Nothing beats homemade when it comes to apple butter. The jar you get from the store is often way too sweet, kinda flat, and missing at least a couple of spices. But this homemade apple butter is rich, warm, spiced, and smooth like… Well, butter! I keep a jar of apple butter on deck every season (especially during fall), and once y’all spread it on a stack of waffles, you’ll see exactly why.
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How to Make Apple Butter
Step 1: Add chopped apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt to a slow cooker. Stir to combine ingredients well.
Step 2: Cover and cook on low.
Step 3: Add the mixture to a heavy-duty blender or food processor.
Step 4: Blend until smooth. For thicker apple butter, return it to the slow cooker with the lid slightly ajar and cook, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired consistency.
PRO TIP: Keep an eye on the butter as it cooks for the second time. You are responsible for determining how thick you’d like the end result to be. I cook my apple butter down quite a bit! I prefer a thicker, richer butter for optimal spreading texture. But seriously y’all, do you!
Apple Butter Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and chopped (about 6 large of 9-10 medium sized)
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add chopped apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, and salt to a slow cooker. Stir to combine ingredients well.
- Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Once complete, add mixture to a heavy duty blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- If you want a thicker apple butter, transfer it back into the slow cooker and cook for an additional 1-2 hours with the lid of the slow cooker slowly ajar so that steam can release. Stir the butter every 30 minutes, cooking until you’ve reached your desired thickness.
- Store the apple butter in an airtight jar or container, then place it in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Fridge: Let it cool down, then scoop it into an airtight glass jar and pop it in the fridge. It’ll keep for 2-3 weeks. And don’t forget to give it a quick check for any funky smell or spots before using!
- Freezer: Apple butter holds up for about a year in the freezer. Label the jar with the date, and thaw it in the fridge overnight whenever you wanna use it.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
- Biscuits: Now y’all know this butter would be so bomb on some drop biscuits, my Big Mama’s buttermilk biscuits, or these super easy butter swim biscuits.
- Pancakes or Waffles: The classic way to serve up homemade apple butter is on a slice of warm toast, but don’t sleep on pancakes or waffles either! Try it on classic fluffy pancakes, blueberry pancakes, or buttermilk waffles.
- Ice Cream: This is SO delish with vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Savory: Slather a bit of your slow cooker apple butter on some baked chicken or baked pork chops as a glaze a few minutes before they finish up cooking.
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I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Recipe Help
Honeycrisp is my go-to, but you can use Gala or Granny Smith.
Totally up to you, boo! You can leave the skins on for extra fiber, but I like to peel mine so the butter comes out extra smooth.
Keep slow cooking it with the lid cracked so the steam can escape. The longer it cooks, the thicker it’ll get
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I was wondering if anyone has canned this recipe. Water bath canning is all I have no pressure cooker. I would love to have this in my pantry.
I have a wanted to make apple butter. Thank you so very much for sharing!❤️
Hope you enjoy, Diane!
I can’t wait to try this recipe and thanks you for all the great tips. I have tried several different ones but this one tops them all. Can I also preserve this recipe by canning?
I made this and it was super simple. The crockpot does all the work. It is delicious.
What a great recipe and just in time for fall! Excited to give this a try; sounds too good to pass up, indeed!
Fall is coming and I can’t wait to make this!
This apple butter was so delicious! I love that I can make it in my crockpot. You spice combination is the perfect blend for apple butter! Yum!
I would love to smother some of this glorious apple butter on my crackers! One more thing to try in my crockpot! Thanks for sharing.
I love the spices in this apple butter – it screams fall and is perfect on my morning toast!