This simple apple butter recipe is easy to make in the slow cooker, makes the whole house smell divine and comes out velvety smooth.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

With this recipe you can make a big batch of apple butter for a fraction of what it costs in the store, and you will have plenty to give as gifts as well as stock your freezer. Made with fresh apples and spices, the slow cooking process makes the apples shine.

What is it?

Apple butter is not actual butter. It is a homemade applesauce that has had its flavour intensified by the longer cooking time. It is then pureed for a super-smooth texture, tasting like a thick, smooth, concentrated version of applesauce.

How to Use it

Apple butter can be used in the same way you use other fruit jams, such as:

On toast, muffins and biscuits
Topped on pancakes and waffles
On a cheese charcuterie board
Stirred into your morning oatmeal
In place of pumpkin puree or applesauce in recipes
As a baste for chicken or pork
For icing or fillings in cakes and muffins
Mixed through yoghurt
As a topping on ice cream

Other Jams and Spreads:

The Best Apples to Use

The best apples are ones that are crisp and sweet, such as Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady.

To make this apple butter, you will need:

apples
brown sugar
white sugar
cinnamon
nutmeg
salt
ground ginger

You will also need a slow cooker or crock pot as well as a blender or food processor. This recipe will yield 1 x 8 oz mason jar of apple butter.

First, you will need to get your apples ready by peeling, coring and slicing them.

Place all apples into a crock pot. If using green apples, increase the sugars by 1 tablespoon to help balance the tartness of green apples.

Cook on HIGH for 5 hours or LOW for 10 hours. Apples will begin to caramelise and mash easily with a spoon.

Transfer fully cooked apples to a blender or food processor. An immersion blender may also be used. Blend until smooth (about 1-2 mins).

Transfer to mason jar or Air tight container. Allow apple butter to completely cool (about an 1.5-2 hrs) at room temperature. Refrigerate after cooled. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to one year.