Dressing, Sauce, or Condiment › Condiment

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

By Amy Flanigan

Published Sep 18, 2025

Read 21 Reviews

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 12 hours hrs

Servings 8 cups

By Amy Flanigan

Published Sep 18, 2025

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Made with fresh apples, spices, and brown sugar, I love this Slow Cooker Apple Butter on my morning toast or pancakes. I also mix it into savory dishes like pork and turkey for a hint of sweetness. This sweet, caramelized spread requires just a few ingredients and 10 minutes of prep. Makes a great gift, too!

Helpful Tips

• Type of apples. I like to use Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Ambrosia, Fuji, or Gala. For the best flavor, try using two or three varieties in this recipe. I would avoid Granny Smith; they are too tart and firm for this recipe.
• If you don’t have an immersion blender, pour the apples into a blender and puree until smooth, then return to the slow cooker. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your blender.
• Make it thicker. The longer you cook the mixture with the lid off, the thicker the overall texture will be. If you want it thicker, just cook it a bit longer.

5 from 21

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 12 hours hrs

Total: 12 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 cups

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A sweet, rich, caramelized spread, Slow Cooker Apple Butter is so easy to make with very little prep. Just a spoonful is perfect on your morning toast and pancakes, or savory dishes like pork and turkey. It stores well in the fridge, freezer, or can be canned for longer term storage, and makes a great edible gift!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 & 1/2 pounds whole apples*
• ▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions 

• Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray.
• Core and dice the apples into small 1" cubes—no need to peel them!
• Combine the apples, both sugars, and all the spices in the slow cooker; stir to coat.
• Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on low for 10 hours, stirring once halfway through, until the apples are tender and dark brown.
• When done, remove the lid and stir in the vanilla.
• Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the apples until completely smooth and no chunks are left***
• Now keep the lid off, switch to high heat, and continue to cook for another 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickened and desired consistency is reached (the longer it cooks, the thicker it will get.)
• Spoon into clean glass jars, let cool completely, then fasten with the lids.
• Use as desired or store for later (storage instructions and ways to use it are in the article.)

Video

Notes

*There is no need to peel the apples, which is great since there’s so much nutrition in the peel. Once it’s all blended, you can’t feel or taste the peel at all. Not peeling the apples also saves a TON of time!

**You can replace the spices with 1½ to 2 tbsp of apple pie spice.

***If you don’t have an immersion blender, you’ll need to transfer the apples and all the liquid to a blender and blend until smooth, then transfer back to the crockpot.

Make gingerbread apple butter instead with 1 tablespoon of ginger, a teaspoon of allspice, and 1/2 cup of molasses for a spread that tastes just like a gingerbread cookie. Or make it boozy by adding dark or spiced rum to the mixture.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 38kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

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How to Make Slow Cooker Apple Butter Step by Step

Add ingredients to the slow cooker: Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with a nonstick spray. Add 6½ pounds whole apples that are cubed, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, and ¼ tsp salt. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 10 hours, stirring once halfway through.

Add vanilla and puree the apples: Remove the lid and stir in 2 tsp vanilla. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until completely smooth. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the apples and liquid to a blender and blend until smooth, then transfer back to the crockpot.)

Cook without the lid: Switch to high heat and cook the mixture for 1.5 to 2 hours without the lid, until desired consistency is reached. Stir occasionally. (Note: the longer you cook with the lid off, the thicker the overall texture will be.)

Cool and store: Transfer to canning jars. Cool completely, then seal and refrigerate (see below.)

Recipe Variations

• Adjust the sweetness. The amount of sugar needed can vary based on the sweetness of your apples. Adjust according to the apples you use and your personal preference.
• Use a sugar replacement. You can sub in Splenda for the granulated sugar, if needed.
• Make gingerbread apple butter. Add in 1 tablespoon of ginger, a teaspoon of allspice, and 1 cup of molasses for a spread that tastes just like a gingerbread cookie.
• Add a boozy twist. Adding rum to the mixture is also delicious. I recommend dark or spiced rum.

Ways to Use It

Apple butter is great on toast and pumpkin spice muffins, stirred into your oatmeal, plain yogurt or cottage cheese, blended into smoothies, spooned over ice cream, on pumpkin pancakes or even biscuits, or spread on graham crackers. It’s also wonderful with savory dishes cornbread, a baked sweet potato or pork tenderloin and roast turkey.

How to Store

• Fridge. I recommend storing apple butter in mason jars. I like to store mine in 8 oz. jars, though 4 oz. jars make great gifts. Tightly sealed in a glass jar, your spread will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge. (It can only be kept in the pantry if you go through the full canning process.)
• Freezer. This also freezes beautifully. Just be sure to leave about an inch of room at the top of the jars for expansion. Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw in the fridge. (Note that straight-sided mason jars are freezer-safe, not ones with rounded shoulders.)
• Pantry. Canning apple butter is an option, especially if you want to give it as gifts or just store it in the pantry. Once the lids have been sealed, place in a canner, covered with water by 2 inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 12 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When the timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth, then label. They’ll last in the pantry for up to a year.

More Apple Recipes

• Homemade Apple Pie Filling
• Easy Apple Dumplings
• Caramel Apple Nachos
• Apple Pie Bars

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!