Welcome to the easiest, most delicious Crock Pot Apple Butter recipe you will ever try. Imagine your home filled with the warm, comforting aroma of apples and cinnamon, all with minimal effort. This recipe is a set-it-and-forget-it dream, transforming a few simple ingredients into a rich, smooth, and deeply flavorful spread that you’ll want to put on everything. It’s the perfect way to use up a bounty of fall apples.
Why You’ll Love This Crock Pot Apple Butter Recipe
If you’re looking for a recipe that delivers maximum flavor with minimum fuss, this is it. We let the slow cooker work its magic, simmering the apples for hours until they are incredibly tender and concentrated in flavor. There’s no need to stand over a hot stove; your crock pot does all the heavy lifting. The result is a versatile, delicious spread perfect for toast, oatmeal, and so much more.
What is Apple Butter?
Despite its name, apple butter contains no dairy. It’s a highly concentrated form of applesauce, cooked down for a long period, which caramelizes the sugars in the apples, giving it a deep brown color and a rich, intense flavor. The texture is much thicker and smoother than applesauce, making it a perfect spread.
Choosing the Best Apples
The secret to the best Crock Pot Apple Butter is using a mix of apples. Combining sweet and tart varieties creates a wonderful depth of flavor. I recommend using a combination of at least two different types.
- Sweet Apples: Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious provide a great sweet base.
- Tart Apples: Granny Smith, Braeburn, or McIntosh add a pleasant tang that balances the sweetness.
For this recipe, you don’t even have to peel the apples! The skins contain pectin, which helps the apple butter thicken naturally, and they soften completely during the long cooking process.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Apples: A mix of sweet and tart apples is best for a balanced flavor.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a deep, molasses-like sweetness.
- Granulated Sugar: Provides clean sweetness and helps with preservation.
- Spices: A classic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves gives it that signature warm spice flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt enhances all the other flavors.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash at the end adds a wonderful aromatic finish.
How to Make Crock Pot Apple Butter Step-by-Step
Making this homemade apple butter is incredibly simple. Just follow these basic steps and your slow cooker will handle the rest.
- Prepare the Apples: Wash and core the apples, then cut them into chunks. There is no need to peel them. Place the apple chunks into the basin of your crock pot.
- Add Sugars and Spices: Sprinkle the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt over the apples. Stir everything together until the apples are evenly coated.
- Cook Low and Slow: Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. The apples will become very soft and dark in color.
- Blend for Smoothness: Once cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture directly in the crock pot until it’s completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can carefully transfer the mixture in batches to a regular blender.
- Thicken (Optional): If you prefer thicker apple butter, remove the lid and cook on low for another 1-2 hours, allowing excess moisture to evaporate.
- Finish with Vanilla: Stir in the vanilla extract once the cooking is complete. Let it cool before transferring to jars.
Tips for the Perfect Apple Butter
- Don’t Peel the Apples: The skins add pectin, which helps thicken the apple butter. They blend away completely, so you won’t notice them in the final product.
- Blend Well: For the smoothest, most velvety texture, use an immersion blender. It’s the easiest and safest way to blend the hot mixture.
- Adjust to Your Taste: Feel free to adjust the sugar and spices to your liking. Taste the apple butter after blending and before the final thickening stage to make any adjustments.
Flavor Variations
While the classic recipe is fantastic, you can easily customize it. Try adding a tablespoon of maple syrup for a different kind of sweetness, a pinch of allspice or cardamom for more complex spice notes, or even a splash of bourbon or brandy in the last hour of cooking for a richer flavor.
How to Store Homemade Apple Butter
Allow the apple butter to cool completely before storing. It can be kept in airtight containers or jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 6 months. This recipe is not tested for canning, so please follow proper canning procedures if you choose to do so.
Ways to Use Apple Butter
Apple butter is incredibly versatile! Spread it on your morning toast or a stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Stir it into yogurt or oatmeal, or use it as a glaze for pork chops or chicken. It’s also a fantastic addition to a cheese board or as a filling in baked goods like our favorite spice muffin recipe. You can even use it as a flavorful glaze on marinated grilled pork chops (coming soon).
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not need to peel the apples. The skins contain natural pectin, which helps thicken the apple butter. They soften completely during the long cooking process and will blend smoothly into the final product.
The apple butter is done when it’s very thick, dark brown, and smooth after blending. A good test is to put a small spoonful on a cold plate; if no water separates around the edges, it’s ready.
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, your homemade apple butter will last for up to 3 weeks. For longer storage, you can freeze it for up to 6 months.
A combination of sweet and tart apples creates the most balanced and flavorful apple butter. Try mixing varieties like Honeycrisp and Gala (sweet) with Granny Smith or Braeburn (tart).
Apple butter is essentially a more concentrated version of applesauce. It’s cooked for a much longer period, which caramelizes the sugars, giving it a darker color, thicker consistency, and a richer, more intense flavor.
Enjoy Your Homemade Treat!
We hope you love this simple and delicious Crock Pot Apple Butter. It’s a fall favorite that’s perfect for sharing with family and friends. If you make this recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment below or share a photo on Pinterest!
Crock Pot Apple Butter Recipe
Crock Pot Apple Butter (Easy & Flavorful!)
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
- Wash, core, and chop the apples into 1-2 inch chunks. No need to peel them. Place the apples in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Add the packed brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to the slow cooker. Stir well to coat the apple pieces.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the apples are very soft and dark brown.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the apple mixture directly in the crock pot until completely smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer in batches to a regular blender and blend until smooth, then return to the crock pot.
- For a thicker consistency, cook uncovered on LOW for an additional 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired thickness.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Let the apple butter cool before transferring to airtight jars or containers.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
