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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 generous 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
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
