One look at this beautiful, thick apple butter and you know it has to taste awesome. It’s cooked low and slow in the crock pot but the time it takes is totally worth the wait. Make it before you go to bed and have sweet apple dreams. Wake up, and see them come true.
Before you hit the hay, wash, peel, core and chop up your apples. Peeling your apples is optional. If you want a smooth butter then peel your apples. If you don’t mind a little texture, then leave your peels on (I decided to remove most of the peels). Add the apples along with a few other spices and a little bit of water to your slow cooker. Set it on low and then go to sleep. When you wake up, give the apples a good stir. You can either puree them with an immersion blender or put the apple mixture in your blender and then put the puree back in your crock pot to continue cooking. At this point, leave the lid ajar and cook until the apple butter reaches your desired consistency. I wanted mine super thick so I let it cook for like another six hours. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be.
Apple butter is high in natural sugar so if you want don’t want to add sugar, then use sweet apples. The thing about sugar is that helps thicken your apple butter. I used about 5 tablespoons of coconut sugar so my apple butter was satisfyingly sweet. You don’t have to add sugar to yours, but just be aware that the consistency may not be as thick as you’d like. It’ll still be awesome.
Making homemade apple butter isn’t an exact science. Apple butter is just applesauce that you keep cooking down to a concentrated sweet spreadable spread. Put it on anything and everything. Make it, taste it, love it. Then spread the apple love and share with a friend. Wondering what else you can do with apple butter? Make this apple butter pumpkin pie.
Ingredients
- 5 1/2 pounds of apples ½ peck, washed, peeled, and chopped
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Ground
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
- pinch of ground Cloves
- 5 tablespoons Coconut Sugar optional
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to your slow cooker and mix well.
- Put the lid on and cook on low overnight – 9 to 12 hours.
- When you wake up, give the apples a good stir. Puree them with an immersion blender or put everything into a blender and then put the puree back into the crock pot.
- Taste and adjust the spices/sugar.
- Cook on low with the lid slightly ajar for a few more hours or until the apple butter is as thick as you’d like it to be (I did another 5-6 hours). Stir frequently.
- Store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.
Marie says
Just what I’m looking for. Your apple butter looks delicious–I like it dark and thick. I just recently purchased an Instant Pot (way late to the trend–as usual) and wondered if you’ve made this using the IP as a slow cooker? If so, did these instructions work for that? (I came to this from your apple butter recipe using the pressure cooker feature.)
Thanks
My Heart Beets says
Hi Marie! I have made this in the instant pot but not using the slow cooker function. You can find my instant pot recipe here: https://myheartbeets.com/instant-pot-apple-butter/
Kay says
I was longing for the Apple Butter my grandmother use to make and decided to try this recipe. I used organic apples and did not peep them. I also did not want any added sugar and hoped the apples would be sweet enough. I blended the cooked mixture in my Vitamix so the skins were not even noticeable. When I did the taste test before adding it back to the crockpot it was all I could do not to serve myself a small bowl to eat while it was warm. Thanks for this recipe.
My Heart Beets says
Kay, so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Tamara says
Can you can this using waterbath?
Shasa says
HI. What is the alternative way to make it without the slow cooker or a crock pot? How long does it take to cook in a usual pressure cooker, like the one we use in India?
Sandi says
This is my first time making apple butter and the apples are in the crock pot right now as I type. I am very excited to see how it turns out since this is my first time doing this. My very first canning experience was pear preserves and they turned out wonderful. I love apple butter. After I put them in the jar what do I do next? Do they have to be stored in the refrigerator? I am planning on make more for the ladies at church when we come together for our monthly meeting.
Sandy says
Love this simple recipe. Have made it countless times already, it’s the one I always go back to .
My Heart Beets says
Sandy, I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
Maile says
Good recipe! Just wondering how long it will last in the fridge?
My Heart Beets says
I’d say about a week in the fridge, but you can always freeze it too. Make sure to store it in an air-tight container!