Homemade Crockpot Apple Butter
This homemade crockpot apple butter is made with fresh apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and warm fall spices, then slow cooked until thick, smooth and spreadable.
Creator: Leslie Stokes
There are certain recipes that just make your house feel like fall, and homemade apple butter is definitely one of them. Apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and warm spices slowly cooking all day might be one of the best smells to come out of my kitchen this time of year.
I made a big batch of this homemade apple butter for our September Table dinner. I wanted something homemade that I could spoon into little jars, and apple butter felt perfect for this time of year. It’s simple, seasonal and one of those recipes that feels special without actually requiring a lot of hands-on work.
The crockpot does most of the work. The apples cook low and slow until they’re completely tender, then everything gets blended until smooth. The most important step comes after that: letting the apple mixture continue cooking uncovered until all of that extra moisture evaporates.
At first, mine looked much more like applesauce. Don’t panic if yours does too! Apple butter needs time to reduce. As it continues cooking, it gets darker, thicker and more concentrated until you have that rich, spreadable consistency we’re looking for.
It’s so good on warm biscuits or toast, swirled into oatmeal, spooned over pancakes or just eaten straight from the jar.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Apple Butter
This is exactly my kind of fall recipe because there really isn’t much work involved once everything goes into the crockpot.
The apples slowly cook down with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves until your entire kitchen smells amazing. After blending, you simply let everything keep cooking until it becomes thick and concentrated.
I also love making a big batch because you can keep some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest for later.
It’s:
- Made with simple ingredients
- Mostly hands-off
- Full of fresh apple flavor
- Sweet with plenty of warm fall spices
- Perfect for fall breakfasts and snacks
- Great for gifting
- Easy to make ahead
- Freezer friendly
What Is Apple Butter?
Despite the name, there isn’t actually any butter in apple butter.
Apple butter starts similarly to applesauce. Apples are slowly cooked until extremely tender and then blended into a smooth puree. The difference is what happens next.
For apple butter, that puree continues cooking until much of its moisture evaporates. As it reduces, the apple flavor becomes more concentrated, the color deepens and the consistency changes from spoonable applesauce to thick, smooth and spreadable apple butter.
That extra cooking time is the secret.
The Best Apples for Apple Butter
I like using several varieties of apples instead of just one. Different apples bring different levels of sweetness, tartness and flavor, and they all come together as they cook down.
For my batch, I used a combination of:
Honeycrisp: Naturally sweet with a really good, pronounced apple flavor.
Granny Smith: Tart enough to balance the sweetness from the other apples and brown sugar.
Fuji or Gala: Sweet and great for cooking because they soften beautifully.
For a 12-pound batch, a good combination is:
- 6 pounds Honeycrisp
- 3 pounds Granny Smith
- 3 pounds Fuji or Gala
You don’t have to measure each variety perfectly. Just aim for mostly sweet apples with a few tart ones mixed in.
Don’t Skip the Uncovered Cooking Time
This is probably the most important part of this entire recipe.
When I first blended my apples, I thought, This looks like applesauce.
And it did.
But that doesn’t mean anything went wrong.
Apples contain a lot of water, and when you’re working with a large batch, there can be quite a bit of liquid left after the initial slow cooking time.
The solution isn’t flour, cornstarch or another thickener. It simply needs more time.
Taking the lid off allows that water to evaporate. The apple puree slowly becomes thicker, darker and more concentrated until it turns into apple butter.
So if yours still looks like applesauce, keep cooking it uncovered.
How to Make Apple Butter in a Dutch Oven
I ended up making part of my large batch in a Dutch oven, and this is also a great option—especially if your crockpot isn’t large enough for all of the apples.
For a 6-pound batch, use:
- 6 pounds apples
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- About ½ cup apple cider or water to get the apples started
Add the apples, sugars, spices, salt and apple cider or water to a large Dutch oven.
Cover and cook over low to medium-low heat for approximately 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are extremely tender.
Blend until completely smooth, then stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
Now remove the lid.
Continue simmering the apple mixture over low to medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring frequently, until it becomes thick, dark and spreadable.
The Dutch oven can actually reduce the apple butter faster because its wider surface area allows more moisture to evaporate.
How Do I Know When Apple Butter Is Done?
Don’t rely solely on the cooking time. Look at the texture.
Finished apple butter should be:
- Darker than applesauce
- Very smooth
- Thick and spreadable
- Glossy
- Able to mound slightly on a spoon
- Thick enough that it doesn’t immediately run back together when you drag a spoon through it
It will also get thicker once refrigerated, so don’t cook it until it’s completely stiff.
What If My Apple Butter Is Too Thin?
Keep cooking!
If your apple butter looks like applesauce, it simply contains too much moisture.
Cook it uncovered in the crockpot on HIGH until it reduces.
If you’ve already been cooking it for hours and want to speed things up, transfer it to a wide Dutch oven and gently simmer it uncovered on the stovetop.
Just make sure you stir it frequently as it thickens because the natural sugars can scorch on the bottom.
Can You Make Apple Butter Sweeter?
Absolutely.
I like the combination of brown and granulated sugar in this recipe because the brown sugar adds a deeper, almost caramel-like flavor that works so well with the apples and cinnamon.
However, apples vary in sweetness. Once your apple butter has reduced, give it a taste.
If it needs more sweetness, add a little additional brown sugar and continue cooking until the sugar has completely dissolved and the flavor is where you want it.
Ways to Use Homemade Apple Butter
Once you have a jar of this in the refrigerator, you’ll find yourself putting it on everything.
Try it:
- Spread over warm sourdough toast
- On biscuits or English muffins
- Swirled into oatmeal
- Spooned over pancakes or waffles
- Mixed into Greek yogurt
- Added to a fall charcuterie board
- Served alongside pork tenderloin or pork chops
- Spread onto a turkey and sharp cheddar sandwich
- Spooned over vanilla ice cream
It also makes such a cute homemade fall gift.
How to Store Homemade Apple Butter
Let the finished apple butter cool before transferring it into clean airtight jars or containers.
Store it in the refrigerator for approximately 1–2 weeks.
You can also freeze apple butter in freezer-safe containers for longer storage. Leave a little room at the top of the container because it will expand as it freezes.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Important: This recipe has not been developed or tested specifically for shelf-stable canning. Keep the finished apple butter refrigerated or frozen unless you’re using a properly tested canning recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does apple butter actually contain butter?
No. The name refers to its thick, smooth, spreadable consistency rather than an ingredient.
Why is my crockpot apple butter watery?
Apples naturally release a lot of liquid as they cook. Remove the crockpot lid and continue cooking so that excess moisture can evaporate.
Why does my apple butter look like applesauce?
Because it isn’t finished reducing yet. After blending, applesauce and apple butter can look very similar. Apple butter needs additional uncovered cooking time to develop its darker color, concentrated flavor and thick consistency.
Does apple butter thicken as it cools?
Yes. It will thicken more as it comes to room temperature and again after refrigeration.
Do I need cornstarch to thicken apple butter?
No. Apple butter should thicken naturally as moisture evaporates. You don’t need flour, cornstarch or another thickening agent.
Can I leave the crockpot lid on?
Keep it covered during the initial cooking period while the apples soften. After blending, remove the lid so steam can escape and the apple butter can reduce.
Tips for the best Homemade Apple Butter
Use a combination of apples. Sweet and tart apples together create a much more interesting flavor.
Don’t overfill your crockpot. Twelve pounds of apples is a very large batch. Split it between two slow cookers if necessary.
Don’t judge the consistency immediately after blending. It should look similar to applesauce at this stage.
Take the lid off after blending. You need steam to escape for the apple butter to reduce.
Give it time. A big batch can easily need several additional hours.
Stir more frequently toward the end. As the mixture thickens, it can scorch more easily.
Taste after reducing. This is the best time to decide whether you’d like to add more sugar or spice.
I hope this recipe helps you! Don’t forget to follow along on social media for more Meal Prep + healthy recipes!
Homemade Crockpot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 12 pounds apples peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
Let's Make It
- Prep the apples: Peel, core and roughly chop the apples.
- This is a large batch, so unless you have an extra-large slow cooker, I recommend dividing the recipe between two slow cookers or making two separate batches.
- Add the chopped apples to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt over the apples. Toss everything together. Cover the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the apples are extremely soft and easily fall apart.
- The apples will release quite a bit of liquid as they cook. That’s completely normal.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked apples directly in the crockpot until completely smooth. (You can also carefully transfer the apples to a blender and puree them in batches.)
- Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
- At this stage, the mixture may look like applesauce. That’s exactly what you want.
- Now we turn it into apple butter.
- Reduce until thick: Turn the crockpot to HIGH and leave the lid OFF so the moisture can escape.
- Continue cooking for approximately 2–4 hours, stirring every 20–30 minutes.
- As the apple butter gets thicker, stir more frequently to prevent the edges from scorching.
- The exact amount of time will depend on your apples, the size and shape of your slow cooker and how much moisture they released.
- Check the consistency: Your apple butter is ready when it is noticeably darker, glossy, thick and spreadable.
- Run a spoon or spatula across the bottom of the crockpot. The line should remain visible for a moment rather than immediately filling back in.
- You can also place a small spoonful on a plate. It should hold its shape rather than releasing a ring of watery liquid around it.
- Remember that apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Once the apple butter has reduced, taste it.
- Apple varieties can vary quite a bit in sweetness. If you’d like your apple butter sweeter, stir in additional brown sugar to taste and let it cook for another 15–20 minutes.
- I prefer doing this at the end because the flavor and sweetness become much more concentrated as the apple butter reduces.
Meal Prep in 1 Hour
You can use any two of the meals in this series to get your meal prep done in just about and hour, give or take!
Having your breakfast and lunch ready for the week helps you stay on track with your nutriton, saves you time and money! I truly beleive that meal prep does not need to be over complicated, take too much time or be boring!
I always get asked- “do you ever get tired of eating the same thing all week?” and the answer is, no! Not when the food taste good! I give plenty of variety in these preps and keep it simple!
As always, thanks for being here and remember, don’t over complicate the process! Take a deep breath, you got this!
