Easy Apple Butter Recipe – Slow Cooker, Maple Sweetened (Can or Freeze)
This apple butter recipe takes just a few moments to prep and then lets the slow cooker do the work while a little maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness. Rich, smooth, and full of cozy fall flavor, this homemade spread is as perfect on toast as it is stirred into yogurt. Freeze to use all year in desserts and foods or water bath can to keep on the shelf and make wonderful gifts.
Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
While anytime is apple butter time in my book, fall just seems made for apple butter. Are you a fan? If not, this may be the recipe to win you over because the maple syrup compliments the apples and spices in a perfect way!
Why maple syrup? Traditional apple butter recipes call for a LOT of sugar – about 1 cup to 1 pound of apples (!), making it too sweet in my opinion since apples are sweet, too.
I think the natural sweetness of maple syrup helps create a perfect balance with the apple’s sweetness and flavor. There’s also a lot less of added sweetener, only about 1 cup to 8 pounds of apples), but it’s enough to render a true apple butter that’s just SO delicious on toast and with peanut butter.
You can, of course, make a version with no added sweetener at all – but that’s basically like spreading applesauce on your toast (again – my opinion, ha!).
In addition to spreading on toast, I also love having apple butter on hand to make these healthy apple butter bars and for gifting to people who love apple butter.
Oh, and if that’s not enough to get you on the apple butter train, how about the fact that you throw all the ingredients in a slow cooker before you go to bed and wake up to an almost-cooked apple butter?
That is a WIN.
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: One of the most often asked questions I’ve gotten is about the best type of apples to use. I’ve always said to use what you have – and if it’s free from a tree, all the better! Ideally using a variety of apples will produce the best flavor (similar to applesauce), especially if some of the apples are a tart variety like Granny Smith or Gravenstein, so I always try to have at least three varieties with one being a tart apple.
- Maple syrup: The flavor of this with apples is kind of amazing, so I hesitate to say you can use honey, but of course you can. I originally used 1 and 1/4 cups but have since decreased that to 3/4 (to 8 pounds apples) and it’s plenty sweet and flavorful to us. One comment even said they only used 1/4 cup (though it was tart), so feel free to experiment with the sweetness level.
- Lemon juice: The recipe uses just a bit of lemon juice for brightness and flavor, not for acidity levels for safe canning (as an example, see this traditional fruit butter recipe without juice). You can use bottled or fresh and if you’re using a lot of tart apples (or crabapples) you may want to leave it out.
- Spices: This is where you can put your own stamp on the butter. I like it lightly spiced, not a knock-you-out spice overload, so I use only cinnamon and the less traditional allspice, which I’ve found is wonderful in apple butter. There is an option for ground cloves and/or nutmeg which you can add as you wish. One commenter added 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice as the only spice and thought it was perfect.
I’m constantly amazed that these few, simple ingredients can cook down into a deeply flavorful spread!
How to Make Apple Butter
What I love about this recipe is that after prepping the apples there’s hardly any hands-on time as it cooks!
Step 1: Peel,* core, and quarter (or slice if using an apple peeler/slicer) the apples, placing them right in the bowl of a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Cook on HIGH, covered, 1 hour. Reduce to LOW, stir again, and cook, covered, for 8-10 hours (overnight works great).
Step 2: In the morning (or evening if you started in the morning), uncover the cooker, stir, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour to reduce a bit, leaving the lid off or partway on cooker as shown above.
*Want to try this without peeling the apples? While I haven’t done this, a number of commenters have. Meri said after leaving the peels on, “I don’t notice a difference in taste, or texture for that matter. Save yourself some work, and get the extra pectin.” And Paul said, “We leave the peels on to cook as we find it deepens the apple flavor and helps thicken the butter and then run the cooked apples through a food mill as one of our final steps before jarring to remove any large bits of peel.”
The easiest way to peel apples
If you do want to peel the apples, this classic apple peeler-corer-slicer is my go-to for recipes like this as well as apple pie and apple crumble. It makes it go so quickly and you don’t loose a lot of peel – I love it! (Note: This peeler has a suction base which may work better in your kitchen than the classic screw-on base that I have).
Oh, and this is the slow cooker I have and recommend. I’ve had issues with the Crockpot brand regular pots spitting hot liquid all over my counters, so I stick with the cook-and-carry slow cookers with rubber edging around the lid.
Step 3: Use an immersion blender right in the cooker, blending until smooth. (No hand-held blender? You’ll have to carefully transfer to a blender or food mill and return to the pot.)
Step 4a: Now cook uncovered on HIGH until the desired thickness, about 30 minutes to 1 hour longer. Sometimes you may need up to 2 hours depending on your apples or how your fast your crockpot cooks.
TIP: I wouldn’t be without a hand-held immersion blender in my kitchen anymore! I use it for so many things. This is the one I have – make sure to get one with an all-metal base since you’ll be blending hot foods. (Here’s a less expensive version with decent reviews.)
Step 4b: You’re looking for a jam-like consistency. Check by seeing how slowly the butter falls from a spoon or place a spoonful in a small container to see if it keeps it shape a bit, like the photo above.
Step 5: Now you choose to either freeze it or water-bath can it using the directions in the recipe card.
TIP: New to canning? This is really easy to can and is a good recipe to start with if you’re just learning to can. You can see the steps to water-bath canning in this post that covers what isn’t mentioned in the recipe below. And if you love canning and would like more easy recipes like this, check out the recipe index or my Easy Water Bath Canning Cookbook with 40 recipes, tips, and safety info.
Want to make this, but don’t have a slow cooker?
Place the ingredients in a large 6-quart stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered for about 1-2 hours or until desired consistency, stirring every 10-15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn. Continue with the recipe as written (blending, canning or freezing).
Notes: You shouldn’t need to add water, but you will have to stir more as the apples break down to prevent sticking. And then at the end you’ll have to stir often like this commenter, “By the end of cooking time, I had to stay close and keep turning it so it would not stick, and this for about an hour.”
Storage
- Canned: If it’s water-bath canned the jars are good for 18 months, the standard for canned foods with the two-piece lids.
- Frozen: It’s best used within a year to 18 months, but it’s not for safety reasons, just the apple butter quality degrading over time.
- Refrigerated: Once opened, a jar should last in the fridge 2-3 weeks.
I’m loving this lower-sugar apple butter recipe so much and I hope you do, too! Be sure to leave a rating and review to let me know how you liked it.
Want to save this?
Enter your email below and you’ll get it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get easy new recipes, gardening tips & more every week!
Apple Butter Recipe – Slow Cooker, Maple Sweetened (Can or Freeze)
Equipment
- 5-6 quart slow cooker
- hand-held immersion blender or food mill or blender
Ingredients
For a 5-6 quart slow cooker (halve recipe for smaller cookers):
- 8 pounds apples peeled, cored and quartered
- 3/4 to 1 ¼ cups pure maple syrup (I only use 3/4 cup syrup now)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice optional, but my favorite*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and/or nutmeg optional*
Instructions
- Prepare the apples, placing them right in the bowl of a 5-6 quart slow cooker as you peel, core, and quarter/slice them.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook on HIGH, covered, 1 hour.
- Reduce to LOW, stir again, and cook, covered, for 8-10 hours (overnight works great).
- Uncover, stir, and cook on HIGH for 1 hour to reduce a bit, leaving the lid off (or halfway on) cooker.
- Use an immersion blender right in cooker, blending until smooth (or a food mill or transfer to a blender and return to crockpot). Continue cooking uncovered on HIGH until desired thickness, about 30 minutes up to 2 hours longer, as needed.**
- If canning, prepare canning jars, lids and canner while reducing. If freezing, let apple butter cool before adding to freezer-safe small jars.
- To freeze: Leave at least a 1-inch headspace in the jars to allow for expansion once frozen.
- To can: ladle into warm 1/2-pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace, wiping rims & attaching lids. Place in water bath canner, bring to a boil, lower heat to maintain a low boil and process for 10 minutes.
- Turn off burner, remove lid and jars let sit in canner for 5 minutes. Transfer to a towel-lined surface and let cool at least 12 hours without touching them. Check seals, label and store in a cool place.
Notes
- Canned: If it’s water-bath canned they are good for 18 months, the standard for canned foods with the two-piece lids.
- Frozen: It’s best used within a year to 18 months, but it’s not for safety reasons, just the apple butter quality degrading over time.
- Refrigerated: Once opened a jar should last in the fridge 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
Questions Answered
When I’ve cooked apple butter on the stove, I haven’t added any extra water since it needs to be thick. There is liquid as the apples cook down, which will boil – you just have to stir often and watch it for sticking to the bottom of the pot.
The thickening stage can actually take up to 2 hours with lid off – and it may take longer if your crockpot cooks slower. Keep cooking as long as it takes to get the spreading consistency.
I haven’t, but a number of commenters have. One said it was fine as-is and another ran the butter through a food mill after blending to get all the peels out.
More Apple Recipes To Try
- Whole Grain Oat Apple Butter Bars
- 21 Easy Apple Pie Recipes
- Caramel Dip for Apples Recipe (+ Lower Sugar Option and Easy Microwave Method)
- 3 Unique Recipes for Canning Apples (Including A Marmalade and A Chutney)
This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2015.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read our full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
Approximately how much apple sauce does the 8# of apples make?
I’m assuming you mean apple butter, Ann – the recipe makes 6-7 half-pint jars, depending on how much it’s cooked down (you can find this in the recipe card, too).
No, I was asking about the cooked apples. I use unsweetened applesauce to make apple butter I wanted to try this maple syrup version and wanted to know how much apple sauce for 1 cup syrup
I don’t know, I’ve only made this as written. I’ve read it takes about 1 pound of apples to make a cup of sauce, so maybe start your math there?
We made your apple utter using this recipe and love it!!! We used one cup of maple syrup and added the cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg!
Oh, yay – so glad you liked this!!
I’ve made this for the last 2 years and everyone loves it. I like to load up on the cinnamon, but the pumpkin pie spice intrigues me.
So glad to know this, Katherine – thanks for taking the time to review it!
Second time I’m made this, and canned it! Made 8-9 small jelly jars. Love it and so do our neighbors.
I’m so glad you (and your neighbors!) love this! Thank you for the review 🙂
I just made my second batch of this delicious apple butter. However, I wanted to see how it went without peeling the apples (I was feeling lazy) – it works!! I don’t notice a difference in taste, or texture for that matter. Save yourself some work, and get the extra pectin.
This is so good to know, Meri!! I will be trying this now for sure. 🙂
My first ever time making apple butter. I thought I’d get a few more jars (all I could find to buy around here were pint size) so I only got two jars plus a little bit in another jar. Still so good! And other than the work up front with peeling and cutting, pretty easy to make. I did have to let mine cook a bit longer to help get it to the correct consistency.
I’m glad you like this, Meri! I know you’ll love having this in the winter. 🙂
Easy recipe. Great tasting.
Wonderful – thanks for leaving a review!
Jami, I just printed this out to give it a try. I’m allergic to raw apples so anytime I find a recipe that includes cooked apples, I’m in! Are there any suggestions you have for which kind of apples to use or not use?