The BEST Homemade Recipe For Apple Butter - The Love Nerds (2024)

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A homemade Apple Butter recipe is exceedingly more flavorful, spiced, and rich than a store bought jar! Inspired by my grandma’s old fashioned apple butter recipe and the Cracker Barrel Apple Butter Recipe, this slow cooker apple butter recipe is easy to toss together with very limited work required and easily the best apple butter you’ve ever tasted!

The BEST Homemade Recipe For Apple Butter - The Love Nerds (1)

Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe

Whenever I think of homemade apple butter, I think of my grandma.

My mom grew up on an orchard in the St. Louis area, and, even though it was sold long before I was born, my grandma would get a big batch of fresh fruit from old neighbors and make homemade jams and preserves.

When we visited, we would often be sent back home with a couple jars of goodies – normally her peach jelly and apple butter.

Before my grandma passed on a few years ago now, I took it upon myself to try to recreate her apple butter.

Well, her old fashion apple butter recipe combined with the Cracker Barrel Apple Butter Recipe that my family also loves so much! It gives it a little more fall spice!

She thought the end result was delicious and absolutely loved that this apple butter recipe was made in the slow cooker.

She had alwaysmade it the long way with the oven and stove top, so using the crock pot was a genius idea to her!

She always loved seeing how technology could make cooking easier over the years, including her peach jelly recipe that can be made in the microwave!

Looking for another fruit butter? Check out my recipe for Pumpkin Butter! It’s easier and faster to make than apple butter as you

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Herapple butter wasnormally made from a red apple which is traditional, so the recipe down below is made from red Galas.

I have plans on eventually tweaking the recipe slightly into a Granny Smith Apple Butter, which is something my grandma did occasionally. It was my sister Debbie’s favorite batch!

My oldest sister, however, will always loveCracker Barrel’s apple butter though. The highest praise she has ever given my cooking is to say my slow cooker apple butter taste’s like the apple butter from Cracker Barrel!

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WHAT IS APPLE BUTTER?

If you have never had apple butter before, you might be confused by the name. It’s not exactly the most descriptive title for this tasty treat that works well on toast, for baking, and even with main dishes like pork tenderloin.

First – Apple butter is not apple-flavored butter. I know flavored butter seems to be all the rage lately, but this is not it.

In fact, apple butter has not butter in it at all. The term butter refers only to the butter-like thick consistency and it’s common use as a spread on breads.

Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of applesauce that’s super smooth and made by slow cooking apples with water or cider until the sugar in the apples caramelizes which is where apple butter gets its dark brown color.

The concentration of the sugar also gives apple butter a longer shelf life than apple sauce.

HOW TO USE APPLE BUTTER?

If you’ve never had apple butter before, I always recommend trying for the first time on a warm fluffy biscuit! It’s the perfect combination!

When or if you frequent a Cracker Barrel, you should definitely order the apple butter and biscuits; it’s a must for us!

I also really love baking with apple butter because the spiced apple flavor pairs so well with breads and pastries.

I use my homemade apple butter to make myApple Roseswhich are always a big hit at Thanksgiving and special events. Consider even subbing out any other jelly or preserve with apple butter, such as crumb bars.

Apple Butter can also be used with main dish recipes and is most commonly paired with pork!

Take a look right below for a few suggestions of what you can cook with apple butter!

RECIPES USING APPLE BUTTER THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

  • APPLE ROSES
  • APPLE PIE CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS
  • APPLE PULL APART BREAD
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HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER:

This is a recipe that takes cooking time in the slow cooker, but not a lot of prep or active cooking time on your end.

The most time consuming portion on your end is peeling, coring and cutting your apples. An apple peeler and corer will make the process go even faster vs doing it by hand!

When the apples are prepped, just add everything into the slow cooker and allow it to cook!

WHAT APPLES ARE BEST FOR APPLE BUTTER?

For apple butter, I normally rely on McIntosh, Cortland, Red Delicious, Braeburn, Cortland, Fuji, and Granny Smith. You can use a combination of apples to try different flavors and balance.

Realize some apples and even some batches are sweeter than others so you can adjust how much sugar you use based on how sweet your apple is. It’s easy to start with less sugar and add more later!

Some people swear they get better flavor by mixing their apples. I’ve never found this to be true exactly but I’ve definitely used a mix before when I’ve had a mix of apples to use up before they go bad.

For me, the distinct flavor of my apple butter comes from the use of cloves and allspice, which are not always commonly used in other recipes.

HOW TO MAKE APPLE BUTTER SMOOTH

Consistency of your apple butter will be a personal preference. As this is essentially a longer cooked apple sauce, your apple butter will most likely be slightly chunky after slow cooking all day.

I prefer my apple butter to be smooth though, so you will notice I added in a step in the recipe to use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter. Before I owned an immersion blender, I would just put it through a classic blender.

HOW DO YOU STORE HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER?

This is one of the most common question I get regarding my apple butter recipe, so I’m adding it’s own section.

I personally add this apple butter to mason jars and keep in the fridge. It will stay good for a month and often longer!

You can also freeze your extra apple butter until you are ready to use it. Just add to 1 cup freezer containers and pull them out when you finish your last container.

Lastly, I have never canned apple butter or anything else before. However, my grandma did and you certainly can.

You can check out Ball’s website for canning instructions. Again though – I have not tried it myself though so I cannot offer a guarantee on the process.

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YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE OTHER APPLE RECIPES:

  • THE BEST SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER
  • APPLE ROSE PASTRIES
  • INDIVIDUAL APPLE PIES
  • APPLE PIE CINNAMON ROLL MUFFINS
  • APPLE PECAN PULL APART BREAD
  • CARAMEL APPLE SCONES

Now It’s Time to Make the Best Apple Butter Recipe!

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Homemade Apple Butter in Slow Cooker

Yield: 3 pints

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes

How to Make the Best Homemade Apple Butter in your Slow Cooker - Flavorful, spiced, and incredibly rich! Inspired by the Cracker Barrel Apple Butter Recipe!

Ingredients

  • 6 pounds. apples - peeled, cored and sliced (I used Gala), peeled, cored and sliced (I used Gala)
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1 cups sugar
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice

Instructions

  1. Peel. core and chop your apples.
  2. Place all ingredients in your slow cooker and mix well, making sure all the apples are coated with the spices.
  3. If you can, I recommend cooking on high for the first four hours, stirring occasionally. Then switch the heat to low for the next 6-8 hours. If you won't be around, you can cook on low immediately for 10-12 hour.
  4. Most of the water should evaporate while cooking, and the mixture will thicken slightly.
  5. When your apples are well cooked and the liquid has mostly evaporated, insert immersion blender or add ingredients to blender in sections to combine and smooth your apple butter.
  6. REFRIGERATE or use proper canning methods. This batch fills about 3 regular size mason jars for me (3 pints or 6 cups).
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 90Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 40Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g

The BEST Homemade Recipe For Apple Butter - The Love Nerds (7)
The BEST Homemade Recipe For Apple Butter - The Love Nerds (2024)

FAQs

How long will homemade apple butter last? ›

Refrigerator Storage – You can store the apple butter in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freezer Storage – You can store the apple butter in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using it.

Why won t my apple butter thicken? ›

The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. Apple butter is high in natural sugar so if you want don't want to add sugar, then use sweet apples. The thing about sugar is that helps thicken your apple butter. I used about 5 tablespoons of coconut sugar so my apple butter was satisfyingly sweet.

Why is my apple butter so dark? ›

During the slow cooking, the sugars that are naturally present in the apples caramelize into a deep, molasses-like flavor, and a dark color. This gives the apple butter its rich, sweet flavor and dark brown hue.

Why does my apple butter taste like applesauce? ›

Applesauce is a fairly quick process, cooked apples run through a food mill. Apple butter is basically concentrated apple sauce, cooked down even more until it's thicker, silkier, and more intensely apple flavored. Like the difference between tomato sauce and tomato paste, essentially.

Does apple butter get thicker as it cools? ›

Apple butter will thicken as it cools, so don't worry if it still looks a little runny in the slow cooker! If you still need to thicken your apple butter, you can continue to cook it uncovered in your crock pot or simmer it on the stove.

How do you increase the shelf life of homemade butter? ›

You don't get fresher than homemade butter, and you'll taste the difference. Because it's fresh, your butter won't keep as long as commercial butter, so make it in small batches and keep it in the fridge for a few weeks or freeze it for up to 9 months.

Why isn't my apple butter dark brown? ›

Originally Answered: What makes Apple butter brown in color? The length of cooking time. Plus, people may add cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, nutmeg, etc. Also, using ghee will make it darker, as ghee is much darker than regular clarified butter.

How do you fix too much cinnamon in apple butter? ›

The only way to neutralize too much cinnamon is to add more of the main ingredients. Avoid adding other spices, which will conflict with the cinnamon. Add more apples, vinegar and sugar instead.

How long will apple butter last without canning? ›

It will keep in your refrigerator for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to one year.

How do you thicken up apple butter? ›

Apple butter is thickened by cooking it until most of the liquid has evaporated. This is usually a rather lengthy project, but results in a very thick, smooth texture. I prefer to use a slow cooker to do the final cooking of the apple puree.

Can you scrape mold off apple butter? ›

The best way is to smell and look at the apple butter: if the butter develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, or if mold appears, it should be discarded.

Why do you use copper for apple butter? ›

If the fire wood touches the kettle the butter will burn. Oak makes the best fire for a butter boiling because it gives a steady heat without creating much flame. Copper pennies are placed in the apple butter kettle to scrape the bottom of the kettle and prevent the apple butter from burning.

What if my apple butter is too sweet? ›

If apple butter is too sweet: Mix in a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice or a little lemon zest to help balance the sweetness.

Is it OK to eat fermented applesauce? ›

Yes, it is safe to eat it. In fact, fermented applesauce offers several potential health benefits, such as improved digestion and a boost to the immune system. However, it's important to note that the fermentation process can cause the texture and flavor of the applesauce to change.

Can you use frozen apples to make apple butter? ›

There's not a ton of things that you can do with frozen apples. . One of those things is making apple . butter, and turns out it's like the easiest thing ever. . You don't need to peel your apples, just core and slice .

Does homemade apple butter go bad? ›

*You can also preserve your apple butter via the water-bath canning method, which uses a canning pot. The recommending processing time is 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts. Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years. Store in a cool, dark place.

How long is homemade apple butter good for in the fridge? ›

Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into your apple puree (or add vanilla extract). Turn crockpot on to low heat and cook another 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, where it will keep about 2 weeks.

Is homemade apple butter shelf stable? ›

Once the jars are processed and the lids have sealed properly, the apple butter can be stored in your pantry for 12-18 months without refrigeration. (The shelf life information of the lids you are using can be found on the outside of the box they came in.)

How long does homemade fruit butters last? ›

Fruit butters will last for one to two weeks in the refrigerator but they can also be frozen, using freezer-safe packaging. Some fruit butters can also be preserved using the water bath canning method.

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