Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

This Easy Crockpot Apple Butter recipe is filled with rich fall flavors and only takes 10 minutes to prepare. The best part is t you don’t have to peel the apples. You will want to spread the rich and delicious apple butter on everything from bread and biscuits to waffles and pancakes. It’s delicious on crepes and in oatmeal and yogurt too! You can even spread it on roasted pork, grilled chicken, or a turkey sandwich. I love it on a fall panini sandwich! As you can see, it’s pretty much delicious on just about everything.

Find the full recipe at the end of this post.

My easy crockpot apple butter recipe makes 2-3 pints which are perfect for jarring (in 4-6, 8-ounce jars). Share this fall favorite with family and friends throughout the holiday season.

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What is Apple Butter?

Thank you for asking… Apple butter is a richer and more enhanced version of apple sauce. It’s created by slow-cooking apples, sugar, and cinnamon (among other spices) to produce a thick, caramelized, and spreadable version of a delicious fall favorite, the apple. This comes as a surprise to many, but there is actually no butter, in apple butter. It is dairy free. Interesting isn’t it!? I think the word ‘butter’ in apple butter comes from the smooth, velvety (almost creamy) texture that is created through the slow cooking process of the apples. It’s the perfect recipe to use all the apples you may have collected after a day of apple picking! 

So Many Reasons to LOVE This Recipe

1. It’s incredibly EASY. The hardest part about making this delicious apple butter is having to wait for it to slow cook before being able to eat it. The preparation time is only about 10-minutes and the ingredient list is short. Once the apples are chopped, everything gets thrown into a crockpot. That’s where the magic happens!
2. NO PEELING necessary. Although there are a lot of apples needed to make apple butter, there is no need to peel them. Through the long cooking process and the use of an immersion blender, the apple peels virtually melt away.
3. Makes enough to SHARE. I love making this easy crockpot apple butter recipe because not only do we get to enjoy it at the farmhouse, but I have plenty to share with family, friends, and neighbors too. They will love you! Apple butter makes the perfect host/hostess gift, especially during the holiday season. Have the recipe ready to share, because I promise that you will get asked for it!
4. It’s DELICIOUS. Simple as that. The rich apple flavor sweetened by sugar and spices in a slow cooker makes this easy crockpot apple butter irresistible. Once you try it, you’ll find yourself searching the pantry and refrigerator for anything to spread it on. It’s quite literally the definition of, fall in a jar.

Ingredients in Apple Butter

It’s amazing what a few simple ingredients in a slow cooker can create. Here is everything you need to make this fall favorite.

• Apples: For apple butter, you want to use a softer, sweeter apple like Golden Delicious, Gala, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, or my favorite, Fuji. Although Granny Smith apples are great for making tarts and pies, they are a little too tart for use in apple butter. 
• Sugar: The combination of dark brown sugar and granulated sugar in this recipe help break down the apples and create an incredibly sweet and caramelized flavor in apple butter. 
• Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves add warmth and richness to the apple butter that makes it virtually irresistible. Not to mention that these spices combined with the apples make your kitchen smell amazing during the slow cooking process.
• Vanilla Extract: Whether you use my homemade vanilla extract, store-bought, vanilla paste, or a vanilla bean, the addition of the vanilla rounds out the sweetness of the apples and the warm spices in apple butter perfectly. 

How to Make Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Making apple butter in the crockpot is the easiest method. Once all the ingredients are in it, all you have to do is turn it on low and forget about it for about 10 hours. There is no stirring or watching necessary and it comes out perfect every time!

I like to prep my apple butter in the evening after dinner. Then, just before bed I turn the crockpot on low and cover it. In the morning I wake up to the most wonderful fall scent in the kitchen. 

1.) Core the apples and chop the apples into 1-inch pieces. Remember: There is no peeling necessary. Place the chopped apples in the crockpot.

2.) In a bowl, whisk the sugars, spices and vanilla together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top of the apples. Stir the apples, sugar, and spices  together thoroughly to coat all the apples.

3.) Place the lid on the crockpot and turn it on low. Allow the apples to cook for 10 hours.

4.) Remove the lid and purée the apples with an immersion blender until smooth.

5.) Leave the crockpot lid off and cook the apple butter for another 2 hours until it reaches the desired consistency.*

*Although the extra two hours of cooking in the crockpot uncovered are not necessary, I do recommend it to get a perfect consistency. The longer the apple butter cooks uncovered, the thicker it gets. Remember, it will also continue to thicken as it cools.

Storing Apple Butter

Once the apple butter has cooled, pour it into jars and store it in the refrigerator. I like to use 8-ounce glass jars. Out of one batch of apple butter,  I fill 4-6 jars. Here are some of my favorite 8-ounce jars:

Fruit butter lasts about a month, if not longer, in the refrigerator due to its high sugar content. 

Variations

Some (mainly my husband) might say I’m obsessed with making this incredibly easy crockpot apple butter. In the last week, I’ve made two batches. The first batch was made with this traditional recipe. However, when I made the second batch I switched it up a bit. I used half the amount of apples and substituted pears in for the other half. I also used fresh ginger and added a little brandy to it. One word…WOW!

Here is the difference in the ingredients. The cooking instructions are the same.

• 2.5 pounds of sweet apples (Golden Delicious, Gala, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, or my favorite, Fuji.)
• 2.5 pounds ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 1/3 cup Brandy or Whiskey

I love the traditional apple butter recipe for spreading on baked goods and putting it in oatmeal and yogurt. However, this second batch is delicious on savory foods like smoked (or roasted) pork tenderloin and grilled chicken. It’s also delicious on a cracker with Brie cheese!

Next, I plan to try cranberry apple butter for the Christmas season. I’ll keep you posted on how it turns out!

Thank you for joining me today! For more farmhouse inspiration including home decor and styling tips, delicious scratch-made recipes, easy and beautiful DIYs, and more, join me on Instagram and Pinterest. I hope to see you there!

Yield: 4-6, 8 ounce jars

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

This Easy Crockpot Apple Butter recipe is filled with rich fall flavors and only takes 10 minutes to prepare. The best part is t you don’t have to peel the apples. You will want to spread the rich and delicious apple butter on everything from bread and biscuits to waffles and pancakes. It’s delicious on crepes and in oatmeal and yogurt too! You can even spread it on roasted pork, grilled chicken, or a turkey sandwich. I love it on a fall panini sandwiches! The sky is the limit with this easy and delicious fall treat in a jar.

Print

Ingredients

• 5 pounds of sweet apples (Golden Delicious, Gala, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Ambrosia, or my favorite, Fuji.)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon of fresh ginger, chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

Instructions

1. Core the apples and chop the apples into 1-inch pieces. Remember: There is no peeling necessary. Place the chopped apples in the basin of the crockpot.
2. In a bowl, whisk the sugars, spices and vanilla together. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top of the apples. Stir the apples, sugar, and spices  together thoroughly to coat all the apples.
3. Place the lid on the crockpot and turn it on low. Allow the apples to cook for 10 hours.
4. Remove the lid and purée the apples with an immersion blender until smooth.
5. Leave the crockpot lid off and cook the apple butter for another 2 hours until it reaches the desired consistency.*
6. Once the apple butter has cooled, pour it into jars and store in the refrigerator.*

Notes

• Although the extra two hours of cooking in the crockpot uncovered is not necessary, I do recommend it to get the perfect consistency. The longer the apple butter cooks uncovered, the thicker it gets. Remember, it will also continue to thicken as it cools.
• I like to use 8-ounce glass jars. Out of one batch of apple butter,  I fill 4-6 jars.
• Fruit butter lasts about a month, if not longer, in the refrigerator due to it’s high sugar content. 

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Looking for more delicious apple recipes? You may be interested in checking out these: The Best Apple Pie Pizza, Chicken and Apples in Cider Cream Sauce, and my Baked Apple Rose Wreath.