Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Silky smooth and delicious, this Slow Cooker Apple Butter is an easy and tasty recipe that can be used on a variety of ways!
A TASTY HOMEMADE APPLE SPREAD
I love apple season (as you can tell from recent recipes!) I absolutely love baking, cooking, and of course, crunching into fresh apples. I’ll admit that it is my favorite fruit to bake with. This deliciously thick and smooth recipe is super easy to whip up! Apple butter can be used in so many more ways than just spreading on toast or biscuits. It is such a versatile condiment that is great to have around, give as gifts or just to eat with a spoon!
This was some of the best apple butter I have ever made. I had never made it with Gala apples but they were perfect! I think they are my new favorite apples!
– Ellen
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Personally, I have found over the years that I really like Gala apples or a mix of Gala with Golden Delicious or Granny Smith for this recipe. However, some other options for this Apple Butter include Fuji, Braeburn and Cortland.
No you do not need to peel the apples first. It’s totally a personal preference. Apple peels are actually packed with a lot of nutrients. I was just taught how to do it this way. It all eventually gets blended together at the end. Just make sure you rinse your apples really well before using them in this recipe.
Apple butter is just a concentrated version of apple sauce. More of the moisture from the apples is reduced when making apple butter which allows it to caramelize in order to give it a deeper and richer flavor.
Absolutely! I love making large batches of this and canning it for later use. You can follow the same canning steps I use for my Bread and Butter Pickles. This will keep shelf stable for up to 1 year.
This recipe is great on bread, toast, biscuits and muffins. Or use it to spread on pancakes and waffles. You can also stir it in oatmeal (I highly recommend it!) Apple Butter can be used as a substitute for pumpkin or applesauce in a recipe. It’s also delicious as an appetizer. Warm up a brick of cream cheese or some brie on a plate. Once its softened, pour some apple butter on top and serve with your favorite crackers.
Apple Butter is also great for gift giving. I like to can it for longer use so I can give it as gifts along with fresh loaves of baked bread. Or you can give it as a package with other jams and jellies such as my Cinnamon Honey Butter or my Raspberry Honey Butter.
This Slow Cooker Apple Butter recipe can be stored in an airtight container or lidded jars in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. It can also be frozen for up to one year. To defrost remove to the refrigerator overnight.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- Gala apples – see above for other apple options you can use.
- granulated sugar – I have never used a sugar substitute with this recipe but I am sure you could.
- light brown sugar – the combination of light brown sugar and white sugar really creates the absolute best flavor for apple butter. The molasses in brown sugar creates a gorgeous color and flavor as well.
- lemon juice – it needs to be fresh squeezed lemon juice. The bottled stuff is so highly acidic that it can affect the flavor. We just want a little fresh lemon juice to brighten the flavors a bit (without it changing the flavor.)
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves – this is a strong flavor so not much is needed but it is essential for apple butter.
HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER:
Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker. Stir to combine then cover with the lid.
Cook for 6 hours on low heat, stirring every hour to ensure even cooking. Turn the slow cooker off then use an immersion blender to blend the apple butter until smooth.
Let it cool for 1 hour before serving.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds (about 8) gala apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Add 3 ½ pounds (about 8) gala apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves to a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
- Stir to combine then cover with the lid.
- Cook for 6 hours on low heat, stirring every hour to ensure even cooking.
- Turn the slow cooker off then use an immersion blender to blend the apple butter until smooth.
- Let it cool for 1 hour before serving. If not canning, keep stored in lidded jars or containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 months (can also be frozen.)
Video
Notes
- This can be canned for later use and gift giving.
- Apple Butter can be frozen.
- You can use peeled or unpeeled apples.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, just use a handheld electric mixer to get it smooth. Or you can put it into a blender until smooth.
- A combination of apples can be used (Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious – I just wouldn’t recommend Red Delicious)
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was some of the best apple butter I have ever made. I had never made it with Gala apples but they were perfect! I think they are my new favorite apples!
Thanks so very much Ellen! I appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment!!