Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Butter is an easy, no sugar fruit spread for toast, biscuits, muffins, and scones, it’s also perfect for holiday gift giving!
cranberry apple butter is an extra special fall treat.
Apple butter is such a fall staple. And I’m sure you already know that there’s no butter in it at all, just fresh apples that have been cooked down and pureed into a thick spread. But did you know you can also make Pumpkin Butter? And Bourbon Banana Butter? And Peach Butter? I love to experiment, and today I mixed cranberries with apples to make fabulously tart cranberry apple butter that I think you’re going to love. The flavor (and color!) is unique and wonderful. This is easy to make, so gather up some small jars and think about making a few extra batches for holiday gifts.
TIP: Fresh cranberries are sold in 12-ounce bags from late September through December in grocery stores — you can’t get them at any other time of the year, so grab extra and freeze them. Just put them straight into the freezer as is, in their original bags, they’ll last up to a year. Cranberries are low in calories, and high in vitamin C and anti-oxidants so they’re really good for you, especially when you eat them without added sugar.
You’ll need 5 or 6 apples and a bag of fresh cranberries for this butter (one 12 ounce bag is about 3 cups of berries.) You can use any type of apple you like, and there is no need to peel them, just remove the core and seeds.
TIP: This cranberry apple butter recipe is formulated for the crock pot, but you can certainly do it on the stove top as well. It won’t take as long, but it will require more ‘babysitting’.
Pile the fruit into the crock pot and cook on high for about 4 hours, giving the pot a stir now and then. Puree the softened mixture and then push through a strainer. This step removes any gritty bits and ensures a silky butter. Then back it goes into the rinsed out crock pot for a further couple of hours to thicken up to a spreadable consistency.
The natural sweetness of the apples offsets the tart cranberries, so I didn’t add any sugar to this at all. I recommend you give it a taste during the final stages of cooking, if it tastes too tart, just add some honey to sweeten it up. The same goes for the spices…I kept it minimal with a stick of cinnamon that lends a subtle hint of spice, but you can use more if you like.
TIP: This Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Butter will last up to a month in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the jars for up to a year: leave a little space at the top for expansion and set the jars right in the freezer after they’ve cooled down.
“Just made this. Its beautiful and delicious! Nothing to strain out after putting it in the Vitamix on high. Plan to enjoy it with gluten-free cinnamon swirl bread from LowCarbYum – looks like a perfect match! Thank you!”
Lisa
Cranberry Apple Butter
Video
Equipment
- crock pot
Ingredients
- 5-6 apples
- 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, they can be frozen and thawed
- 1 stick of cinnamon, or powdered cinnamon to taste
- honey, optional
Instructions
- Wash the apples well, and cut them into large chunks, discarding the core and seeds. Add to the crock pot.
- Rinse the cranberries and add them to the crock pot. Give the fruit a stir and then cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Give the pot a stir every once in a while to prevent sticking. If the mixture is sticking you can add a bit of water, but I didn’t have to, the natural juices of the fruit should be sufficient.
- Puree the softened fruit in a high speed blender or food processor, working in 2 batches.
- Push the puree through a mesh strainer with the back of a large spoon, Force the puree through, you should be left with just a light layer of solids. Rinse out the strainer between batches.
- Rinse out the crock pot and return the strained puree to the pot. Bury a stick of cinnamon into the puree. Cook on HIGH, uncovered, for another 2 hours, or until thick and spreadable, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the fruit has thickened, spoon it into clean glass jars. Let cool, and then cap and refrigerate. The butter will keep for 4 weeks in the refrigerator, or up to a year in the freezer. (If you plan to freeze, leave a little space at the top of each jar to allow for expansion.)
- Makes 2 1/2 cups
Notes
- Another way to get a less tart result without adding any sweetener would be to use more apples and less cranberries, say 8 apples with 1/2 bag of cranberries.
- If you like things super tart, try my pure cranberry butter.
- If you don’t have a crock pot I highly recommend getting one…you don’t have to spend a lot, the base models are fine, and you will get a ton of use out of it. This is the one I’ve used for years.
This looks delicious! How much does your recipe make?
Have you ever used northern latitude cranberries? (might be called lingonberries down your way) I wonder what the ratio would be for using them, as they are a LOT tarter than the usual cranberries.
That would be so interesting, Joanna. I have a jar of lingonberry jam in my fridge now. I would go by taste, add add some sugar if necessary. It sounds wonderful!
Just curious, what size apples did you use (or how much by volume or weight)? Went apple picking and this looks like a perfect recipe to try but the apples I picked are much smaller than store bought apples. Trying to figure out a good ratio….
Hi this looks great! I do however want to tell you, you can get frozen cranberries year round. I use Cape Cod Select frozen cranberries. They are absolutely beautiful and prefer them to fresh.
I think that’s so great, my store sells them, too, and I agree, they’re just as good as fresh, thanks Amelia!
This looks lovely! I’m making a double batch right now for Christmas gifts. I added a tiny bit of my local honey and cardamom and a vanilla bean. Mmmm!
Do you peel the apples as well or leave the skin on and just remove core?
I leave the peel on, Jessica, because everything gets strained later anyway, and they add flavor.
Ok thank you just making sure I don’t wanna mess it up lol I’m excited to make this today and can it for Christmas gifts thanks for posting the recipe
Hi Sue!, this cranberry apple butter looks gorgeous. I think my whole family will enjoy giving this recipe a try since we don’t consume sugar at home for health reasons. Thanks for sharing and putting it all together, the recipe was very well explained with awesome pictures. Cheers!
Have you ever tried to can this or your cranberry butter? I was thinking of doubling or tripling the recipes if they could be canned and use as gifts.
No, I haven’t tried that Patti. You could freeze it ahead of the holidays.
Hi Sue,
I came back to get this recipe this morning because I’m making this as a gift for all our guests next weekend. Thank you – it’s perfect!
Just made this. Its beautiful and delicious! Nothing to strain out after putting it in the vitamix on high. Plan to enjoy it with gluten-free cinnamon swirl bread from LowCarbYum – looks like a perfect match! Thank you!
Jealous of your Vitamix, I bet yours is ultra silky 🙂