For making apple butter, you want to use a variety of apple that breaks down well while cooking. Recommended: Fuji, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Jonagold, Red Delicious or Gala (or use a combination of any of these).
- If you are familiar with traditional canning, you may be able to can this apple butter. I'm not so familiar, so I can't give advice on that.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have been making slow cooker apple butter for years. I add a can of crushed pineapple and use half brown sugar and half white sugar. I do not take it out of the slow cooker until AFTER I use my submersive hand blender to puree it. Then ladle it into jars. This makes for much less work and time.
Hi. Do you have to use sugar? I’m always cooking apples and I never addy any sweetening at all.
You can certainly try, but I think it might not be sweet enough!