CROCKPOT PUMPKIN APPLE BUTTER RECIPE (2024)

Published by Jessica on October 23, 2018

Crockpot Pumpkin Apple Butter recipe made with fresh apples, pumpkin puree and a blend of heavenly fall spices. Cooked slow to allow for a buttery smooth consistency and an incredible flavor!

How to make apple butter

You can make homemade apple butter in the crockpot with just a few ingredients! It cooks all day, but trust me, it’s absolutely worth it. You first start out by peeling and slicing the apples. This process is a ton easier if you have one of these handy Apple Peeler/ Corer/ Slicer gadgets. All 5+ pounds of apples can be peeled, cored and sliced in about 10 minutes. Toss them all in your crockpot and turn the heat on medium. Open a can of pumpkin puree (make sure it’s NOT canned pumpkin pie filling!) and add that to your crockpot, in addition to the brown sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Then put the lid on it and let it sit for 8 hours, stirring once or twice along the way. Reduce heat to low and cook an additional 4 hours, making sure to not lift the lid. Then use an immersion blender to puree the mixture and it’s done!

How do you serve Pumpkin Apple Butter?

I love Pumpkin apple butter on toast, biscuits, on pancakes or crepes, waffles- you name it! Once you taste it you’ll understand why. It’s overwhelmingly delicious! You can use it in place of butter or in addition to butter. I also encourage eating it with a spoon, ha! I love to fill jars with this apple butter recipe and give it to neighbors.

How many apples are in a pound?

It depends on how big the apples are! If you have small apples, 4 apples is about a pound. If you have medium apples, 3 apples is likely equal to a pound. If you have large apples, 2 is equal to a pound. For this recipe, you need 5.5 pounds of apples, so I used 22 small apples gifted to me from my neighbor’s tree. Aren’t neighbors wonderful?!

Crockpot Pumpkin Apple Butter Recipe

• 5.5 lbs apples
• 1 fifteen oz can pumpkin puree
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

Steps to make apple butter recipe:

1. Peel and slice apples. This process is a ton easier if you have one of these handy Apple Peeler/ Corer/ Slicer gadgets. Place apple slices in a 6 or 8 quart crockpot.
2. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot. Stir to blend.
3. Place lid on crockpot and cook on medium 8 hours, stirring once or twice in the 8 hour period. Turn heat to low and cook an additional 4 hours.
4. Turn it off and remove the lid, so it cools. After it’s sufficiently cool, blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
5. Enjoy over toast, on crepes, waffles, pancakes, or whatever you’d like!

Which apples make the best apple butter?

The best apples for apple butter are the apples that you have! Ha! All kidding aside, I adore Honey Crisp apples, so I love using those to make apple butter. If you have some Granny Smith or Fugi apples, those are perfect too. I think using a mix of apple varieties makes for a wonderful apple butter, but with all the other flavors in this recipe, don’t go out of your way to get a mix of apples. One variety is just fine.

How do you store Pumpkin Apple Butter?

You’ll need to refrigerate your apple butter in an airtight container. It will stay good in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Can you freeze apple butter?

Yes, you can freeze apple butter. I like to freeze mine in 1 pint square freezer containers that way I can easily stack them in my freezer. You can also freeze apple butter in canning jars, just remember to leave 1/4″ of space at the top for expansion.

Is apple butter healthy?

There are many ways you can make apple butter healthier. First, you can reduce the brown sugar to 1 cup or even use a low-calorie (or no calorie) sugar substitute. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out altogether since the molasses in brown sugar adds a wonderful flavor to the apple butter. Another idea is to leave the apple peels on the apples and just coring them and slicing them to use in the recipe. Apple peels have a lot of fiber, so keeping them on the apples automatically gives this recipe an increased amount of fiber. Just remember to wash your apples thoroughly first- I even like to let them sit in a kitchen sink with water and vinegar for 20 minutes. Towards the end of the recipe, you’ll have to puree your apple butter a little more thoroughly to compensate for blending the apple peels. Finally, if you serve your apple butter on healthier foods like whole wheat toast or protein waffles, that also helps your apple butter snack to be healthier.

Is apple butter vegan? Is apple butter gluten free?

Yes, apple butter is vegan and gluten free. There are just 6 ingredients in apple butter, so providing you choose a vegan, gluten-free pumpkin puree, then yes, apple butter is both vegan and gluten free.