This Homemade Apple Butter recipe is velvety, rich, and tastes like apple pie!
Apples are cooked until thickened and slightly caramelized. They become thick and spreadable in texture with a delicious apple-pie like flavor.
This makes a healthy and delicious spread that can be used in place of butter on rolls, a slice of toast, or warm biscuits.
Apple Butter Made Easy
- If you’ve got apples, you likely have everything you need to make homemade apple butter.
- This recipe can be made on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
- It’s easy to make and while it has to simmer for a while, most of the time is hands-off.
- It’s delicious, packed with flavor, and makes a healthy spread for toast, waffles, pancakes, and more (or even to eat by the spoonful).
Apple Butter vs. Apple Sauce
They’re both similarly flavored, and made by cooking apples with spices and some sugar until tender. The difference between apple butter and applesauce is in the texture and flavor.
Apple sauce is done cooking once the apples are soft and then it is blended. Apple butter cooks much longer until it becomes darker in color, more concentrated, thick, and glossy.
Apples for Apple Butter
You can use almost any kind of apples, we love fuji, honeycrisp, or gala to name a few. Granny smith are a bit tart for this recipe but you can add a few if you’d like.
Other additions to this apple butter recipe include:
- brown and white sugar (you can reduce it or use sweetener)
- spices
- apple juice or apple cider (not apple cider vinegar!)
How to Make Apple Butter
- Prep Apples: Peel, core, and chop!
- Simmer: Cook the apples with sugar & spice until soft.
- Blend: Puree the apple mixture in a blender or food processor (in batches if needed).
- Thicken: Cook until thickened and glossy.
What To Do With Apple Butter
Try spreading some on a slice of toast or a freshly baked biscuit or homemade dinner roll.
Serve it with cheddar cheese on crostini or crackers or stir it into yogurt.
I know a lot of people use it to bake with (like apple butter bars or apple butter pumpkin pie), and it’s even used in sauces (such as ribs or glazed over a ham). It’s pretty versatile!
How Long Does Apple Butter Last?
That answer depends on how you’re storing it. If you are canning apple butter in sterilized jars, it should keep for a couple of years. In the refrigerator, it’ll last several weeks to a month. In the freezer, about 4-6 months.
While apples peak in September and October, pick up a bag of apples from the grocery store any time of year!
If you’ve got extra apples, make apple butter or other apple favorites like apple crisp, apple pie filling, or even caramel apple bars!
More Apple Recipes We Love
Homemade Apple Butter
Rich spiced apple butter made on the stovetop.
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Peel, core, and chop apples. Add all ingredients to a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Stir well, then heat over medium heat until apples are soft, about 20 minutes.
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Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a regular blender and puree, then pour back into the same pot.
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Cook over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent spattering, until apple butter has thickened to desired consistency.
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Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Apple butter can be frozen as well.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- When cooking in the slow cooker, add only ¼ cup of apple juice.
- To make crockpot apple butter, fill a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker with all ingredients (reduce the apple juice) and stir well.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (overnight works well for this). Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree.
- To thicken, add apple butter back to the slow cooker and cook on LOW, uncovered, until apple butter thickens to your liking. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and scorching on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 74 | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Snack
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