Spiced Plum Butter Recipe (Slow Cooker Method)
A homemade Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter made with seasonal plums and warming spices. Smooth, easy to make and perfect for toast, yoghurt and baking.
This Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter is a simple way to make the most of a seasonal glut of plums, whether you’re using Mirabelle plums, damsons, bullaces or traditional dessert varieties.
Gentle slow cooking concentrates the fruit with warming spices like cinnamon, star anise and cardamom, creating a smooth, richly flavoured spread that works well on toast, stirred through yoghurt or served with cheese. It’s an easy, hands-off recipe that captures the flavour of late summer and early autumn in every jar.
Ingredients Breakdown
Plums
The foundation of the recipe, providing natural sweetness, acidity and body as they slowly cook down into a smooth, concentrated butter.
Mirabelle plums, damsons, bullaces and most dessert plums all work well, although sweeter varieties may need slightly less sugar.
I made this batch using Mirabelle plums from a tree we’re fortunate to have access to, which produced an incredible crop this summer. Their sweet, delicate flavour gives the butter a awesome golden colour, although the recipe works equally well with bullaces, damsons or other ripe plums.
Sugar
Sweetens the fruit while helping preserve the butter and necessary to thicken as it reduces. You can use white or brown sugar, depending on which plums you are using. As I used mirabelles here, I opted for white so I can keep that colour nice and bright.
Cinnamon Stick
Adds gentle warmth without overpowering the natural flavour of the plums. A cinnamon stick gives a cleaner flavour than ground cinnamon and is easy to remove before blending.
Star Anise
Contributes a subtle liquorice note that complements stone fruit and adds depth to the finished butter. Remove it once the fruit has softened to prevent it becoming too dominant.
Green Cardamom Pods
Bring a light citrusy, floral note that balances the sweetness of the plums and rounds out the spice blend. Lightly crush the pods before adding them to help release their flavour.
How to Make Plum Butter in a Slow Cooker
Prepare the plums
Start by washing the plums and removing any stems or damaged fruit. Remove the stones by either cutting each plum in half or using a cherry or olive pitter, which is often quicker if you’re preparing a large batch. Transfer the prepared plums to your slow cooker.
Add the sugar and spices
Add the white caster sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, lightly crushed cardamom pods and fine sea salt. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated, allowing the sugar to begin drawing out the juices before cooking.
Slow cook until the fruit is soft
Cover with the lid and cook on High for 4–5 hours or Low for 7–8 hours, stirring once or twice during cooking. As the fruit softens, it will release its juices and begin to break down into a thick compote.
Remove the spices and blend
Lift out the cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods before blending. Use a stick blender to purée the fruit until completely smooth, or carefully transfer it to a blender before returning it to the slow cooker.
Reduce the plum butter
Leave the lid slightly ajar so excess moisture can evaporate. Continue cooking on High for 1–2 hours, stirring every 30–45 minutes, until the Plum Butter becomes thick and glossy. It’s ready when a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a clear trail for several seconds before slowly filling back in. For a thicker finish, simply cook for a little longer.
Taste and adjust
Taste the spiced plum butter and add a little extra sugar if your plums are particularly tart. If it becomes thicker than you’d like, stir in a tablespoon or two of hot water until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Jar and store
Spoon the hot butter into warm, sterilised jars, leaving about 5 mm headspace, then seal immediately. Refrigerate after opening and use within 3 weeks.
Optional water-bath canning
If you’d like to keep your Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter for longer, process the sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjusting for altitude where necessary). Allow the jars to cool completely before checking that the lids have sealed properly.
If you’d like to learn more about water-bath canning (and canning in general), this guide explains the process, safety considerations and why it works.
Other Seasonal Preserves You’ll Love
- Apple & Quince Ketchup
- Spiced Cumumber & Lemon Chutney
- Cornelian Cherry Jelly
- Lingonberry Apple Jam
- Homemade Tomato Ketchup
Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter
Ingredients
- 1 kg plums washed, stoned and halved
- 150 g white caster sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole star anise
- 3 green cardamom pods lightly crushed
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the stones from the plums by cutting them in half or using a cherry or olive pitter. Place the prepared fruit in the slow cooker.
- Add the caster sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods and salt. Stir until the fruit is evenly coated.
- Cover and cook on High for 4–5 hours, stirring once or twice, until the plums have collapsed and released their juices. Alternatively, cook on Low for 7–8 hours.
- Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and cardamom pods. Blend the fruit directly in the slow cooker with a stick blender until completely smooth.
- Position the lid slightly ajar and cook on High for another 1–2 hours. Stir every 30 minutes until the plum butter is thick and a spoon drawn across the base leaves a trail for several seconds.
- Taste and add a little more sugar if the plums are particularly tart. For a thinner consistency, stir in a small amount of hot water.
- Transfer the hot plum butter to clean, warm jars. Leave to cool, then refrigerate.
Notes
Yes. This Slow Cooker Spiced Plum Butter works well with Mirabelle plums, damsons, bullaces and most dessert plums. Sweeter varieties may need a little less sugar, while tart plums can benefit from an extra tablespoon or two.
Plum butter thickens as it cools, so let it cool completely before deciding if it needs reducing further. If it’s still too loose, return it to the slow cooker with the lid slightly ajar and continue cooking until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Yes you can, although the texture might change a little. If you don’t want to consume it within the 3 weeks after opening, I would recommend making it into smaller jars and can them. Then you can keep the smaller jars for up to a year.
Store unopened jars in a cool, dark place if they’ve been safely water-bath canned. Once opened, keep the plum butter in the refrigerator and use it within 3 weeks.
Spread it over toast, crumpets or scones, swirl it into porridge or Greek yoghurt, or serve it alongside a cheeseboard. It also works well as a filling for sponge cakes, thumbprint biscuits or pastries.
Absolutely. Simply leave out the cinnamon, star anise and cardamom for a classic Slow Cooker Plum Butter Recipe that lets the fruit flavour stand on its own. You can also experiment with different spice combinations to suit your taste.
