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 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. Technically this is not a baking recipe but you have to try this Slow Cooker Apple Butter. 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. If you have some leftover apples then you need to make this Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Personally, I have found over the years that I really like Gala apples for this recipe. They are pretty abundant in the United States during apple season. However, some other options for this Apple Butter include Golden Delicious, 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: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- Gala apples
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
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 all of the ingredients to a 5 quart (or larger) 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.
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.
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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Ellen
Excellent site! Just didn’t see how much
The apple butter recipe makes?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
It’s hiding too week in the recipe card - ha! It makes about 3 cups.