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Fruit butter is my favorite way to preserve. The simplicity and the fact that it uses the whole fruit. Fruit butter is a fruit that has been cooked to a paste, condensed significantly, and sweetened. Apple butter is one of the most common, but I also love to make apricot butter, peach butter, and grape butter.
Years ago, apple butter was often made on farms among neighbors. Locals would gather together and use up all their extra apples, especially the ones that didn’t look as good. Back then, they cooked large quantities of the mixture over an outdoor fire in large brass kettles outside. It took hours to condense the fruit to a paste-like spread.
Apple butter still needs to be cooked for hours before it’s ready, but in these modern times (ha!), we’re lucky to have more options for cooking. For a long time, I would use the stove to make my apple butter. But this was often rather cumbersome: the mixture had to be constantly watched and could easily burn.
The light bulb moment was when I started using my slow cooker. By nature, slow cookers allow you the freedom to walk away without the need to babysit the mixture. The necessary hours of cooking can be done overnight and you’re likely to wake up to an amazing fragrance that fills the house, a welcome by-product.
Soon after publishing my slow cooker apple butter recipe, I started receiving requests for pumpkin butter. So I gladly made my version so everyone could enjoy it! While I love pumpkin butter, I find that pumpkin alone doesn’t have as much flavor and needs some additional sweetness. Mixing in apples with the pumpkin gives a richer consistency and acts as a natural sweetener.
Like most slow cooker recipes, this really is a set-it-and-forget recipe. To bring out the pumpkin, the spices are a bit different than traditional apple butter, harkening towards the flavors of pumpkin pie: spicy ginger, warm cinnamon, and bright allspice.
After the mixture cooks and is ready to blend, I add a little maple extract. While you may be tempted to swap out the extract for maple syrup, I’ve found that syrup is lost in the long cooking time and doesn’t lend any flavor. Extract adds a condensed flavor and mixes with the spices to create a full-flavored fall treat.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow cooker carnitas tacos
- Slow cooker peanut butter and chocolate candy cake
- Slow cooker short ribs
- Spiced fruit
- Slow cooker BBQ baked beans
- Slow cooker cauliflower curry soup
Watch How to Make This Pumpkin Apple Butter
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 8 cups chopped apples
- 6 cups peeled and cubed squash or pumpkin (I use kabocha squash)
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Pour all apples and squash into a 7-quart slow cooker.8 cups chopped apples, 6 cups peeled and cubed squash or pumpkin (I use kabocha squash)
- Add sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to incorporate everything.2 cups light brown sugar, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 3 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp allspice, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Turn slow cooker on high for 8 hours.
- After the 8 hours, stir and continue to cook until the excess liquid has cooked off, about 2-4 hours.
- After the liquid has reduced and the butter has cooked at least 12 hours blend in a high-powered blender. Be sure to let the steam release while blending
- Let cool. Freeze or can the mixture
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
I made this last night, I had a bit of a panic moment because mine didn’t take as long to cook down as the recipes calls for so I wondered if I did something wrong. But then I realized our slow cookers could heat differently, the apples and squash could have been different, etc. So I just stopped panicking and made it happen. It is SO delicious. It even prompted me to throw together a 12 hour no knead bread so I could have it for breakfast. Nummy. Thanks Wyse Guide!
I made this last night, I had a bit of a panic moment because mine didn’t take as long to cook down as the recipes calls for so I wondered if I did something wrong. But then I realized our slow cookers could heat differently, the apples and squash could have been different, etc. So I just stopped panicking and made it happen. It is SO delicious. It even prompted me to throw together a 12 hour no knead bread so I could have it for breakfast. Nummy. Thanks Wyse Guide!
This has become one of my most favorite fall recipes. Wish you could come to my house for Thanksgiving. I start cooking a week in advance, I try to cook something special for each my children, grandchildren, and great grand children. They love to coming to grandma’s in the country on the holidays, but who doesn’t.
Can canned pumpkin be used and if yes – how many cans? TY
SO DELICIOUS! I made this a little thicker than when I made the Pear Butter. I used butternut squash and Honey Crisp apples. 8 cups of apples came to about 3 lbs. 6 cups of butternut squash was a good medium to large squash (I already had it and forgot to weigh it before peeling). I had a little bit harder time getting all the apple peel to disintegrate when blending, but it’s still great! This was a very yummy recipe but only yielded me 5+ 1/2 pint/8-oz jars not 5 pints! But my 8 qt slow cooker couldn’t have held more than this recipe. I will make it again. Loved the squash in it!
Do you peal the squash with a potato peeler.?
Any recommendations for an apple type
Kaleb, it would be very helpful to give an approximate weight (in addition to cups) of apples, squash, etc. I haven’t a clue as to how many apples I would need to buy for 8 cups, but I have to buy them by weight. I made your pear butter where you called for 10 lbs of pears. I bought about 12 lbs which gave me about 10 lbs after trimming-coring the pears. Love your videos!!
I love all you’re recipes
Can Pumpkin purée be used in place of the squash?