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There are few things better than the smell of apples and cinnamon slowly making their way through the house. This slow cooker apple butter recipe is one of my favorite things to make in fall, although I’ll happily make it any time of year.
The best part? The slow cooker does almost all the work. Add the apples, spices, sugar, and orange juice, turn it on, and leave it alone. After a few hours, you’ll have beautifully soft, spiced apples. Blend them until smooth and cook them a little longer, and they turn into thick, dark, delicious homemade apple butter.
And despite the name, there is absolutely no butter involved. One less ingredient to worry about!
Table of contents
Tip from Simone
For the best apple butter, use a combination of sweet and tart apples. Cooking them low and slow gives the apples plenty of time to develop a deep, caramelized flavor. Once they’re soft, blend everything until smooth and cook it uncovered for another hour or two. That last step is what transforms applesauce into rich, spreadable apple butter.
Recipe Ingredients
These are the basic ingredients you need for this slow cooker apple butter recipe:
- Apples – You’ll need about 2.2 pounds of apples. A combination of sweet and tart varieties gives you the best flavor. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, or Jonagold are all great options.
- Star anise – One of my favorite spices, especially with apples. If you’re not a fan, simply leave it out or add a little extra cinnamon instead.
- Cardamom – I use the seeds from two cardamom pods. You can substitute a small pinch of ground cardamom, but go easy because the flavor can quickly become overpowering.
- Cinnamon – A tablespoon of ground cinnamon gives the apples that warm, cozy flavor and also makes the apple butter darker.
- Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor. Dark brown sugar works too and will give you an even deeper flavor.
- Fresh orange juice – I prefer orange juice over water because it adds much more flavor. Apple juice or apple cider would also work.
Check the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
How to Make Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Step 1: Prepare the apples
Peel and core the apples, then cut them into medium-size chunks. Don’t make the pieces too large or they’ll take much longer to soften.
Step 2: Add everything to the slow cooker/ crock pot
Place the apples in the slow cooker and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, star anise, and orange juice. Stir everything together.
Don’t be tempted to add too much liquid. Apples release quite a bit of juice as they cook, and because the slow cooker holds on to moisture, you usually need very little extra liquid.
Step 3: Slow cook the apples
Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours, or until the apples are completely soft and beginning to fall apart.
You can also cook them on High for 2 to 3 hours. The exact cooking time will depend on the type of apples you use.
Remove the star anise once the apples are soft.
At this point you essentially have a chunky apple compote or applesauce. You could absolutely stop here, but for apple butter we’re going one step further.
Step 4: Blend until smooth
Use an immersion blender to puree the apples until completely smooth. You can also carefully transfer the mixture to a regular blender.
Step 5: Cook until thick and dark
Leave the lid off and cook the pureed apples on High for another 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
This allows the excess moisture to evaporate. The homemade apple butter is ready when it has become noticeably darker, thicker, and smooth enough to spread.
You can also do this final step in a saucepan on the stove. It will reduce a little faster, but you’ll need to stir it more frequently.
What Can You Do with Apple Butter
Apple butter is somewhere between applesauce and a thick fruit spread. It’s sweet, intensely apple-flavored, and incredibly versatile.
Spread it on toast, English muffins, biscuits, pancakes, or waffles. Swirl it through oatmeal or yogurt, spoon it over vanilla ice cream, or serve it alongside sharp cheddar or another aged cheese.
It’s also surprisingly good with savory foods. Try it alongside roasted pork or chicken, or add a spoonful to a cheese board in the same way you might serve chutney or cranberry sauce.
And since apples are fruit rather than vegetables, I can’t really pretend this counts toward eating more veggies. But it does make a very good partner for a veggie-packed cheese board or fall salad!
What Is The Difference between Applesauce and Apple Butter
They both start with cooked apples, but the final texture and flavor are very different.
Applesauce is usually cooked just until the apples are tender and then mashed or pureed. It tends to be lighter in color and has a fresh apple flavor.
Apple compote is chunkier. The apples are cooked until tender but are generally left in pieces rather than completely pureed. Check the recipe for apple compote here.
Apple butter contains no actual butter. It starts with cooked and pureed apples, but then continues cooking until much of the moisture evaporates. This extra cooking time gives it its characteristic dark color, concentrated apple flavor, and thick, spreadable consistency.
How to Store Apple Butter
Refrigerator: Let the apple butter cool completely, then transfer it to a clean airtight jar or container. Store in the refrigerator for up to about 5 days. While I haven’t tried this, I assume you can also place the hot apple butter into sterilized jars and keep it for longer that way.
Freezer: Apple butter freezes very well. Place it in a freezer-safe container, leaving a little room for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
FAQ Slow Cooker Apple Butter
A mixture of sweet and tart apples gives you the most interesting flavor. Granny Smith combined with Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Jonagold works particularly well. Softer apples will break down faster, while firmer apples may need a little more cooking time.
Only a small amount. Apples release quite a bit of moisture while cooking, and a slow cooker prevents most of that liquid from evaporating. This recipe uses a little fresh orange juice for flavor. If your apples look unusually dry while cooking, you can always add another splash later.
Yes. The sweetness of the finished apple butter depends a lot on the apples you use, so you can reduce the brown sugar if you prefer. Keep in mind that reducing the sugar will also make the finished apple butter slightly less sweet and caramel-like.
It simply needs more time to reduce. Once you have pureed the apples, cook them uncovered on High so excess moisture can escape. Depending on your slow cooker and the amount of liquid in your apples, this may take longer than two hours.
No! Despite the name, apple butter doesn’t contain dairy butter. The word “butter” refers to its thick, smooth, spreadable consistency. Similar I guess to something like peanut butter.
You can, especially if you have a powerful blender. The skins contain fiber and will cook down considerably. However, peeling the apples gives you the smoothest, most traditional apple butter.
Definitely. Both spices add extra warmth, but cinnamon alone works perfectly well. You could also add a pinch of nutmeg, cloves, or allspice.
More Apple Recipes
Apple compote with chestnuts and coconut yogurt
Recipe: Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg apples
- 2 whole star anise
- Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 200 g light brown sugar about 1 packed cup
- 50 ml fresh orange juice plus more if needed
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Instructions
- Peel and core the apples and cut them into medium-size chunks.
- Add the apples, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and brown sugar to the slow cooker. Pour in the orange juice and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours, or until the apples are completely soft. Alternatively, cook on High for 2 to 3 hours.
- Remove the star anise and puree the apples with an immersion blender until completely smooth.
- Leave the slow cooker uncovered and cook on High for another 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, dark, and spreadable.
- Let cool before transferring to clean jars or containers.
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
