Name: Apple Butter in the Crock Pot
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 720 min
Total time: 730 min
Ingredients: 2-3 50-oz jars unsweetened apple sauce; 3 lbs Granny Smith apples; 4 cups sugar; 1.5 cups apple juice; 2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp cloves; 1 tsp allspice

Made with apple sauce, fresh apples, and apple juice, this apple butter in the crock pot recipe is bursting with apple flavor. Add in some delicious spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and you have a treat that’s to die for when spread on a warm biscuit.

Jump to Recipe

From time to time I run across a person who has never heard of apple butter. When I am finished gasping in horror at the wasted life they have led up until that point, I make it my first order of business to slather some on a biscuit and get it to their mouth as soon as possible.

Some people are intimidated by apple butter because they think it’s hard to make. But I’m here to tell you it’s surprisingly easy, especially when you make apple butter in the crock pot. Perhaps it’s the complex taste of the spices combined with how few people actually do make it anymore which causes it to be shied away from in our kitchens? There is no need though as this apple butter recipe is likely one of the easiest things that I’ve brought you so far!

All we need to do is add all of the ingredients to the crock pot and let it do its magical thing. The ingredients include apple sauce, Granny Smith apples, apple juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Oh, the combination of all that apple flavor with the spices makes this apple butter SO tasty, y’all.

I like to put my apple butter on to cook in the slow cooker just before I go to bed and let it cook all night long. When I wake up in the morning, the house is filled with the most delicious and fragrant smell that I often reserve making it for a time when we have company! I wake up first thing, take the lid off, and give it a few fans just to make sure the house is thoroughly saturated with that sensational apple butter smell.

We eat a breakfast of buttermilk biscuits and fresh, hot apple butter while I let the rest continue to cook. This is about as close to heaven as you can possibly get while still drawing breath. I’ve convinced you now, right?

Recipe Ingredients

Unsweetened applesauce
Sugar
Granny Smith apples
Apple juice
Cinnamon
Cloves
Allspice

How to Make Apple Butter in the Crock Pot

“Chip” your apples like we did in the apple pie. If you have not read the apple pie tutorial, you now have your first official homework assignment.

Do this by peeling the apples and cutting little chips of them off.

Place in a large crock pot along with both jars of apple sauce, sugar, spices, and a bit of apple juice.

The exact quantities are at the bottom of this post.

Stir well and cover with the lid. Cook on low overnight for 8 to 10 hours.

After cooking overnight or throughout the day, your apple butter will be dark brown and rich.

However, it will have a bit too much water in it. This is where you will taste it and see what you want to add. I am including the exact quantities I use at the bottom of this crock pot apple butter recipe.

Leave the lid off and continue cooking for a few hours until it cooks down a little bit. “Cooks down” is how old folks say “it’s too runny, you need some of that water gone!”.

After it cooks down a bit, fill up pint or quart jars and seal.

If you go through the process of canning this slow cooker apple butter, you can simply leave the jars on a shelf in your pantry. Otherwise, you would need to refrigerate them and use them within two to three weeks.

You can also place it in jars and freeze it to keep it longer without canning. For a complete tutorial that makes canning easy, please click here (yes, I said “EASY” because it is!).

Here’s some scrumptious apple butter on a spoon roll. I’ve included more serving suggestions below!

Storage

Refrigerate the jars of apple butter and store them in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
You can also freeze apple butter for up to 1 year. Thaw in the fridge before using.
Alternatively, click on this canning tutorial to store them in the pantry for months.

Recipe Notes

If you feel like it is too much sugar for you or too many cloves or allspice, just do a little less. The beauty of this recipe is that you cook it all night in the crock pot, then taste it in the morning and add what you prefer to make it to your taste. You can also use Stevia or Monk Fruit instead of sugar if you like. However, it will require much less as these sweeteners are a lot sweeter than sugar.
For a different flavor, use a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar.
A jar of homemade apple butter is the perfect Thanksgiving hostess gift!
You can easily substitute the cloves or allspice for ground nutmeg and/or ground ginger if that’s what you have on hand.
Another way to add sweetness is to add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Stir this in when you taste it after it’s been slow cooking overnight.
If you want smoother apple butter, you can blend it using an immersion blender until smooth, before storing. Use the immersion blender directly in the slow cooker or transfer the mixture to a standing blender and puree.

Recipe FAQs

How do you serve apple butter?

The options are basically endless when it comes to serving your crockpot apple butter, but here are some suggestions:

Use apple butter instead of apple sauce the next time you serve pork chops.
Serve it on a Southern biscuit, toast, scone, cornbread, pancakes, crepes, or waffles.
Use it on your next charcuterie board, as it tastes delicious spread on a cracker with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.
Add a dollop to a serving of vanilla ice cream.
Use as an oatmeal or yogurt topping for breakfast.
Enjoy a peanut butter and apple butter sandwich for lunch!

Can you overcook apple butter in the crock pot?

No, you can’t overcook apple butter in the crock pot. The longer you leave it in there on low, the more intense the flavors will become.

What are the best apples to use in apple butter?

While I opt for Granny Smith apples because they’re a great baking apple, many apple varieties work. This includes Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Braeburn, and Jonagold.

What is the difference between apple sauce and apple butter?

Apple butter is basically a more concentrated and thicker version of applesauce as it’s cooked for a longer period of time. But if you want to make apple sauce instead, check out my crockpot cinnamon apple sauce recipe.