Easy Crockpot Apple Butter (w/ Instant Pot option)

Enjoy the goodness of orchard fresh apples all year round by preserving them in form of this Easy Crockpot Apple Butter. Just 5 ingredients dumped together and left alone for the slow cooker to work it's magic. Instructions to make this easy recipe in the Instant Pot are also included.

Simple to make, everyday butters, jams, and jellies are a game changer when elevating your breakfast or brunch game. Whether it is homemade seedless blackberry jam or a tomato date and ginger chutney or this apple butter, having them in the refrigerator is a total win win!

My crockpot (or slow cooker) apple butter is a great way to enjoy the goodness of fresh, seasonal apples all year long. It is sweet, warmly spiced, and slightly tangy with a deep, caramelized flavor, and is perfect for spreading on toast or eating with paranthe. Try subbing in this Slow Cooker Apple Butter in place of jam or another fruit filling in crumb bars, such as in my Blackberry Crumb Bars recipe.

🍎What is apple butter?

Apple butter is the deliciousness that you achieve by cooking cored and peeled tart apples low and slow so that they breakdown and release their sugars. Added sugar and warm spices like cinnamon help turn the apples into a thick, flavorful, deeply caramelized spread that is delicious with toast, pancakes, breads and even muffins. Think of it as a super concentrated and thicker version of applesauce that has been enhanced with spices.

🌟 Why You'll love this recipe

• 5, basic ingredients. Actually four, since nutmeg is optional, though I highly recommend it. Other than that apples (of course!), sugar, salt, and cinnamon. I recommend using Ceylon Cinnamon in this recipe for it's deep intense flavor and health benefits but regular cinnamon works just as well.
• Straightforward recipe. The only big step in this recipe is peeling and coring the apples. But other then that you just dump everything in the crockpot or slow cooker and forget about it.
• Has an unbelievable flavor. Sweet, warmly spiced, tart, caramelized....over all a deeply satisfying yet complex flavor profile. Deep flavors, dark amber color, thick, buttery consistency..so good!
• Is sure to impress. I can assure you that every time you pull out a jar of this apple butter, you will get compliments for it. It also makes for a great edible gift idea for the holidays.

📋 Recipe Ingredients

This easy crockpot apple butter recipe uses a simple list of ingredients. Before we get started, here are a few tips on ingredients to ensure your apple butter turns out perfectly. The picture below does not represent the exact recipe quantities. Please see the recipe card below.

• Apples: I have used Jonathan apples in this recipe with a few granny smiths mixed in. Any tart and soft variety of apple will work great. Other varieties like braeburn and fuji work great as well.
• Spices: Traditional apple butter has a prominent flavor of cinnamon. I love the flavor of nutmeg with cinnamon in this recipe. If possible, use ceylon cinnamon for that earthy cinnamon flavor.
• Salt: A half teaspoon of salt is perfect for balancing the sweetness of the apple butter. Feel free to omit the salt if you prefer.

Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.

👩‍🍳 Steps to make Crockpot Apple Butter

Step 1: Wash and rinse all the apples (Image 1).

Step 2: Prepping the apples for this recipe was a cinch thanks to this peeling and coring tool (Image 2). This tool also cuts a spiral through the apple which makes thin spiral slices.

Step 3: Plug in your slow cooker and set it to high cook for 2 hours. Start dumping the peeled, cored and sliced apples into the crockpot/slow cooker. It will take about 20-30 minutes to add all the apples to the slow cooker (Image 3).

Step 4: In another small mixing bowl, mix together the sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg along with salt (Image 4).

Step 5: Using a wooden spoon mix everything, cover with a lid, and cook for 2 hours, stirring intermittently. After 2 hours, set the crockpot to a timer of 12 hours to cook the apple butter on low, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown (Image 5). After 12 hours, take the lid off and continue cooking on low another 2 hours.

Step 6: Stir with a whisk to smooth the apple butter. To check if the butter is ready, take about a teaspoon of butter in a plate and tilt the plate. If no juice “bleeds” from the butter, it is ready. If it does, cook longer. Let the butter cool, and then store/can in clean, sterile jars (Image 6). Cover and store in refrigerate or freeze.

📖 Variations

• Clove - add a generous pinch of ground clove or few drops of clove oil. Be careful if using clove oil, it's very potent! Don't ask how I know!!!
• Vanilla - some old fashioned apple butters also have vanilla in them. So you can easily add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the apple butter before the last 2 hours cooking time. 
• Canning - I store my apple butter in the refrigerator. But if you want to make a batch and can it, that is perfectly fine as well. Just use standard canning procedure. This canning kit also makes it incredibly easy.

How to make apple butter in an Instant Pot

• You can use a 6-quart Instant Pot to make apple butter from about 6lbs apples.
• Add apples, spices, sugar, and salt to the instant pot and set it to pressure cook "manual" on high for 90 minutes.
• After 90 minutes, allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then set the pressure valve to "venting" to release remaining pressure. 
• Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth and then turn the Instant Pot to “Slow Cook” mode and cook on high for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, partially covered with a lid or plate.
• Let the apple butter cool and store in clean glass jars in the refrigerator or freeze.

❄️ Storage and Freezing Instructions

• To store: When stored in sterile mason jars, this apple butter can stay in the refrigerator for upto a year.
• To freeze: You can freeze the jarred apple butter. When ready to consume, let a jar of apple butter thaw in the refrigerator and use it within a month.

❓FAQs

🍏 Related Recipes

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.

Love – Vaishali

Easy Crockpot Apple Butter

Vaishali

Enjoy the goodness of orchard fresh apples all year round by preserving them in form of this slow cooker apple butter. Just 5 ingredients dumped together and left alone for the slow cooker to work it's magic.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 16 hours hrs

15 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 48

Calories 120 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Slow Cooker
• ▢
  Apple Peeler

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 lbs Apples peeled, cored and sliced.
• ▢ 5 cups Sugar
• ▢ 4 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

 

• Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg (if using) and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well. You might have to slowly add the apples as they cook down (depending on the size of your slow cooker or crockpot).
• It took me nearly 30 minutes to add all the apples.
• Cover and cook on high 2 hours.
• Turn the slow cooker to low and cook 12 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
• After 12 hours, take the lid off and continue cooking on low another 2 hours.
• Stir with a whisk to smooth the apple butter.
• To check if the butter is ready, take about a teaspoon of butter in a plate and tilt the plate. If no juice “bleeds” from the butter, it is ready. If it does, cook longer.
• Let the butter cool, and then store/can in clean, sterile jars. Cover and store in refrigerate or freeze.

Notes

Use a tart variety of apples like Jonathan, Fuji, or granny smith. Or a combination of these varieties.

Amount of sugar to be added will depend on the sweetness of your apples.

This recipe will make 6 pints.

You can easily can the apple butter to store the jars at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.04gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 25mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 2gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 41IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Love - Vaishali