How to Make the Best Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe

It’s fall, so picking apples in Virginia is happening in mass. Although there are many options for what to do with the fruit, canning apple butter tops the list! Here’s an easy crockpot apple butter recipe that is so easy. It makes a tasty wedding favor, too!

Wondering where to buy apple butter? Once you make your own crockpot apple butter, you may never ask that question again! With a few simple ingredients—and a slow cooker—you will be well on your way.

Bonus: this is crockpot apple butter with peels, so you don’t have to worry about removing the skins.

Apple Butter Uses

Knowing how to make apple butter doesn’t necessarily mean that you know what to do with it! Here are a few suggestions for using your homemade cinnamon apple butter.

• Substitute it for jelly. Do sandwiches, biscuits, and toast a favor and spread your homemade apple butter on top to add flavor. Yum!
• Pep up your pancakes. Toss the maple syrup, and use apple butter. It adds a delicious, unique flavor to your breakfast.
• Swap it for oil. If a recipe calls for oil, you can substitute butter made from apples instead.
• Sweeten your oatmeal. Skip the sugar and swirl in a bit of crockpot apple butter.
• Add it to a charcuterie. Cheeseboards and charcuteries thrive with a dollop of this sweet treat.
• Moisten your meals. Use apple butter instead of barbeque sauce on chicken. It tastes fab, promise!

Fresh-picked Virginia apples are perfect for an old-fashioned apple butter recipe.

Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe

This may not seem like a quick apple butter recipe, as slow cookers do just that—cook slowly. However, the preparation is simple, especially since the peels are left on the fruit.

Apple Butter Recipe Crockpot Ingredients

• 15 apples, any variety (we used Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Winesap, and McIntosh for our crockpot apple butter for canning
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp honey (ours was harvested by a neighbor)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

An apple butter recipe for canning involves a variety of spices for flavor.

Best Apple Butter Recipe Steps

• Plugin your crockpot and turn it on low.
• Use an apple corer and divider to remove cores and cut the apple. Remove any stray seeds.
• Place apples into the slow cooker as you slice them.
• Microwave your water for 30 seconds.
• Add honey to warm water. Mix.
• Follow by adding cinnamon and sugar to the water/honey mixture. Mix.
• Pour the water mixture over the prepared apples in the crockpot.
• Place the cover on the slow cooker.
• Cook for 2 hours. Stir and recover.
• Adjust the slow cooker to the high setting.
• At the 4-hour mark, puree the crockpot apple butter mixture and return to the slow cooker. This can be done with a blender (I used my Vitamix) or an immersion blender.
• Recover and cook for 30 more minutes for a total cooking time of 4.5 hours.
• Can your apple butter, and ensure that your seals tighten and pop.

Use different varieties in our traditional apple butter recipe.

Note: Learning About Canning

Apple butter recipe canning isn’t as difficult as it sounds, and people have been doing it successfully for centuries. Ball (who has been making canning jars for a long time!) has instructions on preserving using a water bath.

It’s a fairly forgiving process, but it does take some preparation, so I suggest heading to their site. They fully explain the process and the items needed for canning apple butter successfully.

Note: Crockpot Apple Butter (No Sugar)

It’s possible to make this recipe without sugar. Just substitute equal amounts, so you can swap out the 1/4 cup of sugar for 1/4 cup of honey. Honey is a bit sweeter than sugar, so you can add an extra 1-4 tablespoons depending on sweetness.

If you need something else to do with your stash of apples, check out our apple pie recipes. They are delicious and chef-crafted to ensure success!

Save our fall recipe!

Photos: Marek Studzinski, Anna Kaminova, Valeria Boltneva, Joanna Stolowicz, Brett Hofacker