Quick Answer
To make apple butter, cook peeled or unpeeled apple chunks with a little cider until very soft, puree them, then simmer the puree with sugar and spices for one to several hours until it turns thick, glossy and deep brown.
It is done when a spoonful on a cold plate holds its shape and no liquid separates around the edge.
Keep it in the fridge for about three weeks, freeze it, or water bath can it using a tested recipe such as the one from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
What Is Apple Butter?
Apple butter is not butter at all. It is apples cooked slowly until the natural sugars caramelize and the sauce reduces into a thick, spreadable, dark spread.
Compared with applesauce, it is much more concentrated, smoother and richer in flavor. It usually includes cinnamon, cloves or allspice, and sometimes a splash of vinegar or lemon for brightness.
Which Apples Make the Best Apple Butter?
Soft, sweet apples that break down easily make the smoothest apple butter. McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious and Jonathan are all good choices.
I like to mix two or three varieties. A tart apple like Granny Smith or Jonagold adds depth, while sweet apples mean you need less sugar.
Bruised or slightly soft apples are perfect here, as long as you cut away any bad spots. This is one of the best uses for a big bag from the orchard.
Ingredients for a Small Batch
- 4 pounds apples (about 10 to 12 medium)
- 1 cup apple cider or water
- 1 to 1.5 cups sugar, white, brown or a mix (adjust to taste)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar
This makes roughly 4 half pint jars, depending on how far you cook it down.
How to Make Apple Butter on the Stove
1. Prep the apples. Wash, core and quarter them. Peeling is optional if you will puree or strain later. The peels add color and pectin.
2. Soften. Put the apples and cider in a heavy pot, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until completely soft.
3. Puree. Blend with an immersion blender, or press through a food mill to remove peels for the smoothest texture.
4. Add sugar and spice. Stir in sugar, spices, salt and lemon juice.
5. Cook down. Simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring often, for 1 to 2 hours. The puree will darken and thicken. It spatters as it gets thick, so a splatter screen or a loosely set lid helps.
6. Test. Put a spoonful on a chilled plate. If no ring of liquid forms and it mounds up, it is ready.
How to Make Apple Butter in a Slow Cooker
The slow cooker is my favorite because it barely needs attention and will not scorch as easily.
Add chopped apples, sugar and spices to the crock. Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring once or twice. Puree it with an immersion blender, then cook uncovered on low for another 1 to 2 hours, with the lid propped open, until thick.
The longer uncovered stage is what lets moisture escape. Skip it and you end up with spiced applesauce.
How Do You Store Apple Butter?
Refrigerator: In clean, covered jars, apple butter keeps about three weeks.
Freezer: Leave half an inch of headspace in freezer safe jars or containers. It keeps well for up to a year.
Canning: For shelf stable jars, follow a tested recipe exactly. The NCHFP apple butter recipe has you fill hot jars with hot apple butter, leave 1/4 inch headspace, and process in a boiling water bath, with longer times at higher altitudes.
Do not invent your own canning method or reduce acid in a canning recipe. Low sugar and spice changes are fine for refrigerator or freezer batches.
Can You Make Apple Butter Without Sugar?
Yes. Sweet apples cooked long enough become surprisingly sweet on their own. Some people add a splash of maple syrup or a few dates instead of sugar.
Sugar free apple butter does not keep as long in the fridge, so I freeze most of it in small portions.
Flavor Variations
- Maple: Swap half the sugar for pure maple syrup.
- Bourbon vanilla: Stir in a splash of bourbon and a teaspoon of vanilla near the end.
- Pear apple: Replace a third of the apples with ripe pears.
- Chai spice: Add cardamom, ginger and black pepper with the cinnamon.
- Cider boil: Use boiled down cider in place of some sugar for a tangy, deep flavor.
How to Use Apple Butter
- Spread on toast, biscuits or English muffins
- Swirl into oatmeal or yogurt
- Serve with sharp cheddar on a cheese board
- Brush on pork chops or chicken in the last minutes of cooking
- Use in place of some oil in muffins and quick breads
- Fill hand pies or layer between cake layers
Troubleshooting
Too runny: Keep cooking. It always takes longer than you expect.
Scorched bottom: Lower the heat and stir more often. Do not scrape the burnt layer into the batch.
Grainy texture: Blend it again or press it through a food mill.
Too sweet: Add a little lemon juice or cider vinegar to balance it.
How Much Does Homemade Apple Butter Cost?
If you buy apples in bulk at an orchard in fall, a batch of four half pints usually costs a few dollars in fruit and sugar. That is often less than one small jar of artisan apple butter at a specialty store, and you control the sugar and spices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to peel the apples?
Only if you will not strain or blend well. A food mill removes peels after cooking.
What is the difference between apple butter and applesauce?
Apple butter is cooked much longer, so it is thicker, darker and more caramelized.
Does apple butter have dairy?
No. Despite the name, there is no butter in it.
Why did my apple butter turn dark?
That is normal. The color comes from slow caramelizing of the fruit sugars and spices.
Bottom Line
Apple butter is just apples, patience and a little spice. Soften the fruit, puree it, and cook it low and slow until a spoonful holds its shape on a cold plate. Keep it in the fridge or freezer, or can it with a tested recipe, and you will have fall flavor on your toast for months.
