A tasty apple butter recipe that's spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for the best homemade apple butter recipe yet! It's made in the slow cooker and is so easy to put together! It's a set it and forget it recipe - my favorite! Enjoy this recipe as a spread, on top of ice cream, or even on top of oatmeal, the possibilities are endless!
It may not be Fall just yet, but a girl can dream! Fall is easily my favorite time of year. We've had a tradition in my family to go apple picking every year since I was 8. It's one of my most fond memories and something I look forward to annually.
So what do we do with all of those leftover apples?! We make apple pie filling, apple crisp, apple cakes, apple fritters, apple breads, and of course this apple butter recipe. It's made in a slow cooker (yes, sweet can be made in a slow cooker!) and is so smooth and silky! Pro Tip: put this in mason jars and gift them for Christmas or as party favors!
I've been making this apple spread for years and I just absolutely love it. It's a family recipe that I've received permission to share from my mom and grandmom so just know a LOT of love went into this recipe <3
Growing up in Pennsylvania, I thought everyone knew what it was because we had it in our fridge year round! When I moved, I realized that it's not as common as I thought!
Apple butter is a spread, akin to a jam or preserves or even jelly. It's like concentrated apple sauce that's been cooked for a bit longer with a thicker consistency and rich apple flavor. It can be eaten warm or cold and can be made into so many different things!
Also to clarify, in case your were wondering, there is no butter in apple butter and it is not apple flavored butter.
Simply put, apple sauce has a bit more water in it that apple butter. The consistency of apple butter is a lot smoother and thicker than applesauce. Both can be made in a slow cooker, but this apple flavored spread is cooked a bit longer for a more intense apple flavor.
Apples: I've found that a mix of apples works best. I like to use equal amounts of granny smith, fuji, and honeycrisp apples. I find that this mix yields a nice balance between sweetness and slightly tart.
Brown sugar: for sweetness!
Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. For a more intense spiced flavor, you can use pumpkin spice too, 2 tbsps to be exact.
Apple Cider: for that intense apple taste, but you can also use apple juice. If you don't have apple juice, water works just fine!
Vanilla Extract: for added rich smooth flavor!
Lemon Juice: I've found that adding lemon juice really brings out the flavor of the apples - it's SO good!
This is not your typical traditional / old fashioned apple butter recipe but it's darn good!
We're making apple butter from scratch, which is my favorite way! I prefer making this recipe in a slow cooker because it's so easy.
Slice apples and place them in the slow cooker / crock pot. Toss them in brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, lemon juice, and apple cider. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 10 hours.
After the apples have cooked down, blend them in a blender for that super smooth texture!
Pour apple butter back into the slow cooker and set it to high. Then mix together corn starch and vanilla extract to create a slurry and pour into apple butter. Stir together and cook on high for 30 minutes to one hour with the lid off.
You can literally use whatever apples you have on hand! My preference is a nice mix of apples to add lots of different flavors.
My recommendations are a mix of granny smith, honeycrisp, and fuji apples. I've also tried using macintosh and red delicious apples and that combination was really good too!
Nope! I've tried making this recipe by peeling the apples and leaving the skin on - I've found it doesn't make a big difference at all.
Peeling the apples creates a lot of work that I don't have patience for, but that's just me! If you want to peel the apples, you absolutely can! If you do, I recommend using an apple peeler to make the process faster and easier!
I highly recommend using apple butter as a spread, especially for morning toast with coffee or muffins or pancakes/waffles! I also love adding a coupe spoonfuls on top of cornbread or ice cream.
I've seen people make cookies and cupcakes to satisfy their sweet tooth, peanut butter and apple butter sandwiches, and also dip their pretzels in it. Admittedly, I have tried all of these options and they're ALL good. The possibilities are limitless!
This blog post and recipe for Apple Butter was made in partnership with Crockpot™! I received compensation in exchange for this work. My opinions on their products are genuine. Thanks for your continued support!
Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
I’ve let this sit in the crockpot for probably 3+ hours after blending. It is still extremely runny. Any suggestions?
Did you let it sit uncovered? You can place it in a pot over low heat and that will help any liquid cook off and thicken the apple butter.
Best tasting apple butter hands down. It’s a must try loved it
Thank you so much!
Easy to make and very good! Tastes like fall! Spice up toast, muffins, bagels and more
So glad that you enjoyed it!