Slow Cooker Apple Butter (24 Hour)
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An incredibly rich and old-fashioned flavored slow cooker apple butter recipe that’s hands off. The long, slow cooking process renders a wonderfully rich and deep flavor with notes of caramelized apple. It’s absolutely delicious! And if you want to store it long term, this recipe includes instructions for canning your apple butter!
For more fruit butter goodness try our Caramel Pear Butter and Plum Butter!
My husband, Todd, and I have several annual harvesting traditions. For years now, starting when we were dating, we’ve gone wild blackberry picking each Summer. Now that we have acreage with tons of blackberries of our own, we don’t have to venture very far. Our record high was 19 gallon freezer bags full! We enjoyed healthy smoothies all year long.
Another harvest tradition is late summer/early autumn apple picking. Previously we used to pick apples from a large orchard owned by a friend. Horses used to graze that orchard and they always made apple picking especially fun. That was 15 years ago, my goodness time flies!
Sadly that friend passed away and the orchard was sold. But we’ve since planted several apple trees of our own and have continued to harvesting tradition in our own orchard. We now also press our own apple cider and bottle it for long-term storage (check out our how-to article). I also love to make my own raw apple cider vinegar, fruit leather, applesauce and of course this deeelicious slow cooker apple butter which has become a family favorite.
Be sure to give yourself the full 24 hours to make this slow cooker apple butter. Start it during a time of day when you know you’ll be home about 4 hours before it’s done. The last few hours of cooking time you’ll want to give it an occasional stir. About 4 hours before it’s done you’ll also need to remove the lid to allow your apple butter to thicken. Depending on the juice content of your apples, you may need to let it cook a bit longer until it has reached your desired consistency.
The amount of sugar you use will depend on the sweetness of the apples. Whether the apples you’re using are sweet or tart, adjust the sugar accordingly. And remember, you can always start with less and add more toward the end.
This no-hassle crock pot apple butter recipe leaves the peels on so you have very minimal prep work (and can enjoy the extra health benefits of the peel).
How to Use Apple Butter
Apple butter is not only delicious, it’s also more versatile than you may initially think. Here are some ideas on how to use apple butter for both sweet and savory applications:
- Spread on Toast, Bagels, Scones and Muffins
- Mix with Yogurt
- Stir into Oatmeal
- Topping for Pancakes and Waffles
- Use as a Filling for Layer Cakes, Muffins, Crepes, Cookies, Breads, Pies, etc.
- Use in Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Pair with a Cheese Board
- Marinade or Glaze or added to BBQ Sauce
- Dip for Pretzels and Apple Slices
- Mix into Smoothies
- Ice Cream Topping
- Cocktail/Mocktail Mixer
- Gift or Party Favor
You can also use this slow cooker apple butter to make our delicious Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls!
Why 24 Hour Slow Cooker Apple Butter?
The deep brown caramelized color, thick consistency, and depth of flavor is only achievable through a low heat and lengthy cooking process. And boy, is this crock pot apple butter worth the wait!
You’re going to love what 24 hours of slow cooking does to this apple butter. Just when you think it can’t taste any better, you keep letting it cook until it’s rendered down to a rich dark brown color with a depth of caramelized flavor that will make you swoon!
Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe
Let’s get started!
Measure out the apples, apple cider, and apple cider vinegar.
Wash, quarter, and core the apples. Place them in a 7-quart slow cooker (if you don’t own one that large, simply half the recipe). Don’t worry about them turning brown – the apple butter is going to be brown anyway!
Add the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
Pour in the apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Give it a quick stir.
Cook the apple butter on LOW.
After about 20 hours the apple butter will look wonderfully dark like this:
Use a blender stick to puree the apple butter until it’s smooth. I use and like the Cuisinart Smart Stick which is also perfect for pureeing hot soups instead of having to transfer them to a blender. Alternatively you can carefully pour the apple butter into a blender (you’ll need to do it in batches) and puree until smooth.
At this point, let the apple butter continue to cook – with the lid open – to further thicken it. Let it cook for 4 more hours, stirring occasionally. Depending on how juicy your apples are, you may need to cook it a bit longer until the desired consistency is reached. Taste it and add more brown sugar if needed.
How to Can Apple Butter
If you’d like to store your apple butter long-term, it’s super easy to can it!
While the apple butter is still hot, ladle it into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Clean the rims with a wet cloth or paper towel, screw on the lids and process the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. This water bath canning set comes with everything you need.
Adjustments for canning at high altitudes:
- At 1,001 to 6,000 feet (305 to 1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- Above 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 10 minutes.
Store for up to a year in a cool place. This recipe yields about 5 pints.
Alternatively, freeze or keep in the fridge in air-tight jars for at least a month. This apple butter also makes wonderful gifts!
Enjoy!
For more delicious apple goodies be sure to try our:
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- German Apple Cake
- Apple Strudel
- Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls (use this slow cooker apple butter recipe to make these rolls!)
- Apple Streusel Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Cereal
- Curried Apple & Butternut Squash Soup
- Apfelschorle (German Apple Spritzer)
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Slow Cooker Apple Butter (24 Hour)
Ingredients
- 6 pounds apples , stemmed, cored, cut into quarters
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 1/2 cups apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Place the apples in a 7-quart slow cooker and add the remaining ingredients. Give it a gentle stir. Cook the apples on the "low" setting for 20 hours, giving the mixture an occasional stir after the first few hours of cooking.
- After 20 hours, use a [url:1]blender stick [/url]to puree the apple butter until smooth. Continue to cook, now with the lid open, for the remaining 4 hours to allow the apple butter to further thicken. Depending on how juicy your apples are, you may need to cook it a bit longer until the desired consistency is reached. At this point, taste and add more sugar if desired.
- If you'd like to store your apple butter long-term, it's super easy to can it! This water bath canning set has everything you need. While the apple butter is still hot, ladle it into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, and process the jars in a water bath for 15 minutes. The apple butter will store in a dark, cool place for up to a year. Alternatively, freeze or store in the fridge in air-tight jars for at least a month. Makes about 5 pints.
Notes
- At 1,001 to 6,000 feet (305 to 1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- Above 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) above sea level: increase processing time by 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 21, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
This recipe is amazing. I did add 4x the amount of cloves, as we love cloves. I doubled the cinnamon. I don’t have a canner, so I freeze mine and it has worked great. I have shared with others and they liked it. I am presently making my second batch, a double batch. It’s taking longer to thicken but I expected that.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Crystal, and I appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I have been making apple butter for 48 years and this recipe is by far the BEST! Rather than using a slow cooker, I cooked on the stove top until slightly thick then finished it off in the oven until the right consistency. Absolutely perfect. We just opened a jar for a pork roast and it was amazing. Thank you!
Help! My slow cooker only goes up to 12 hours so I timed it to increase the time before I went to bed but, I set it up for the next 8 hours but forgot to restart the cooker again. What a surprise when I got up. Now I restarted it for the 8 hours. Do you think I’ll be ok or do I need to pitch it out? The slow cooker was still hot in the morning.
Hi Kathy, it’s perfectly fine! Enjoy! :)
Thanks I’ll give you an update when it’s done 😀
My first attempt at this recipe was a complete failure. My crock pot must run much hotter than most, even on low. I left the apple butter over night and woke up to it being charred and hard as a rock. Not sure my crock will ever be the same. So a WORD OF CAUTION – the first time you make this, start the crock pot late evening/night so that you can watch it closely the following day.
The second batch I made turned out really rich and lovely. I only cooked it for about 11 hours with the lid on the entire time. I love the fact that you don’t peel the apples. This recipe is a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Celeste, thank you!
Am I right to assume you leave the lid off the slow cooker? I have made apple butter on the stove and have to stir constantly to prevent blobs spattering the walls once it is thick. Maybe the slow cooker cooks at a lower temperature than was possible on a stove or possibly you do use the lid and it still thickens.
Hi Christy, no the lid is left on for the first 20 hours and then it’s removed in Step 2 after you puree the mixture.
Our family absolutely ADORES this apple butter. We have apple trees and over the years have tried a number of recipes but none of them can top this one, it has been our go-to for several years. It is so rich and flavorful. We make multiple batches of it for our family and as extra to give away. Everyone is always VERY happy to receive it. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Yay, that’s wonderful, Cori, thank you so much! <3
What kind of apples do you recommend?
Hi Pauline, any and all, tart or sweet! If you use tart apples and find that you’d like it sweeter, simply add some more brown sugar.
Do you leave the skins on the apples?
Hi Brian, yes just leave the skins on.
This makes me hungry just reading the recipe. I always use apple cider in place of apple juice and add 1/2 cup of good port wine to deepen the flavor.
Can you use apple cider instead of apple cider vinegar?
Hi Kathy, this recipe calls for both – apple juice/cider and apple cider vinegar. It’s the combination of both that gives it the best flavor. However, if you wish you can use all apple juice/cider and omit the vinegar but the result will be a much sweeter apple butter.