Homemade Apple Butter
Went apple picking? Got lots of apples? Make this easy homemade apple butter recipe! Just a few simple ingredients and so much delicious fall flavor!
Nothing screams “Fall!” like big pot of homemade apple butter, bubbling away on the stovetop! It’s just bursting with sweet apple and warm spice flavors, and it’s got tons of great uses.
We love to enjoy it simply spread on toasted cinnamon bread, scones, or biscuits, but the possibilities are truly limitless! Anything that wants a little sweet fall flavor will taste delicious with a dollop of homemade apple butter.
And you won’t believe how easy it is to make your own apple butter from scratch. It only takes a few basic ingredients, and most of time it’s completely hands off.
I’ve got instructions here for making homemade apple butter on the stovetop OR in the crockpot. It’s totally up to you! Either way you will love this sweet fall treat.
WHAT IS APPLE BUTTER?
Apple butter is a simple, home-y topping that tastes great spread on biscuits, scones, or toast. It’s made from primarily from apples, but it doesn’t actually contain any butter or dairy of any kind. In fact, it’s vegan!
Apple butter has a hint of warm cinnamon spice, but mostly it just tastes like apples. It’s a very intense apple flavor, because it is essentially just apples cooked down and concentrated to their essence.
It’s in a class by itself. It’s not really a jam or a jelly, although it can be used in much the same way. And it is not quite the same thing as applesauce either. It’s thicker, smoother, and has a more concentrated apple flavor.
APPLE BUTTER INGREDIENTS
You can make this recipe from just a handful of basic ingredients.
Start with a whole lotta apples! You’re going to want about 4 pounds of apples for this recipe, which is approximately 9 medium-sized apples. If you’ve just gone apple picking, this is a great way to use your haul!
In addition to fresh apples, you’ll also need a little apple cider, some brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. At the very end you’ll squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, just to give the apple butter a little “lift.”
WHAT KIND OF APPLES SHOULD I USE?
You can use any kind of apple you like for this recipe.
For the batch you see in these pics and video, I chose to use Honeycrisp apples because I like their natural sweetness. You could also use Golden Delicious apples, Gala apples, or Fuji apples.
Or, if you prefer a more tart apple flavor, then Granny Smith apples would be a great choice.
But really any kind of apple will work, so just use what you have!
HOW TO MAKE APPLE BUTTER
To make this easy recipe, toss all your ingredients into a big pot and bring it to a simmer. Allow it to cook, stirring every now and then, until the apples have become really soft and are beginning to fall apart. For my Honeycrisp apples, this took about an hour on medium-low heat.
Once the apples are really soft, the apple butter can be pureed. I like to do this with a hand blender, but you could also use a regular blender, food processor, or food mill. (If you aren’t using a hand blender, you’ll want to do this in batches so as not to overflow your machine.) Be careful- the mixture is hot and steamy!
When the apple mixture is velvety-smooth, return it to your pot and let it continue to cook down. Basically you just want to let the liquid evaporate and leave behind a very concentrated apple puree. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will become.
And it will thicken up even more as it cools, so keep that in mind!
Once it’s reached a deep brown color, and has the consistency of a thick spread, remove it from the heat and squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice. This will really brighten up the flavor!
CAN THIS BE MADE IN A CROCKPOT?
I really like this stovetop recipe, because it’s relatively quick to make. But you could also make it in a crockpot or slow cooker!
To make a slow cooker apple butter, cook the apples, cider, brown sugar, and spices on high heat (uncovered) for about 2 hours (or until soft). Then, puree them just as you would for the stovetop recipe.
Then lower the heat and allow the puree to cook for 8 to 10 hours. Give it a stir every now and then, just to be sure it’s not burning on the bottom of the pot.
It takes a long time but your house will smell incredible, and it’s mostly hands off!
WHAT IS APPLE BUTTER GOOD ON?
There are SO many great uses for apple butter. It’s got a naturally sweet taste, so it works really well as a filling in desserts. But it’s also really nice on more savory dishes like herbed chicken or pork. In the Philadelphia are, where I live, we often enjoy it as a topping on scrapple. The sweet and savory contrast is incredible!
Most commonly, apple butter is enjoyed as a spread on toast, biscuits, or scones, but I’ve also used it to fill cupcakes (like these Apple Cinnamon Pancake Cupcakes) and breads (like this Apple Butter Cinnamon Swirl Bread).
CAN APPLE BUTTER BE CANNED?
You can absolutely can this, it works fabulously!
Just sterilize your jars, boil your lids until the seal is softened and gummy, and fill the jars with apple butter. Wipe the edges of the jars clean, screw on the lids, and submerge in boiling water for about 10 minutes.
As the jars cool, you should hear the lids suction down and “pop.” This is how you know your seals are airtight!
If done properly, the jars of apple butter can be kept for months in a cupboard at room temperature.
But if you don’t feel like going to the trouble, just keep it in the fridge and you should be just fine!
HOW LONG DOES APPLE BUTTER LAST?
Once opened, a jar of apple butter should last in the fridge for several weeks to a month.
Next time you find yourself with an abundance of apples, remember this easy homemade apple butter recipe!
And if you have any holiday parties coming up, think about giving jars of apple butter as party favors or a hostess gift! Your friends and family will love the sweet apple and warm cinnamon flavors!
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Homemade Apple Butter
Ingredients
- about 4 pounds apples, (roughly 9 medium-sized apples), peeled and cored
- 1 cup (236 g) apple cider, (NOT apple cider vinegar)
- 3/4 cup (165 g) loosely packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- juice of half a lemon, (about 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
- Place the apples, apple cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large pot, and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, (stirring occasionally) until the apples have become very soft (about 1 hour).
- Use a hand blender to puree the mixture (or ladle it into a regular blender in batches) until smooth.
- Place the puree back into the pot and continue to cook, uncovered, (stirring occasionally) until thick, velvety, and deep mahogany brown (about 1 hour).
- Stir in the lemon juice, transfer the mixture to jars, and keep refrigerated.*
This recipe is incredible AND easy, thank you for sharing! I’ve tried it twice now with great results. I didn’t have apple cider on hand either time so I used tap water without any issues. The second time, I adjusted the recipe by using 1.5 tablespoons of cinnamon and adding a little ginger and nutmeg. I really liked this extra-spiced version, too.
I stumbled upon this when I was looking at your apple butter cinnamon bread recipe and I’m def making this! A few questions tho, I made my own apple cider at home and it already has lemon in it since I threw one in when I made the juice, do I still have to add it? Also is there any way to freeze this? I have way too many apple than I know what to do with lol! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Yes I think it would freeze quite well! And if you think it already tastes good with the lemon in the cider then you can leave the additional lemon juice out. It’s really just there for flavor so feel free to make it according to your own personal taste.
I’m going to make this but I’m just wondering by apple cider do you mean the alcohol? I know that there is non alcoholic versions available also but want to make sure I’m getting the correct thing!
No, not hard cider but just regular apple cider. It might be a regional thing. In this part of the US, we get apple cider every year at this time in our supermarkets. It’s just like apple juice, but unfiltered. It’s a darker color and cloudy and the flavor is more robust. If you can’t find it, apple juice will work fine too.
I made this apple butter and wow is all I can say! Tasted just like my Mother and Grandmother used to make. Delicious would be an understatement. Thank you so much!
Do you think this would be ok to use Apple juice instead of Apple Cider? I have a bunch of Golden delicious apples but no apple cider at my local stores!
Yes- I think that would be a great sub! The only difference between apple juice and apple cider is that juice is filtered and often pasteurized, whereas cider is usually raw and unfiltered. I say go for it!
Just made this and it’s super yum! I had originally left the peels on, so about halfway through I strained the whole mixture. It really needs to be blended for quite a while longer than you think in order to achieve that silky smooth texture pictured.
Hi. I made this recipe back in September and made about 4 mason jars worth. I still have some in my fridge (which haven’t been opened since I made them) but I didn’t fully “process” the jars. Do you think it’s still safe to eat? I don’t think there’s anything in the recipe that would go “bad” but I wouldn’t wanna eat/serve it if it wouldn’t be good!
I tend to be a little more on the lax side about this type of thing, lol! You should definitely use your own judgement in this type of situation, I would never want to lead you in a bad direction. But if it were me, I would probably open the jar and make sure it looks ok first. Then I’d give it the sniff test, and if it smells ok, I’d probably give it a little taste. If the taste is all right, I’d most likely serve it. After the long cooking process, the apple butter will most likely be high enough in sugar to inhibit any kind of microbial growth. All this having been said, if the jar lid looks like it’s bulging at all, definitely throw it out. That’s a sign of botulism which is odorless, tasteless, and can be deadly. Good luck!
Hi! Will the lemon make a huge difference in this? I have everything but lemon!
It will help to bring out the flavors & make it taste more apple-y. You can leave it out if you’d like but it definitely tastes better with!
Hello never heard of apple butter since I from France but I will make it because I have to that apple butter bread pudding thank you
I have used my grandmothers recipe on occasion and while everyone loved it, it was a long and time consuming project. I came across your recipe so on this dark gloomy NE day I decided to give it a try.
What a difference!! Still the same great smell throughout the house but in half the time! And it tastes amazing!! Will be making it again for holiday gifts. Thank you SO much for sharing!!
Sorry didn’t type this right. Could this be doubled and done in crock pot and stored in freezer?
Could this be done in larger quanity (doubled) then freezer store?