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Sharing my favorite homemade slow cooker maple apple butter recipe today, since you guys have been asking for it all month long.
As a lot of you have noticed, I’ve been using a ton of apple butter this September, see this honey, apple, cheddar, and bacon panini, this brussels sprout mushroom pizza, this honeycrisp apple old fashioned, and this pastry wrapped baked brie with maple roasted apples. To my surprise, many of you are actually unfamiliar with apple butter. If that happens to be you, apple butter is basically just apple sauce, but thicker and spiced with warm autumn spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s sweet, smooth, and possibly one of the most delicious spreads to keep in the pantry and put on toast throughout the fall season.
I’ll usually buy apple butter from the store, but on my fall bucket list this year I had written down “make homemade apple butter”. I was so excited that I actually checked the item off my list within the second week of September! I mean, this is amazing because my fall bucket list is huge, and I’ll often make a bucket list and never check anything off!
Anyway, I guess my point is that I was very excited to finally make some homemade apple butter. I’m also extremely excited, not only in how delicious it turned out, but how easy was to make!
If you have been following along on the blog for a year or more, than you know, come fall, I love to break out my slow cooker. Something about slow cooking a recipe all day long, just screams out to me during the fall months.
This apple butter is the perfect recipe to make on a crisp Sunday morning. Then maybe go out for a mid-day hike or bike ride and when you come back in the house will smell all cozy and delicious. then just spend an hour or two curled up on the couch and taking in the smell of apples cooking with cider, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg…nothing short of amazing. Honestly, I would make this apple butter recipe simply for the smell it gives off. It’s like your favorite fall candles, but so much better.
Of course, unlike a candle, you get to eat this at the end of cooking, which is obviously much more ideal than just blowing something out, you know?
OKAY, so here’s how this recipe works. Chop up your apples (I love using Honeycrisp) and add them to your slow cooker along with, apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover and cook on low and slow all day long (or at least that’s how I prefer to do it). Then remove the sauce, puree in a blender and place back in the slow cooker for another hour or so. This will help thicken the sauce into more of a “butter”.
There’s almost zero work involved in the recipe and the end result is just so delicious. So far, I’ve used this apple butter in four recipes and it has taken them from good to incredible. AND I love that the only added sugar I used in the recipe is maple syrup, no brown sugar or coarse sugar needed. Meaning, this totally is totally acceptable to call healthy. Cool. Cool.
I have truly been using this apple butter almost daily. It is delicious in so many recipes (try it with pork chops!) or just spread it over a piece of toasted bread.
Plus, it’s the perfect way to use up all the fall apples you went and picked over the weekend…or that I hope you picked!
And you guys! Speaking of the weekend! I have so many fun details to share about the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook retreat. Would you like a full post on the retreat? I don’t have too many photos, but I have so much to say! Maybe I will share the details in my favorite’s post this Sunday!
Just to quickly recap though, the retreat went so amazingly well and was so much fun! Fortunately, the dinner on Saturday night went great. I worked with Crate and Barrel on the tables, and Kroger on the dinner. The tables turned out so cute that I might just need to recreate them and snap some better photos. I always LOVE the tablescapes I’m able to create with Crate and Barrel product. The actual meal thankfully turned out great. Thank you to Kroger for all my delicious produce…oh, and the ice cream social we did together was so delish.
Sunday morning was brunch with my friends at Land O’Lakes. It could not have been more delicious. All of their special butters take recipes to another level…their pumpkin spice butter is just too good.
I will go into more detail on Sunday, so stay tuned for that!
In the meantime, how about we all make some apple butter and then this apple cheddar Panini and this cocktail?!
Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter
Servings: 6 cups
Calories Per Serving: 232 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Honeycrisp apples, cored and diced
- 1 1/4 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon or 1-2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cloves (about 1/4 teaspoon)
- 1 pinch sea salt or kosher salt
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the apples, apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, stirring halfway through cooking.2. Remove the cinnamon stick and then transfer the apples to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the crockpot and cook, uncovered on high for 1-2 hours or until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust sweetness level to your liking by adding more maple. Cool and store in glass jars in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the apples, apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Cover and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Release the steam.2. Remove the cinnamon stick and then transfer the apples to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the instant pot and cook, uncovered on sauté for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust sweetness level to your liking by adding more maple. Cool and store in glass jars in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Stove-Top
- 1. Combine the apples, apple cider, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and 1 cup water in a large, heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are completely softened and the liquid has reduced by half, 30 to 40 minutes, adding water if needed to keep the apples in liquid. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.2. Remove the cinnamon stick and then transfer the apples to a blender and puree until smooth. Return to the pot and cook, uncovered over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust sweetness level to your liking by adding more maple. Cool and store in glass jars in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Notes
Nutritional values are based on one cup
Yes, lets! No boring Tuesdays around here!
Lastly, if you make this Homemade Slow Cooker Maple Apple Butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
This post was originally published on September 26, 2017
Can you freeze your apple butter?
Hey Leslie,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
I was wondering if you peeled the apples for this? I want to make this with some organic gala apples that I have…
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, you can go ahead and peel the apples. I hope you love this recipe!
My goodness! The smell of this stuff in the slow cooker is heavenly. And it tastes amazing too! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Definitely a keeper.
Hey Travis,
Happy Sunday!🎃 Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
This makes a lot, Can it be canned or frozen?
Hi Kenneth,
So sorry, I have never tried canning this, but you could certainly freeze it!
Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
Hi Ken! I make this recipe every fall and can it to give away at Thanksgiving 🙂
Thanks Tieghan for this fabulous apple butter recipe without refined sugar! I have been canning jams and preserves for years, but no longer eat sugar. I was very happy to find this recipe. I put it in half-pint jars, then process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes (less time is fine if you live at lower altitudes). I give it away at the holidays and throughout the year and people always rave about this one! The only adjustment I made was to add 1 tsp of allspice. Much ❤️ from your fellow Coloradan!!
Hey Katie,
Love to hear this! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a great day!
This is absolutely delish. However mine also turned out so runny after 13 hrs in the crock pot and then even moving it to the stove to try to thicken her up :/ followed recipe to a T on low
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, Morgan! You could put it back on the stove top and crank the heat to really get it to simmer down. I hope this helps!
Hi, my butter seems a bit too runny .
Any suggestions on how to thicken it ?
Hi Karen,
I would let the butter simmer in the crockpot until it thickens. I hope this helps!
Hi Tieghan!
Is it possible to make this without the maple? Any substitution recommendations? Trying to make a more basic apple butter.
Hi Paige,
I have never tested the recipe without the maple, I would recommend keeping it:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try!
Hello Tieghan, love your recipes! Wanted to make this apple butter, but unsure if you peel your apples for this or leave them unpeeled?
Hi Deborah,
Thanks so much! You can go ahead and peel the apples for this recipe. Please let me know if you give it a try!
Made this with fresh apples from our trees. This was easy and had great flavor. Can’t wait to use in other recipes as well!
Thank you so much Brooke! This is a fall fave for sure! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
I made this last fall. Hubby loved it so much that when we ran out this morning he asked if we could make more now. So I bought apples and am making another batch. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Hey Julie,
Love to hear this! Thanks for making this recipe again:) Hope it’s as great as the first time. xx
Love it Tiegan! Making it for little gifts this Christmas. I also made it to make in your chocolate maple cookie recipe. I took those cookies to my niece last year and she made a special trip back to her mom’s house to snag a few more cookies. I am going to try to make her some this year for Christmas. I made the batter a few days ago and put gluten-free flour. The dough is pretty wet so I am nervous. I will add dough if needed. I also made the Dan Dan noodles. My son loved them. You bring the fun back into cooking for me. I appreciate you so much!
Hey there,
Happy Monday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Have a nice week:) xx