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This Slow Cooker Apple Butter has no added sugar and is my all-time favorite Fall spread. It’s Whole30 compliant, paleo-friendly, and is so delicious! It’s filled with in-season fresh apples and fall spices that will make your home smell heavenly.
Slow Cooker Apple Butter (No Added Sugar)
While studying for my undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts Amherst I found a serious love for apple butter thanks to frequent visits to Judie’s Restaurant. Back before I changed my diet I would enjoy the giant popovers they served slathered with the most delicious apple butter.
It has been a while since I’ve been there, but I haven’t forgotten that apple butter and realized it was time to create a recipe of my own that wasn’t loaded with refined sugar. While I won’t be enjoying this apple butter on top of popovers anymore, rest assured there are plenty of ways to enjoy it, with this, on top of these, over these or with the biscuits in my book. But really, it’s amazing just by the spoonful.
There are loads of other apple butter recipes out there, some with long cooking time and some with short. I really feel like the longer and slower the cook, the more depth of flavor the apple butter has, so a 2-hour version just has never cut it for me. But aside from the prep and the finishing touches, this recipe is relatively hands-off and can even be done overnight.
What’s in apple butter?
Some apple butter recipes have tons of sugar. I never understand why because apples are naturally high in sugar. This version uses all the natural sweetness of apples to give it it’s flavor! Apple butter is essentially apples cooked low and slow for a long time until most of their moisture has evaporated and you are left with just the apple goodness!
- Apples
- No Sugar Added Apple Cider
- Lemon Juice
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Salt
How Do You Know When Apple Butter is Done?
You want the apple butter to be dark in color and quite thick, thick enough that when you pick it up by the spoonful it mounds on the spoon instead of dripping off.
Tools Needed to Make Apple Butter:
- Apple Corer
- Slow Cooker
- Spatula
- Immersion Blender or High-Speed Blender ($20 off & FREE shipping)
- Jars and Lids of choice 🙂
If you like this fall favorite, check out these other recipes:
- Fall Hash Brown Breakfast Skillet
- Apple Sage Turkey Meatballs (Gluten-Free)
- Apple Hand Pies (Gluten-Free)
- Creamy Pumpkin Casserole
- Cranberry Walnut Roasted Acorn Squash
No Sugar Crock Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 10-12 organic apples cored, pealed, sliced
- 1 cup organic apple juice or cider read labels- find one with no added sugar!
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Put everything in slow cooker. The cider or juice should not overpower apples. Cook on low for 10-12 hours.
- At 10 hours, once apples are dark, immerse hand blender or transfer to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Put lid back on slightly ajar and let cook for the remaining 2 hours. If you're in a time crunch, place into a pot on the stove over medium-low heat and let simmer until thick.
- Let cool, store in jars in the fridge for up to 1 week unless canning.
Notes
- -If not as thick as you'd like, transfer to pot and cook over medium heat until thickens (use a lid, it will splatter)
- -Very thick and spreadable. Perfect top spread on toast, or to top your favorite oatmeal, pancakes, or waffles!
- Make it last a year! How to can this apple butter using the Water Bath Canning Method:
- Heat water in a large, deep saucepot equipped with a lid. If you have a canning rack or a cooling cake rack, place the rack at the bottom of your saucepan. Bring the water to a simmer (not a boil) and carefully submerge your jars along with their lids for about 5 minutes or until warm. Make sure water is inside your jars to keep them submerged.
- Carefully remove the jars and lids from the warm water with tongs and place on a cooling rack set over a kitchen towel. Pour the apple butter into each jar using a funnel, leaving at least 1/4 inch of space at the top. Make sure there are no air bubbles in the jam and that the rim of the jar is clean before securing the lid.
- Cover your saucepan and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Submerge the tightly closed jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Take your saucepan off the heat and allow your jars to sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes.
- Carefully take your jars out of the hot water and place on a paper towel. Check jar lids for seals by making sure the lids do not flex up and down when pressing the middle of the jar.
- Store in a cool, dark place for up to one year! Once opened make sure to store in the refrigerator for up to one week!
This is a great recipe, easy and delicious!!! Have made it a couple times already and jarred some too.
So happy!
Hi! About how much will one batch make?
2 pints!
Kari, we use it on English muffins! You could do that in the UK….(Not a joke, it’s the best!)
So delicious!! I just made a batch today, not only did the house smell amazing, but it tastes incredible and was so easy to make! I am actually going to buy more apples so I can make another batch and gift some to friends and family!
This isn’t something. We have really in the uk bit it sounds delish. What do you use it on mostly or with ?
Love homemade apple butter…as well as using it in recipes! 🙂
Nothing says fall quite like a jar of apple butter!
TOTALLY.
Love apple butter on a cornmeal mush porridge. I don’t let it set up in order to fry mush. My very fav apple butter was Dutch Girl by Smuckers. Smuckers didn’t own the recipe so their time ran out & won’t let them use that recipe anymore 🙁 I I am 68 y/o & grew up on Dutch Girl apple butter. We always put it on our fried mush & french toast. Surely do miss it.
What size apples? Small, medium, large. I do better with pounds…any guess how many? Thanks! I am SO excited to try this recipe!
Medium works! Anything really. Super easy.
This recipe is delicious! My daughter is helping me and our second batch of apple butter is in the crockpot right now. I reused 1/2 c of liquid from the first batch and just added 1/4 c of organic apple juice. We used organic Golden Delicious apples (for their sweetness). This past weekend my husband and I planted 2 Cortland apple trees and 1 pollinator apple tree in our yard, so we will definitely be using this recipe again. Thank you for posting this recipe!
Does it matter what type of apple? Is there a variety that works better than another?
Check out my apple guide here:
http://lexiscleankitchen.com/2014/09/26/healthy-food-friday-guide-to-eating-and-baking-with-apples/ 🙂
Hi Lexi!!
I’m so glad that I found this recipe!! I’m excited to try it!
I plan on making a large batch so I can make 14 tiny jars of it to give as gifts. How much did your original recipe make?
Thank you!!!
To be safe I’d double it! Enjoy!!
Canning Apple Butter in Half-pints or Pints
below 6,000 feet elevation process 10 minutes
above 6,000 feet process 15 minutes
Canning Apple Butter in Quarts
below 6,000 feet elevation process 15 minutes
above 6,000 feet process 20 minutes
Is the whole apple used i.e., are you including the seeds in this recipe? I’d heard apple seeds should not be eaten.
No no seeds.
Hi- Wondering if I should use low or high setting…..
Thanks, Katharine
Just a suggestion, but I don’t have a slow cooker and found that the lowest and highest temperatures for them are 200-300 degrees. You can use an oven safe vessel of any description and simply “bake” your selected meal.I personally use a setting between 170-190 degrees with excellent results. This does take a bit more time in some cases but the results are worth the wait…. Love to all…..
How long will this keep in the fridge?
I have been doing this for years. Love your recipe
Great recipe. I have been doing this for years only with a large batch and cook it overnight on low. Smells wonderful during the night
.Best childhood memory is moms warm fresh homemade bread and apple butter when getting home from school.Beats the heck out of todays pop tarts
I think I added too much liquid and it’s not thickening up. I have it on the stove right now. I really want this to work because it tastes so good. Any tips to make it thicker?
I made this yesterday i the crockpot…..love it, no sugar & so good!