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Easy Homemade Apple Butter Recipe for the Slow Cooker

Easy Homemade Apple Butter Recipe

Slow-cooked apples, warm spices, cider, and two kinds of sugar become a thick, silky apple butter with wonderful autumn flavor. This recipe makes about 3 to 4 cups.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 3 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apple Butter
  • 5 pounds, about 12 medium apples Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup Apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
  • 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon Fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, optional

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Peel, core, and slice the apples into fairly uniform pieces. Add them to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.
  2. Pour in the cider, then add both sugars, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and optional lemon juice. Stir carefully until the apples are coated.
  3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, stirring once or twice if convenient, until the apples are extremely soft and deep brown.
  4. Purée the cooked apples with an immersion blender, or blend in batches in a countertop blender. If using a countertop blender, vent the lid to let hot steam escape.
  5. Cook the purée uncovered for another 1 to 2 hours if needed, stirring occasionally, until it is thick enough to mound slightly on a spoon.
  6. Cool the apple butter, transfer it to clean containers, and refrigerate. Use within about 2 weeks, or freeze in airtight containers for several months.

Notes

Use a blend of sweet and tart apples for the best flavor. Do not fill the slow cooker above about two-thirds full. Apple butter thickens further as it cools. For shelf-stable storage, follow a tested home-canning recipe and current USDA-style processing guidance rather than improvising a canning time.