Slow Cooker Apple Butter (4 lbs Apples = 6 Jars)
This Apple Butter recipe came from Nana’s neighbor Miss Betty, 1982. Miss Betty made it every fall and gave jars to every teacher at school. When Nana’s kids were little, they thought teachers lived at school.
Miss Betty said “No, honey. Teachers live on coffee and apple butter.”
This is the easiest apple butter you will ever make, cher. Peel and chop 4 pounds of apples, dump everything in the slow cooker, and let it go all day. The house smells like fall, and you end up with six little jars to keep, freeze or give away.
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Why This Recipe Works
It's hands-off. About 15 minutes of work, then the slow cooker does the rest.
Two kinds of apples. I use 2 lbs sweet Gala and 2 lbs tart Granny Smith, so it's never too sweet or too sharp.
Cooked low and slow, then thickened. Ten hours on LOW makes the apples melt. A final hour or two with the lid off makes it thick and spoonable.
Keep it, gift it, freeze it or can it. Fridge, freezer and water-bath canning instructions are all below.
Ingredients
Yield: 6 half-pint jars (8 oz each)
4 lbs apples (about 10 to 12 medium), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks. I use 2 lbs Gala and 2 lbs Granny Smith.
1 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice (bottled works fine; required if you are canning)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (added at the end)
Equipment:
6-quart slow cooker
immersion blender (or potato masher)
apple peeler-corer-slicer
6 half-pint jars with lids and bands
Pick the right apples: Skip Red Delicious. Look for "seconds" or canning apples at a local orchard, they're cheaper and cook down the same.
Instructions
1. Prep the apples. Peel, core and cut the apples into about 1-inch chunks. Place them in a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cook. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, salt and lemon juice. Stir well, cover, and cook on LOW for 10 hours (or HIGH for 5 hours).
3. Blend. Turn off the slow cooker and let the steam settle for a few minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Blend right in the crock with an immersion blender until smooth. (A potato masher gives you a chunky apple butter.
4. Thicken. Take the lid off and cook on HIGH for 1 to 2 more hours, stirring about every 30 minutes, until thick and dark. It's ready when a spoonful mounds on the spoon and doesn't leave a watery ring around it after about a minute on a cold plate.
5. Store or can. See below. Ladle hot apple butter into clean jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace, and wipe the rims.
How To Store It (Fridge, Freezer or Canning)
In the refrigerator: Let it cool, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.
In the freezer: Cool completely, then freeze in freezer-safe containers or jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace so it can expand. Freeze up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Water-bath canning (shelf-stable):
I follow the apple butter canning guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP). Please read their instructions first if you're new to canning.
Sterilize half-pint jars by boiling them empty for 10 minutes (add 1 minute for each 1,000 feet above sea level). Keep them hot. Warm the lids as the jar maker directs.
Make sure the apple butter is hot when you fill the jars. Fill hot into the hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, add the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out and let them cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
Check the seals. The lid should not flex when pressed. Any jar that did not seal goes in the refrigerator and gets eaten first. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place.
Please note: NCHFP's tested apple butter is a different recipe from this slow cooker version. The processing times above are NCHFP's times for apple butter in half-pint jars, and I add lemon juice for extra acidity. If you want a recipe that has been lab-tested for canning, use NCHFP's own.
Source: NCHFP, Apple Butter.
How To Serve It
Spoon it on warm biscuits or split toast.
Stir it into oatmeal with pecans.
Spoon it over pork chops in the last few minutes of baking.
Give a jar to a teacher or neighbor with a box of tea and a handwritten note.
Nana's Tips
Too thin?
Keep the lid off and cook another hour or two on HIGH, stirring every 30 minutes.
Too tart?
Stir in 1/4 cup more brown sugar, or use only Gala apples next time.
Scorching?
Stir once around the 5-hour mark when cooking on HIGH, or stick to LOW for the long cook. During the final thickening on HIGH, stir every 30 minutes.
Not dark enough?
Cook it longer. Apple butter gets darker and richer the longer it cooks.
Don't skip the lemon juice if you're canning. It adds acid.
Don't use Red Delicious. They turn mealy and flavorless.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Cooked Yield: 4 lbs apples cooks way down — this batch makes about 5 to 5 1/2 cups (about 40-44 oz / ∼1,400g) thick apple butter. That's why it's called butter, baby — all the water cooks out.
Whole Batch Totals:
Calories: ∼2,195 total
Fat: 1.5g | Carbs: 570g | Fiber: 36g | Sugars: 510g — 320g added sugar, 190g natural from apples
Protein: 5g
Sodium: 365mg
Potassium: ∼1,950mg
Per Serving
Standard serving for apple butter is 2 Tbsp / 30g
Calories: ∼47
Fat: 0g | Sat Fat: 0g
Carbs: 12.2g | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 10.9g | Added Sugar: 7.2g
Protein: 0.1g
Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 42mg
If you eat it like jam — 1/4 cup / 60g / 4 Tbsp:
Calories: ∼94 | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 24.4g | Sugar: 21.8g | Fiber: 1.5g
Per 1 cup (for canning math) — about 280g:
Calories: ∼440 | Carbs: 114g | Sugar: 102g
Nana's Notes:
1. Why your mix matters: Gala apples alone = you need 1/4 cup more sugar. Granny Smith alone = too tart, folks add even more. 50/50 is sweet enough to keep it at 47 cal per 2 Tbsp.
2. To make it lower sugar: You can cut brown sugar to 3/4 cup and white to 1/4 cup — drops to ∼36 cal per 2 Tbsp. It'll be more tart and won't keep as long in the fridge, but still sets.
3. Cinnamon + cloves: That 1 Tbsp cinnamon = almost 1g fiber per cup of apple butter! Plus cinnamon helps blood sugar.
4. Sodium is nothing: 8mg per serving — this is a great low-sodium spread for folks watchin' salt, unlike store-bought with preservatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to peel the apples?
Yes for a smooth apple butter. The skins don't break down and leave little bits, even after blending.
What are the best apples for apple butter?
A mix of sweet and tart. I use half Gala and half Granny Smith. Avoid Red Delicious.
Can I make apple butter without a slow cooker?
Yes. Cook it in a heavy pot over low heat, stirring often, until thick. It will take less time than the slow cooker but needs more watching.
Why isn't my apple butter thickening?
Take the lid off and cook it on HIGH another hour or two, stirring every 30 minutes. Test a spoonful on a cold plate. It's ready when it doesn't leave a watery ring.
Is it safe to can this apple butter?
Many people do. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation's guidelines: hot apple butter in sterilized half-pint jars with 1/4 inch headspace, processed in a boiling-water canner (5 minutes at 0 to 1,000 feet, longer at higher altitude). This slow cooker recipe isn't one of their lab-tested recipes, so the fridge and freezer are the simplest options.
How long does apple butter last?
About 3 weeks in the refrigerator, up to 6 months in the freezer, and longer in properly processed, sealed jars stored in a cool, dark place.
Can I freeze apple butter in glass jars?
Yes, but leave about 1/2 inch of headspace so it can expand, and use jars made for freezing. Let it cool completely first.
What can I do with apple butter?
Spread it on biscuits or toast, stir it into oatmeal, spoon it over pork chops, or give jars as gifts.
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