Slow cooker apple butter is made simple with less processed sugar. This apple butter makes a great homemade gift for the holidays.
If you like to make homemade gifts, give this authentic Egyptian Dukkah a try, or make this better than store-bought Harissa paste.
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Why This Recipe Works
This warm apple butter perfectly pairs apples with cinnamon, cloves and vanilla.Honey worked as a little thickener and provided a light, sweet floral note. For a little molasses note, I've added brown sugar. Look fro apples of similar ripness so that they cook evenly.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient notes and swaps
- For the apples, I like using the sweeter varieties such as gala, golden or red delicious, honey crisp and pink lady. You can use whatever type(s) you like.
- I've used cinnamon, cloves and vanilla to fragrant my apple butter. If there is another flavr combination you like more with apples you are welcome to use.
Step By Step Photos
- Peel, core and dice the apples into cubes then place in the slow cooker.
- Add spices , brown sugar and honey.
- Mix everything well, cover and let it cook on low for 6 hours.
- Remove lid, add vanilla extract and keep cooking uncovered for 2 hours.
- Blend with a blender or an immersion blender until smooth.
Expert Tips
- If you have a food mill, you can skip peeling the apples and when they are done use your food mills to process and the skin comes right off.
- Use apple butter in place of apple sauce in baked goods like this healthier carrot cake.
- You can use this base recipe for many types of fruits like pears, apricot, plums and peaches.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade butter can stay for months in the freezer if well preserved in sealed sterilized jars. When properly stored, this can stay up to 3 weeks in refrigerator but keep it tightly closed.
Both apple sauce and butter refer to cooked apples until very tender with some liquids and spices. Apple sauce has water in it, while apple butter is cooked until thickened enough to be of a paste form.
Use your preferred apple type or types. Personally I like sweet varieties such as gala, golden delicious, honey crisp and pink lady.
Serve With
Spread on toast or waffles in the morning and get ready to blow everyone’s minds. They are gonna love it. Mix with yogurt or sour cream. Add to your morning oats or use it in baked goods instead of apple sauce.
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Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples.
- ¼ cup brown sugar.
- ¼ cup honey.
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Instructions
- Peel, core and roughly chop your apples and put in your slow cooker.
- Add brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and cloves and toss well with the apples.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Add vanilla extract and cook uncovered for another 2 hours.
- Let it cool down and puree with an immersion blender or in your food processor.
- Pour into air tight containers and refrigerate.
Video
Notes
- If you have a food mill, you can skip peeling the apples and when they are done use your food mills to process and the skin comes right off.
- Use your preferred apple type or types. Personally I like sweet varieties such as gala, golden delicious, honey crisp and pink lady.
- Use apple butter in place of apple sauce in baked goods like this healthier carrot cake.
- You can use this base recipe for many types of fruits like pears, apricot, plums and peaches.
- This can stay up to 3 weeks in refrigerator and two months in freezer.
Nutrition
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First published September 2018. Last updated October 2020 for better images, step by step instructions and readability.
Graciela Schwartz
easy directions, great illustrations!
Amira
Thank you so much Graciela, happy you liked it.
John / Kitchen Riffs
Apple butter is good stuff! Love its flavor. Using the slow cooker is a terrific way to prepare it -- so easy! Thanks. 🙂
Evelyne
I know apple butter very well. Just west of Toronto the Amish are famous for their apple butter. It's really good. Love the idea of making it at home in a crock pot. Funny enough in Quebec apple butter is pale applesauce whipped with actual butter.