Forget paying for apple butter at the farmer’s market this season when you can learn how to make homemade slow cooker apple butter on your own, with no preservatives, in literally a few hours – from start to finish.

A mason jar of homemade apple butter on a wooden cutting board with some apples

I’m never buying this at the store again.

Every fall my husband stocks up on this stuff at every store and farmer’s market we go to. Since he likes it so much, as do many of my family and friends, I decided to try to make some on my own. What I found was:

It’s incredibly easy to make
It’s so much better than any store bought apple butter we’ve ever had
Makes a great seasonal gift for someone special
The pure satisfaction of learning how to make something else from scratch – and wondering why on Earth I ever spent money on purchasing it at the store

What exactly is “apple butter”?

It is a mix of apples and spices, slowly cooked into a consistency that is thicker than applesauce. Slow cooking the apples allows the sugar in them to caramelize, therefore making it thicker and spreadable, similar to a jam.

What do you eat apple butter with?

Apple butter is most commonly eaten on toast or a muffin (my favorite way), but can also be mixed in oatmeal or yogurt, is delicious with pork and can be used in baking. In the fall I put some on top of my Homemade Banana Bread with some Homemade Cinnamon-Honey Butter, which is delicious.

a wooden cutting board with a glass loaf pan with fresh baked banana bread with an orange tea towel and gold server

Homemade Banana Bread

Mix up the batter for this homemade banana bread before the oven is preheated – it’s that easy.

What kind of apples are best?

A wooden cutting board of sliced red apples on a pretty table

The best homemade apple butter is made using a variety of at least 2 kinds of apples. I commonly use Fuji and Honey Crisp, but Golden Delicious apples also work well. These varieties are softer apples, which cook down easier. They are also considered semi-sweet, which is good considering the sugar that is added to thicken up this apple butter. What is nice is you can also get these all year long, so no need to wait for fall to enjoy this if you want!

This homemade slow cooker apple butter is one of the easiest things I’ve ever made.

a white bowl of peeled and chopped apples with an orange towel

Besides washing, peeling and chopping the apples, it is so simple. If you have an apple corer and peeler, this takes away the only part that is time consuming. (I am asking for one of those for Christmas now….)

Once the apples are chopped and peeled, add them to your slow cooker. Top with the remaining ingredients, mix well to coat the apples, and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Once you have reached the desired time in the slow cooker, your apples should be mostly cooked down into a dark brown liquid with some small, soft chunks of apple remaining. Don’t be alarmed if it doesn’t look like apple butter just yet – there is one more important step.

Spoon the cooked apples and juices from the slow cooker into a food processor. Blend on medium until desired consistency, usually 2-3 minutes. Now you have your own homemade, not processed, delicious apple butter to enjoy at home and share with those you love.

How does homemade apple butter get stored?

Any sealed jar will do. I use canning jars, which are functional and give my apple butter that made from scratch, homemade look that I love. Tie your jars with a pretty ribbon when giving as a gift.

Placing in an unsealed canning jar, refrigerated, will last about a month.

When sealing in a canning jar, your apple butter can be stored in the pantry for up to a year. Once opened and the seal is broken, it is good refrigerated for a month or so.

You can also freeze apple butter in a sealed container for a year.

Here’s exactly what to do to make homemade slow cooker apple butter:

Step 1:

a table with a fall centerpiece with an old farmhouse scale holding a while bowel full of honeycrisp apples

Weigh out 5 pounds of apples. Wash them with cold water, wipe dry, peel and chop into approximately 1-inch pieces.

Step 2:

a black slow cooker pot filled with chopped apples topped with brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon to make apple butter

Add your chopped and peeled apples to your slow cooker. I prefer to use a larger one to allow for even distribution. Top the apples with 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 dashes of salt (about 1/4 tsp), and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Coat your apples thoroughly with the spices.

Step 3:

A glass bowl of cooked down apples on a wooden cutting board

Cook your apple mixture for 5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. The cooked mixture should be about 20% liquid and 80% small soft apple chunks when completely cooked.

Step 4:

Move cooked apples and spices to a food processor. Blend on medium for 2-3 minutes or until blended into desired consistently.

Step 5:

A ball mason jar filled with homemade apple butter on a wooden cutting board

Transfer apple butter into canning jars or glass jars with lids in your selected sizes. You can allow to cool or refrigerate before adding to jars, if desired.

Note: As this has no preservatives, I usually put this homemade apple butter unsealed in 3-ounce canning jars for gifts. For pint sized jars, I will seal and save.

I told you this was easy. I will never have the desire to buy store bought again, which is a big goal for me in my kitchen. From scratch has so many benefits!