Making homemade apple butter is one of my favorite ways to use my slow cooker. The prep is quick and easy, then you just turn on the slow cooker, let it do its thing, and the result is a smooth, delicious apple butter that’s perfect on toast! And if you put it in a jar and tie it up with a cute ribbon, it makes a great neighbor gift for the holidays!
This apple butter takes about 8 hours to cook in the slow cooker, so plan ahead! It makes 2-4 cups of apple butter, depending on how long you let it cook down.
Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs of apples (I like galas or pink ladies, but any apple will do!)
- 1 C dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ t coarse salt
Directions:
Start by peeling, coring, and quartering your apples. We have this apple peeler/slicer/corer tool (affiliate link) and I love it! It has a super strong suction cup that holds it onto your counter and it peels, slices, and cores your apples all in one step. It takes about twenty seconds per apple and it’s super easy to use!
After your apples are peeled, cored, and sliced, cut them into quarters and grate them in a food processor. You want them pretty finely grated so they cook down.
Then transfer your grated apples to a slow cooker (5 or 6 quarts will be fine), add the brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and salt, and stir until mixed.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
After four hours, pull out the cinnamon stick and set it aside. Then transfer the apple mixture back to the food processor and blend until smooth.
Then put the apple mixture back in the slow cooker, along with the cinnamon stick, and turn it on high again, this time leaving the slow cooker uncovered. You want to cook the apples until the mixture has browned and thickened, which is about 3-4 hours. Once your apple butter is nice and thick, you’re done!
Remove the cinnamon stick and let the apple butter cool down. Then transfer it into airtight jars. It will last in the refrigerator for up to a month, or three months in the freezer.
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If you liked this recipe, check out these other delicious slow cooker recipes!
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PAM says
I LOVE TO SMELL THIS COOKING. COULD THE BROWN SUGAR BE SUBSTITUTED
WITH ARTIFICIAL BROWN SUGAR? I THINK SWEET N LOW MAKES THE SUGAR-
FREE PRODUCT.
THANKS,
PAM
Jessi Wohlwend says
Yep, you can definitely substitute artificial brown sugar in this recipe!