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Crockpot apple butter is my answer every year when apple picking gets a little out of hand. It cooks low and slow until thick, silky, and deeply spiced – your slow cooker does almost all the work!
In this post…
Why you’ll love this delicious apple butter!
I’m such a sucker for apple picking each year and inevitably, we end up with WAY TOO MANY apples haha! So, this easy apple butter recipe always comes in clutch when I need to use a bunch of them up before they go bad. Because there’s nothing better than a jar of apple butter in the fall (plus it makes a great gift!).
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – Your slow cooker does almost all of the work.
- Perfect for fall – A great way to use up an abundance of fresh apples during apple season.
- Rich and flavorful – Slow cooking concentrates the apple flavor and creates a deep caramelized sweetness.
- Freezer-friendly – Make a batch and enjoy it for months.
- Versatile – Delicious on toast, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, yogurt, and baked goods.
Crockpot Apple Butter Ingredients
The simple ingredients for this slow cooker apple butter recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over what’s needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Apples – use a mix of varieties for the best flavor; Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp bring sweetness, while granny smith apples adds a little tartness. You’ll need about 5 pounds of apples!
- Brown sugar – adds richness and depth; feel free to cut it in half if you prefer a less sweet apple butter.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – the classic, cozy fall, warm spices..
- Vanilla extract – not traditional, but it rounds out the flavor beautifully; swap it for a splash of bourbon if you’re feeling fancy.
- Salt – balances the sweetness and brings out the other flavors.
How to make it
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written easy crockpot apple butter recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- Prep the apples. Peel, core, and dice the apples – you’ll want about 5 pounds diced, which is roughly 5 ¾ pounds of whole apples. Diced apples break down more evenly than slices.
- Combine and cook. Add everything except the vanilla to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high heat for 1 hour, then reduce to low heat and cook for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally if you’re around.
- Finish uncovered. Stir in the vanilla and let it cook uncovered on low for 1 more hour to cook off excess moisture and thicken to a deep brown color.
Blend. Use an immersion blender to purée it until smooth and creamy (a regular blender works too – just be careful with the hot liquid)
Expert tips for this homemade apple butter recipe
- Mix your apple varieties. Combining sweet and tart apples gives the most balanced, rich flavor.
- Start with less sugar. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away – taste and adjust near the end.
- Crack the lid for a thicker butter. If it’s not thick enough after cooking, let it reduce further with the lid off.
- Skip the peeling if you’re blending. An immersion blender will smooth out the skins, so you can leave them on for extra fiber and color.
Frequently asked questions
A mix works best – try Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp for sweetness, plus Granny Smith for a little tartness to balance it out.
If the apple butter is still too thin after the full cooking time, remove the lid and let it cook on high until the excess moisture evaporates, stirring occasionally.
Apple butter has a rich, deep flavor that’s sweet, spiced, and slightly tangy. The cooking process caramelizes the apples and reduces the mixture, concentrating the flavors and giving it a smooth, spreadable texture. It’s similar to apple sauce but much more intense in flavor and more buttery in consistency.
Stored in the fridge in an airtight container, apple butter lasts about two weeks. For longer storage, freeze it for up to three months or even a little longer.
No! If blending, you can leave the peels on—just core the apples first. The texture will still be silky smooth.
Apple butter is cooked much longer, until thick, dark, and caramelized, with a richer, spiced flavor. Applesauce is lighter and less concentrated.
Serving Suggestions
Apple butter is incredibly versatile. Try it:
- On your morning toast, biscuits, muffins, or pancakes
- Swirled into oatmeal or yogurt
- Paired with cheese on a fall snack board
- Baked into cakes, quick breads, or muffins
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 2–3 weeks.
- Freezer: Freeze in mason jars or containers for up to 6 months.
- Canning: Apple butter can be canned using proper water bath canning procedures .
More apple recipes you’ll love!
Crockpot Apple Butter
Video
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and rough diced** see note for varieties
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Add the diced apples into a 6-quart or larger Crockpot. Mix in the remaining ingredients minus the vanilla: brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix so that the apples are evenly coated.5 pounds apples, 1 ½ cups brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Cover and set the slow cooker to HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to LOW and cook for 10 hours. It’s not absolutely necessary, but I like to give it a good stir every 1-2 hours.
- After the 10 hours, remove the lid and stir in the vanilla. Let it cook, uncovered, for 1 additional hour to cook off some of the moisture. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- You can serve the apple butter as is OR blend it so that it's creamy. The best way to do this is using an immersion blender but a regular blender will also work (just be very careful when transferring and blending the hot apple butter!). Serve and ENJOY!
Notes
Storage Instructions
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- Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 2–3 weeks.
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- Freezer: Freeze in jars or containers for up to 6 months.
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- Canning: Apple butter can be canned using proper water bath canning procedures (link out if you don’t want to include full directions).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I have made this recipe three times. My family loves it! The vanilla gives it that little bit extra that makes it amazing! I add the vanilla at the very end just before blending it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
This time of year we have so many apples to pick off of our trees this was perfect I let it cook overnight in the slow cooker and processed it this morning and it’s amazing thank you