Best Homemade Old Fashioned Apple Butter Recipe

This homemade old fashioned apple butter recipe is made in the slow cooker with fresh apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and a little salt. It cooks down into a thick, smooth apple spread that is perfect on toast, muffins, pancakes, biscuits, and sourdough bread. If you are making a fall breakfast, this apple butter is wonderful spread over Buttery Sourdough Croissant Bread.

Just an hour south of us is an Amish community we love visiting. We often come home with jars of apple butter, homemade treats, and a little more appreciation for simple food made well. This recipe is my way of bringing that same spiced apple flavor into our own kitchen, especially when local apples are easy to find. It is even better with a little homemade butter on warm bread.

What Is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is a thick, smooth apple spread made by cooking apples with sugar and warm spices until the mixture becomes dark, concentrated, and spreadable. It does not contain butter. The name comes from its soft, buttery texture and the way it spreads easily on bread, toast, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Butter Recipe

This apple butter has a deep apple flavor with brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. It tastes like fall in a jar without being complicated.

I like making it in the slow cooker because it can cook down slowly while I am doing other things. Once the apples are soft, I blend them smooth, add the sugar and spices, and let everything keep cooking until it turns thick and dark.

It is also a good way to use a larger amount of apples when the farmers markets are full or when you have extra apples that need used before they soften too much.

Ingredient Notes

A mix of sweet and tart apples gives apple butter the best flavor. Granny Smith, Jonathan, McIntosh, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious can all work well.

Dark brown sugar gives the apple butter a deeper flavor. Light brown sugar can also be used if that is what you have.

Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg give this apple butter its warm spiced flavor.

Vanilla rounds out the apples and spices.

Lemon juice is optional in this refrigerator or freezer apple butter. I like it when I want a little brightness to balance the sweetness.

Equipment Needed for Easy Apple Butter Recipe

Mason jars or glass jar

Slow cooker or large heavy-bottomed pot

Apple peeler and corer

Small bowl

Immersion blender, food mill, food processor, or blender

Knife and cutting board

Wooden spoon or spatula

Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Homemade Apple Butter in the Slow Cooker

Step 1: Peel, core, and slice the apples. An apple peeler and corer makes this step much faster. I like to save the apple peels and cores for Easy Homemade Fermented Apple Cider Vinegar.

Step 2: Add the sliced apples to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, or until the apples are soft and beginning to break down.

Step 3: Once the apples are tender, blend them until smooth. An immersion blender is the easiest option because you can blend the apples right in the slow cooker. You can also use a food mill, food processor, or regular blender. If using a blender, work in batches and be careful with the hot apple mixture.

Step 4: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Stir the sugar and spice mixture into the blended apples.

Step 5: Continue cooking the apple mixture on low for 4 to 6 more hours, stirring occasionally, until it becomes dark, thick, and spreadable. If the apple butter seems too thin, set the slow cooker lid slightly ajar so extra moisture can cook off. Spoon a small amount onto a plate and let it cool for a minute. If it holds its shape and does not run, it is ready. If it is still loose, keep cooking until it thickens.

Step 6: Stir in the lemon juice at the end if you want a little brightness in the flavor. Spoon the finished apple butter into clean jars. Let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Tips for the Best Homemade Apple Butter

Use a mix of apples for the best flavor. A blend of sweet and tart apples gives the apple butter more depth.

Cook the apple butter low and slow after blending. This gives it time to darken, thicken, and develop a rich apple flavor.

Stir occasionally once the sugar and spices are added so the apple butter does not stick around the edges of the slow cooker.

Use an immersion blender for the easiest smooth texture.

Leave the lid slightly ajar near the end if the apple butter is too thin.

Let the apple butter thicken fully before storing. It should mound softly on a spoon and spread like a thick fruit butter.

How to Serve Apple Butter

Apple butter is delicious on warm toast, English muffins, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, muffins, and sourdough bread.

I especially like it with homemade bread and butter. Try it on Easy Same Day Sourdough Bread, Easy Sourdough Bread Without A Dutch Oven, or spread it over warm bread with homemade butter.

It can also be served with pork chops or stirred into oatmeal, yogurt, or cottage cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Apple Butter