I discovered apple butter as an adult, and I look forward to it every fall! Since it's difficult to find less-sweet versions of it, I decided to make my own. Now that I can make a No-Sugar-Added Apple Butter in a slow cooker, I can't imagine trying a different recipe!
It's exactly what I wanted out of apple butter. It's lightly sweetened with a little apple cider instead of sugar, and just lightly spiced. And it's hands-off since it's made in the slow cooker!
I fell in love with apple picking and apple butter over 15 years ago. When we lived in Champaign, Illinois, I would go to Curtis Orchard every fall, just on the outskirts of town. I'd walk through the orchard, pick some apples, and then go into the shop area and browse. I loved picking up a jar of thick, sweet apple butter.
I attempted to make it at home. I tried one recipe that was too sweet, and another that was too spiced. I gave up for a few years, but I can't always go apple picking and get a local jar of apple butter; our "local" place in New Jersey is an hour away. And good apple butter is crazy expensive! So now I make it myself with this recipe that's inexpensive, easy to make, and very delicious.
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What is Apple Butter?
Apple butter is basically apple sauce that has most of the water cooked out from it. It's thick and spreadable. The apples caramelize as they cook down, adding extra appley flavor. It's a (delicious) way to preserve fruit. Many fruit preserves, jams, and jellies need you to add pectin as a thickening agent, but apples naturally contain pectin.
You can make apple butter from fresh apples or from applesauce; I prefer starting with apples. Apple butter usually has sugar added to sweeten and help preserve the apples. In my experience, apple butter is usually spiced.
Ingredients You'll Need
My apple butter only takes 5 ingredients!
- Apples
- Apple cider
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice
For apple butter, choose apples that cook down and soften easily. Think Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, or Jonagold. My favorite batch actually had only Fuji apples, but experiment with a mix or variety of apples
Try not to use very tart apples. If your apples are very tart, you may want to try adding some extra cider (or sugar, if you don't mind that); however, extra cider will add more liquid, which will then have to be cooked out for a longer cooking time. Apples that I enjoy eating out of hand for being a little tart made for a tart-ish apple butter.
I use apple cider instead of sugar to sweeten the apple butter. I use fresh apple cider from refrigerator cases in the produce aisle. (This recipe doesn't take much apple cider; use the rest to make Apple Cider Donut Cake!) If your apples are very sweet, you can add a small amount water instead of cider. Unsweetened apple juice would work, but not add much flavor. Orange juice could work for a twist.
You could add brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste, but the beauty of this recipe is that it doesn't have added sweetener other than the cider. You can add artificial sweeteners if desired, by adding them to the final cooked product.
I add ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and ground allspice, but you can use a blend of spices that you like. I personally don't like cloves, although you could substitute them for the allspice. You could also add dried, ground ginger. Overall, though, I prefer minimal spice so we taste the apples.
Whatever spices you add, be sure they are fresh and flavorful. I always grate my own nutmeg because pre-ground nutmeg has no flavor.
Equipment for Slow Cooker Apple Butter
I have a 3.5-quart slow cooker; 4-quart slow cooker or crockpot will work similarly. A 6-quart slow cooker should work but may cook differently; check the pureed apple butter after 1 hour of cooking uncovered.
I don't usually peel my apples for apple butter. You can use an apple peeler and corer (affiliate link) if desired to peel and cut the apples, but it's not necessary. I often don't peel my apples for apple butter, anyway.
I use a Microplane zester (affiliate link) to grate nutmeg; it works better than other methods I've tried.
I prefer to use my immersion blender (affiliate link) to puree the cooked apples. You can also use a potato masher (affiliate link), but the apple butter may be chunkier. You can also use a blender, but let the mixture cool before you transfer it and blend it.
I recommend using a mesh splatter guard (affiliate link) to cover the slow cooker while you reduce the apple butter. Using it is optional, but it will protect you from hot spatters and will keep your countertops clean.
How To Make No-Sugar-Added Slow Cooker Apple Butter - Step-by-Step
There's several ways to make apple butter at home. You can make it on the stove, in a pressure cooker, or even in the oven, but I love using the slow cooker. It takes very little babysitting.
- Core and chop the apples. Place in the slow cooker and add the apple cider and spices.
- Cover and cook on high for 5 hours, until the apples are tender.
- After the apples are tender, blend them with an immersion blender (affiliate link).
- Cover the slow cooker with a mesh splatter guard (affiliate link), and cook for another 2 hours. If you don't have a splatter guard, leave the lid ajar and cover the crack with a very thin towel to prevent spatters and mess.
After cooking the apple butter for 2 hours, it should have thickened. Stir it and spoon it into jars. Cool some before refrigerating.
Hint: Taste your apple butter when it's done. If it seems too sweet or not flavorful, try adding a tiny splash, maybe a teaspoon, of lemon juice or orange juice to try to balance and brighten it.
Variations
If you want a full-sugar apple butter, I recommend trying this slow cooker apple butter recipe from the Kitchn; my cooking instructions are adapted from that recipe.
If you want a completely unsweetened recipe, you can check out this slow cooker apple butter recipe from Detoxinista. She uses water instead of apple cider. I liked that her recipe had minimal spices, so I used them as a start, but swapped out her ginger and cloves for nutmeg and allspice.
Storage
Store the apple butter in a clean container, and refrigerate. It lasts a little longer in the back of the refrigerator, away from the door.
I often reuse old jam or mason jars to store apple butter because the glass doesn't absorb flavors the way that plastic does.
Serving Ideas
I am a huge fan of apple butter on toast. This apple butter is so good that sometimes I eat it straight from the spoon. I also love it on Homemade English Muffins.
It's also nice in oatmeal (how my husband eats it), and you could serve it alongside pork chops if you wanted to go a more savory route.
Recipe FAQ
Contrary to the name, apple butter has no dairy in it. It's actually vegan! It's called apple butter because of its smooth, creamy texture. Sometimes it feels silly to call it butter, but we have peanut butter and almond butter with butter in the name for the same reason!)
Yes! Crockpot is just the name brand for a slow cooker. The slow cooker function on an Instant Pot should work equally well for slow cooking the apples, but you would likely need to do the final cooking and reducing step on the stovetop.
Choose flavorful, but not tart, apples that cook down and soften easily. Think Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, or Jonagold. My favorite batch actually had only Fuji apples, but you should experiment with a mix or variety of apples. Interestingly, my favorite eating apples were not my favorite apples to cook down into apple butter. Try not to use only tart apples, as that will make tart apple butter.
You can use apple juice to sweeten apple butter, but since it's not as flavorful as apple cider, it doesn't add much flavor. I've found that shelf stable, bottled apple cider in the juice aisle doesn't add more flavor than apple juice. You'll find more flavorful apple cider in refrigerator cases, usually by the produce.
Apple cider and apple cider vinegar aren't the same. Apple cider is sweet. Apple cider vinegar is made from fermenting apple cider. Don't try to substitute one for the other.
I really wanted to keep the lid on the slow cooker, but the batches I tried with the lid didn't thicken. Cooking the apple butter covered on low gave me very delicious apple sauce. Cooking it covered on high worked better, but the results were still a little thin.
Leaving the slow cooker uncovered was perfect. I covered the slow cooker with a mesh splatter guard so it would let the steam out while protecting me and my countertops from spattering, popping apple butter.
If you don't have a splatter guard, you can leave the lid ajar, covering the opening with a thin towel. You may also need to cook the apple butter for longer, as not as much steam will escape.
There's some debate online as to whether or not you can preserve sugar-free apple butter via canning. Canning seals out bacteria, but the sugar-free apple butter isn't really sweet enough to be preserved. As I haven't tried canning myself, I defer this question to canning experts.
If you'd like to try canning it, check with a canning resource that you trust. Many state universities have extension offices or food science departments, whose resources include things like gardening, canning, and food preservation and safety.
Other Apple Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
No-Sugar-Added Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Equipment
- 4 quart slow cooker
- immersion blender (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples
- ¼ cup apple cider (56 grams/2 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Core and slice apples. Peels do not entirely dissolve into the apple butter, but peeling is optional. Peel if desired; I never bother.
- Combine apples, cider, and spices in a 4-quart slow cooker. It will be very full. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 10).
- Remove lid. Blend mixture with an immersion blender (affiliate link) until smooth. (Or, transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. A potato masher (affiliate link) can be used, but the result will be chunky.)
- Do not replace cover. Instead, leave lid off, and cover with a mesh splatter guard (affiliate link). Cook on high for another 2 hours, until mixture has thickened. Stir after an hour if you're concerned about your apple butter burning.You can also leave the lid on but ajar; cover the opening with a towel you don't mind getting messy. You may need to cook the apple butter for longer.
- Stir apple butter, then scoop into jars. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
[Originally written October 1, 2018. Revised and rewritten September 2, 2025.]
Leona Konkel says
I love how delicious my apple butter is, without adding a whole lot of sugar. I hope you also love how simple it is to make, and how the apple butter turns out! Let me know if you have any questions!