Apple Butter in a Crock Pot

If you are looking for the BEST Apple Butter recipe, you have got to make Apple Butter in a Crock Pot. 🥘

You can also make Apple Butter on the Stove Top. But, this Crock Pot Apple Butter recipe is my favorite.❤️

And, why not! It takes about 8 hours on LOW to make it and I generally dump it all in at night. Only to wake up to the fragrance of sweet apple butter in the morning.🌞

Fall season 🍁 is here and that means apple season 🍎

This is a season of Apple Pie, Apple Sheet Cake, Apple Hand Pie, Apple Chicken, Apple Blondies, Apple Bread, and so much more🍏

Making apple butter is one of the best ways to enjoy apples for any fall season.

But what is apple butter? Does it actually contain butter? How can we make apple butter?

Don’t worry about these and many more questions about apple butter because we are going to answer all of them for you!

Jump to:

• 👀What is Apple Butter Exactly?
• 🧑‍🍳If there is no butter then why do they call it apple butter?
• 🔪Ingredients needed to make apple butter
• 🍎How to make Apple Butter?
• 📖Variations for Apple Butter
• 🌱Is this apple butter vegan and gluten free?
• ☃️How long does apple butter last?
• 🤞TOP Tips for Making the Perfect Apple Butter
• 🍏What is the difference between Applesauce and Apple Butter?
• ⛑Is apple butter healthy?
• 📝What is apple butter used for?
• 💁What is Apple butter made of?
• 😋What does apple butter taste like?
• 🥪What does apple butter pair well with?
• 🍲How to make apple butter in Instant Pot?
• 🔖Recipe
• Apple Butter in a Crock Pot

👀What is Apple Butter Exactly?

First of all, no, apple butter contains no actual butter. But how does it get its buttery smooth texture?

🧑‍🍳If there is no butter then why do they call it apple butter?

The secret for it lies in the making process of apple butter.

Apples contain natural sugars which can caramelize if given the right conditions.

To make this happen, pureed apples are cooked on constant high heat, along with other additional ingredients.

The end result is a rich and deeply caramelized thick sauce that is smooth, creamy and buttery!

It's so smooth that you can spread it on toast or enjoy it with burgers or add it to your dinner recipes.

🔪Ingredients needed to make apple butter

The ingredient list for apple butter is not so long.

But what it does not have in quantity it makes up for it in quality.

If you want to have the best apple butter, then you better get the top quality ingredients for it. But you don’t need to worry about burning a hole through your pocket in buying these ingredients, as you can easily get them for good enough quality at very reasonable prices!

• Apples

There are many varieties of apples out there, but for making apple butter you need a very specific kind of apples that are soft and are easy to cook.

We suggest Gravenstein apples for its soft pulp and sweet flavour. But they can be a little too sweet, so if you can mix them with Granny Smith apples then you get the best apple butter.

They are tart-y in taste and can cut back on the natural sweetness of the Gravenstein apples.

These two apples together will make for a perfect combination in your apple butter!

• Apple cider vinegar

Apple butter can become a little too sweet with all the sugar and sweet apples that go in it. But the addition of apple cider vinegar can help balance all the sweetness out. It will also give your apple butter a nice tangy taste along with all the additional sweetness.

• Water

Water is used to cook the apples and to soften them enough to become a puree.

• Sugar

You can use either granulated sugar or powdered sugar for this, but we suggest you use the granulated variety as it melts better. Avoid using brown sugar as it is a little too deeply flavoured for apple butter.

• Cinnamon

Cinnamon and apples are an age old combination and you can never go wrong with it. Whether it is apple pie filling or apple butter, you have to include this fragrant spice in it. Not only will cinnamon give your apple butter a great sweet smell but it will also add to its flavour profile.

• Ground cloves

Cloves are known for their warm flavour which goes excellent with apples. The best way to put cloves is to freshly ground them before use. But if that is not an option, powdered cloves are available to you in the stores as well.

• Ground Ginger

Ground Ginger adds a tone of nuttiness and an earthy touch to this apple butter recipe.

• Freshly Grated Nutmeg

I always prefer nutmeg for make all these fall recipes nutmeg is so amazing when it comes to adding extra fragrance and that sweetness which you want for your fall recipes.

• Lemon zest

Lemon zest adds to the fragrance of your apple butter.

• Lemon juice

Lemon juice will add a little freshness and sweet sourness to your apple butter. Lemon and apples also make for a great combination together!

• Kosher salt

If you don’t have kosher salt you can use regular table salt. But we suggest kosher salt for its ease of measurement. You can’t go wrong with kosher salt!

🍎How to make Apple Butter?

It may seem a little daunting at first to make apple butter, having to peel and cut so many apples and what not.

But once the initial preparation is done, it is easy breezing through, especially with a slow cooker! Let us show you how!

• Peel and cut your apple into quarters. Do not core them as they contain pectin, which is a fibre found in apple seeds that will help in setting the apple butter.
• Take a slow cooker and combine the cut apples with the rest of the ingredients. Cook on this mixture covered for upto eight to ten hours. Make sure you give it a stir occasionally.
• After the ten hours are done and the apples are all softened and dissolved, you can uncover the lid of the slow cooker and keep cooking the mixture until all the liquid evaporates.
• When it has turned dark brown like caramel and it has a spreadable consistency, turn the heat off. This mixture is still not as smooth as it could be, so use an immersion blender to get the job done.
• Your apple butter is now ready! Let the apple butter cool at room temperature before storing it for future use.

📖Variations for Apple Butter

There are plenty of your own variations you can do to apple butter according to your taste preference.

1. When it comes to changing up the spices, you can switch the cloves and cinnamon with nutmeg and ginger. Or you can add them all to make your apple butter taste better!
2. You don’t need to use just sugar as a sweetener. There are also other options like Erythritol which is a healthier alternative for all the sugar cautious people out there

🌱Is this apple butter vegan and gluten free?

Yes, this apple butter is absolutely vegan. There is no actual butter in it, we assure you!

In addition to this, the recipe is also very much gluten free and contains minimal fats, especially if you use Anthony's Erythritol as the sweetener.

☃️How long does apple butter last?

Apple butter has a good shelf life of two weeks if you refrigerate it in air-tight and clean containers, preferably glass jars.

But if you are looking for more long term storage, you can place the airtight glass containers of apple butter in the freezer to preserve it for upto one year.

To use the frozen apple butter again, first let it thaw at room temperature. Then you can heat it over a gas stove or microwave it before use.

🤞TOP Tips for Making the Perfect Apple Butter

• You can add vanilla extract at the end of the making process to give your apple butter an even more phenomenal taste!
• Adjust the level of sugar in your apple butter according to the type of apple you have used. If you have used sweet apples, use less sugar. Similarly, if you went for tart apples, increase the amount of sugar to balance it out.
• Use fresh apples only and not frozen ones to make apple butter.

🍏What is the difference between Applesauce and Apple Butter?

The basic difference lies in the thickness and smoothness between the two. Apple butter is more thick in consistency and by far way more smooth than applesauce. It is also heavy in the flavour department with spices like nutmeg and cinnamon compared to any average applesauce.

⛑Is apple butter healthy?

Yes, it is absolutely healthy even with sugar in it! Not to mention, you can replace the sugar with Erythritol which is also gluten free to make it even healthier for you!

📝What is apple butter used for?

Apple Butter is used as a side dish. Generally it is spread on bread and enjoy as a delectable side. Apple butter will also be an excellent choice for your Thanksgiving Desserts.

💁What is Apple butter made of?

Apple butter is generally made of warm fall spices, sugar, and of course apples. The coolest thing about apple butter is the addition of apple cider vinegar it adds a beautiful tardiness to your butter and makes it taste more amazing.

😋What does apple butter taste like?

Basically apple butter taste just like apples it's like you are digging in a jar full of fall spices with the sweetness and the tartness of apples. Its sweet, smooth, and so good.

🥪What does apple butter pair well with?

Apple butter can be spread on toast and and you can have it directly or else you can add it to your burgers you can also add apple butter to your chicken recipes to add a touch of fall into your dinner or else you can simply use apple butter for your desserts.

🍲How to make apple butter in Instant Pot?

To make apple butter all you have to do is just dump your apples along with the fall spices and sugar in your instant pot and then cook it for a while and then cover it with the lid and cook on "pressure/manual mode" for about 90 minutes I love the pressure to release naturally and then .

🔖Recipe