Homemade Apple Butter Slow Cooker Recipe
When fall is in the air, there’s nothing quite like the aroma of apples and warm spices filling your kitchen. This Homemade Apple Butter Slow Cooker Recipe is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, delivering a deep, cozy flavor that’s perfect on toast, stirred into oatmeal, or even as a topping for ice cream. Made right in your Crock-Pot® slow cooker, this recipe is easy, delicious, and requires very little hands-on time.
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe uses a trio of flavorful apples—Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp—for the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Slow cooking the apples for over 10 hours intensifies their natural sugars, allowing the spices to deeply infuse. The result is a silky-smooth, dark, caramel-colored apple butter that’s rich, fragrant, and totally versatile.
Whether you’re preserving it for later, gifting jars during the holidays, or simply spreading it on warm bread, this recipe is sure to become a seasonal favorite.
Homemade Apple Butter Slow Cooker Recipe
20
servings25
minutes10
hours300
kcalIngredients
6 pounds apples (a variety of Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp is recommended)
1 ½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon corn starch
Directions
- Prepare the apples: Slice apples (peeling is optional based on your preference) and place them in the bowl of your Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
- Add the flavor: Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, lemon juice, and apple cider. Toss everything together to coat the apples evenly.
- Cook low and slow: Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours, or until the apples have completely softened and the flavors are concentrated.
- Blend until smooth: Transfer the cooked mixture to a blender and pulse until smooth. Then return the apple butter to the slow cooker.
- Thicken and finish: In a small bowl, mix the corn starch and vanilla extract to create a slurry. Pour it into the apple butter and stir well. Cook on HIGH, uncovered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the apple butter reaches your desired texture.
- Serve and store: Let cool slightly before serving or transferring to jars.
Ways to Use Apple Butter
- Spread on toast, biscuits, or muffins
- Swirled into oatmeal or yogurt
- As a topping for pancakes or waffles
- Layered in grilled cheese sandwiches
- Served with roasted meats as a sweet-savory glaze
- Drizzled over vanilla ice cream
Storage Tips
- Store in airtight containers or sterilized jars.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- For longer storage, freeze in small batches or use proper canning methods.
Final Thoughts
This Homemade Apple Butter Slow Cooker Recipe is a celebration of fall flavor and simplicity. With minimal prep and a slow cooker doing most of the work, you’ll have a delicious, thick spread that brings out the best in apples and warm spices. Whether enjoyed right away or saved for later, it’s a comforting and fragrant addition to your kitchen staples.
