Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Filled with cozy fall flavors, this Crockpot Apple Butter requires just a few simple ingredients to make! Perfect for swirling into yogurt, spreading atop bagels or toast, and more! 

Slow cooker, Crockpot, gigantic dish that sits on the counter and cooks delicious food for hours on end. Whatever you prefer to call it, it’s a kitchen essential for me. I love experimenting with my slow cooker. There are endless combination to make, countless recipes to mark of my to-do list, and so many wonderful meals that come out of it.

While I use my slow cooker year round, I tend to use it the most during the fall and winter months. I love the ease of throwing something together, letting it cook all day, and having a hot and tasty meal ready with hardly any prep work. It’s almost like a miracle-cooker in my mind!

So because it’s fall and I’m all about the apple (and pumpkin) goodies, I decided to try my hand at this Crockpot Apple Butter. Just a few simple ingredients is all it takes to make this delicious spread, perfectly acceptable to use on toast, oatmeal, ice cream, or my favorite, a spoon!

This Slow Cooker Apple Butter is so easy to make, guys! And you know I’m all about the simple recipes! The hardest part is peeling, coring, and slicing the apples. But if you have one of those handy dandy all-in-one apple corer/slicers, then you’re in luck!

Did I mention how amazing this will make your house smell? This scent is purely, insanely intoxicating…in a good way! And I guarantee that you will love the taste of this Slow Cooker Apple Butter! While it doesn’t take anything like regular butter (more like an apple jam), it’s full of apple flavor, cinnamon, and cozy fall spices.

So what are you waiting for? Grab those apples and get slow cookin’!

Crockpot Apple Butter Ingredients 

This easy apple butter recipe requires minimal ingredients to make: 

• Apples 
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar 
• Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
• Salt
• Vanilla bean paste (or extract) 

How to Make Apple Butter in a Crockpot

I made my butter into more of a jam, rather than a smooth sauce. Simply use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash up the chunks to your desired consistency. I like my apple butter chunky and full of flavor, so I purposely left some delicious gobs of apple-y goodness in there.

Here are the basic steps to making homemade apple butter in a slow cooker: 

1. Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray or use slow cooker liner.
2. Place apples into bottom of slow cooker. 
3. Sprinkle the apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
4. Cook low for 9 hours or on high for 4 hours.
5. When 1 hour is left, add in vanilla and stir. 
6. Using an immersion blender or potato masher, mash apples to reach your desired consistency.

What Are the Best Apples for Apple Butter? 

I chose to use honey crisp apples, but whatever apple tickles your fancy will work. Make sure that you adjust the amount of sugar depending on the tartness of your apples, otherwise you will end up with apple butter that is either too sweet, or too bland!

Apple Butter Uses

There are so many ways to enjoy this homemade apple butter! Swirl it into your morning yogurt, spread on toast or bagels, use in baked goods, spoon over oatmeal, use as an ice cream topping, and more! 

Tips for Making Crockpot Apple Butter

• Sugar: Be sure to adjust the amount of sugar you use based on the type of apples that you chose. The sugars listed in the recipe card below are based on using 5 pounds of honey crisp apples.
• Cook time: This Crockpot apple butter cooks all day, if you have the time. But I chose to speed up the process a bit and cook it on high for 5 hours, and then on low for 1 hour, after I had pureed the apple mixture. But if you have the time to spare, cook this delicious spread for 10 hours on low. Your house will smell incredible!
• Storage: This Crockpot apple butter should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last up to 2 weeks. 

Looking for more apple recipes? I’ve got you covered!

• Apple Pie French Toast Bake
• Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake
• Apple Pie Monkey Bread
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Glazed Apple Oatmeal Cookies
• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

**September 2017 update!** This recipe was originally posted in November 2014. I decided that the photos desperately needed updating, so I reshot the recipe (but still kept the ingredient list and directions the same). I also kept the original post/story above that I wrote three years ago!**