Slow Cooker Apple Butter
This cozy, spiced slow cooker apple butter is the ultimate fall comfort food — thick, rich, and naturally sweet. With just a few pantry staples and zero babysitting, this recipe yields a smooth, spreadable treat perfect for toast, gifts, or even meat glazes.
Equipment
- 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker
- Immersion blender or traditional blender
- Peeler and corer
- Airtight jars or containers
Ingredients
- 5 lbs apples Gala, Fuji, or your favorites, peeled, cored, sliced
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 dashes salt
Instructions
Prepare Apples
- Peel, core, and slice apples into chunks.
Load the Crock Pot
- Add apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Stir well to coat.
Slow Cook
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 5 hours, until apples are soft and collapsing.
Blend Until Smooth
- Use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker, or transfer in batches to a blender. Blend until silky.
Optional: Thicken Further
- If needed, cook uncovered on HIGH for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
Cool and Store
- Let cool, then transfer to airtight containers. Refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 year.
Notes
- You can substitute apple pie spice (1 tbsp + 1 tsp) in place of individual spices.
- For sugar-free options, try using maple syrup or date puree instead of brown sugar.
- Avoid rounded-shoulder jars if freezing — use straight-sided mason jars only.
- Always label if gifting (especially for allergies or dietary preferences).
Nutrition (Per Serving):
- Calories: 136 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Protein: 1g
- Fat: 1g
- Fiber: 4g
- Sugar: 30g
- Sodium: 57mg
- Vitamin C: 7mg