Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Apple butter is a thick, slow-cooked purée of fresh apples, apple cider, and spices that, despite its name, contains no butter whatsoever. Its history dates back to the mid-1700s in Pennsylvania Dutch country where it was used as an easy way to preserve the apple harvest.

Our homemade apple butter recipe uses a combination of Braeburn, McIntosh, and Golden Delicious apples and a healthy dose of fragrant spices to make a rich, smooth apple butter that cooks overnight in the crockpot.

The recipe is versatile, so feel free to use your favorite in-season apple varieties and adjust the spice quantities to suit your own taste.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

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Our slow cooker apple butter is made with several varieties of apples and flavored with a bit of vanilla and a subtle blend of spices.

Yield: 2 pints

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time : 12 hours hrs

Total Time : 12 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

• 3 lbs apples, about 10 medium
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions 

• Peel and core the apples, cut them into chunks, and transfer them to a 4-quart or larger slow cooker.
• In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, apple cider, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, salt, and vanilla extract.
• Pour the mixture over the apples, stir to coat, then cover and cook overnight on low heat (10-12 hours).
• Once cooked, blend the apple mixture until smooth with a hand-held immersion blender (see notes).
• Re-cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes on high heat to finish thickening the mixture.
• Allow to cool to room temperature, stir in the lemon juice and spoon into mason jars. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Recipe Notes

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a conventional blender to purée the apple butter, but be sure to work in batches though to avoid over-filling it with the hot mixture.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Amount per Serving

Calories

35

% Daily Value*

Sodium

 

12

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

7

g

2

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you tried this recipe?Did you add your own special touch? We’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment and a rating to share your thoughts with others.