My super easy Apple Butter recipe is perfectly spiced with rich fall flavors. It takes just 10 minutes to prep with NO peeling required! Recipe includes a how-to video.
All the Best Flavors of Fall in a Jar
Apple butter is the richer, prettier, and perhaps more sophisticated sister to plain-Jane applesauce. It’s truly the embodiment of fall, with colorful crisp apples cooked down and caramelized in spices, brown sugar and vanilla. It tastes great on just about anything, but we love it spread over an English muffin or warm scone (heavenly!).
My favorite thing about this apple butter recipe is that there is NO peeling required! I’ve tested this recipe with peeled and unpeeled apples, and I didn’t notice a difference between the two. When cooked for as long as my recipe calls for, the peels break down completely and are not perceptible in the finished product. Save yourself the time and skip the peeling!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Easy: only 10 minutes of prep before the slow cooker takes over.
- Perfectly flavored: the apples are the true star, with just enough sugar and spices added to accent them and make a warm, cozy fall flavor.
- Plentiful: this recipe makes a lot (3 pints!), so you’ll have some to share or gift (if you’re the generous type).
- No peeling: saves you SO much time and effort.
What You Need
To achieve a silky smooth and flavorful spread, you’ll need to slow cook just a few simple ingredients:
- Apples. What I love about my apple butter recipe is that there is no peeling needed! Just core and dice your apples into small, even pieces. Do not use a firm, tart apple like Granny Smith; stick with softer, sweeter apples like Golden Delicious (my favorite all-around apple for most recipes, like my apple turnovers!), Fuji, Gala, or McIntosh. A combination of apples works too!
- Sugar. A combination of brown and white sugar provides depth of flavor and helps the apples to break down and caramelize, giving the final product a fantastically rich fall flavor. Don’t forget, if you don’t have any on hand just follow my tutorial on how to make brown sugar!
- Spices. Lots of ground cinnamon and a pinch of cloves elevate the flavor of the apples by providing warmth and richness.
- Vanilla. A subtle hint of vanilla rounds out all of warm flavors. I recommend using a vanilla bean if you have one, but otherwise regular vanilla extract will work.
SAM’S TIP: The hardest thing about this recipe is waiting for it to be done. To mitigate this, I often like to prep everything before going to bed and let it cook while I sleep, but please always check your own slow cooker’s safety guide before leaving it unattended.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Butter
- Core and chop (don’t peel!) your apples and place them in the basin of a slow cooker.
- Mix together spices and sugars. Sprinkle these over the apples and toss to combine.
- Cook apple mixture on low heat for 10 hours.
- Puree apples. I like to use an immersion blender (I linked to the one I use, affiliate), but you can use a regular one instead.
- Remove the lid and cook for another 2 hours or until the consistency has thickened to your liking.
SAM’S TIP: The additional two hours of cooking might seem like a pain, but it’s important and worth it to get the proper consistency. If you want an even thicker butter, you can continue to cook yours even longer; but I’ve found the two hours to be plenty (and keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically it is used as a topping for biscuits or bread, but it’s also delicious on oatmeal, pancakes, my favorite waffle recipe, crepes, etc. Some people even serve it with scrapple, or you can take my dad’s approach and enjoy it by the spoonful!
Apple butter is typically sweeter, richer, and thicker (more of a buttery/spreadable consistency). It’s often much darker in color than applesauce, largely because of the added ingredients (in this instance, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, etc) and the caramelization that occurs from the longer cook time.
Yes it does. If you’d like to try canning yours, that’s a great option for extending its shelf life outside of the fridge (I don’t have experience canning, so I can’t offer any advice there, but here is a guide on canning I found that should be helpful.).
Apple butter gets its name from its butter-like consistency, there’s no actual butter in it. If you’re looking for a flavored butter, try my honey butter instead
Looking for more? Here are some of my favorite fall recipes.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best Apple Butter Recipe (No Peeling!)
Ingredients
- 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) soft, sweet apples (see note 1) Cored and chopped into small pieces, about ¼"
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar firmly packed
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 vanilla bean (may substitute 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Slice apples into small pieces (about ¼") and dispose of cores (you do not need to peel the apples).5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) soft, sweet apples (see note 1)
- Place apples in the basin of large slow cooker
- In a medium-sized bowl stir together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves until well-combined.1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pour sugar mixture over apple pieces and stir until well combined.
- Place lid on crockpot and cook on low heat for 10 hours.
- Once 10 hours has elapsed, use an immersion blender to puree apples until smooth and no chunks remain (see note 2 if you do not have an immersion blender).
- Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into your apple puree (or add vanilla extract).1 vanilla bean
- Turn crockpot on to low heat and cook another 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, where it will keep about 2 weeks.
Notes
1. Apples
I recommend using Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Fuji, or Gala. Don’t use Granny Smith; they are too tart and firm for this recipe. Weigh your apples before coring and chopping. Do not peel them! For me this was about 13 apples but this could vary wildly depending on the size of your apples.2. Pureeing
If you do not have an immersion blender, pour the apples into a blender and puree until smooth, then return to crockpot. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your blender.Storing
Store apple butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks or freeze for up to several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
This recipe was originally published in October of 2017, photos and recipe remain the same but text has been updated to be more helpful and I’ve added a how-to video!
Eman Hamdan
Loved this recipe! I only used organic coconut sugar and it turned out delicious 😋
Janet
Made this today. I actually prepped it all in my crock before bed, then put it on before I left for work. This worked perfectly! I didn’t have cloves on hand so I substituted with about a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. I can’t believe how delicious it is! Will definitely make again! Thanks for sharing!!!
Dorothea Stahl
Made this for the first time yesterday. I feel like it could be thicker, but after over 12 hours, I was tired and jarred it. Hope that while it refrigerates, it thickens. I used a combination of apples since the ones from our tree are not very sweet and it’s delicious. I combined a few of my tart ones with some Fuji, Gala, and Jazz. Did the exact recipe with the vanilla bean. Would make again.
Positively Angela
Yeah, mine was not as thick as I imagined it would be so I bottled and put in the fridge anyhow.
I made mine on Monday. It sure is tasty
Katelyn
Hi! How long is it good for in the refrigerator
Sam Merritt
Hi Katelyn! I actually have storage instructions in the notes below the recipe. 🙂
Randy Jones
Made this yesterday I used gala apples and I cooked it for a total of 14 hours. I hate to say that I did make a change or two to a recipe that I’ve never made before. But I did want to taste more Apple than sugar. So I did use a full cup of brown sugar but backed off on the white sugar to just a quarter cup. I also added a half a cup of apple cider and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. I will definitely be making it again
Brittany Miller
Hi, would this be able to be frozen after? thanks!
Sam Merritt
Hi Brittany! I haven’t personally tried it, but I think it should be fine to freeze. Make sure to leave a little bit of space in the container as it will expand. 🙂
erica c
I made this in a big batch and it’s to die for . Super long process but worth it and I made homemade bread to go wth it . Toasted with a French butter and apple butter
Susan
I made the apple butter last year and it was absolutely phenomenal!! This year I made it with the same apple – gala – and I am not pleased with the outcome. It seems to have some fibrous aspect to it. Do you have any idea why that may be?
It is so bad.I feel like I need to throw the whole batch away.
Sam Merritt
Hi Susan! That’s really disappointing! Does it need to be blended a bit more?
Brooke Crider
can this recipe be canned?
Sam Merritt
Hi Brooke! I am not able to advise on canning as I am not experience with the process. Others have reported doing so with success. 🙂
Susan
I did try blending more and there was no difference. I will probably try another batch with different apples. I can my apple butter and give as gifts. I’m just so glad this year that I tried it before
completing the process.
Randy J
how about either running it through a strainer or running it through a food processor. that could help.
Stephanie
Oh my goodness!! Just got up and tried it after cooking all night. It is delicious! I used honey crisp apples. Yummo!! I will be making it again. Thank you for the easiest recipe ever!
Teresa
Can you speed this up by cooking on high for a period of time?
Sam Merritt
Hi Teresa! I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work, but I’m not sure how long it would need to cook.
Jessie
Will this recipe work for canning?
Sam Merritt
Hi Jessie! I am not able to advise on canning, but others have reported that they do it with success. 🙂
Randy
I made this apple butter yesterday. It was about a 14-hour process in my slow cooker, but well worth the time. I made a couple of substitutions which I normally don’t do on a new recipe but I really wanted the Apple taste. First I used gala apples . And to the seasonings in your recipe I also added a half cup of apple cider and a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar one cup of brown sugar and a half cup of granulated white sugar and cooked it with the lid on for about 3 hours on low in my crock pot. Then I took the lid off and cooked at 11 hours more because I wanted it nice and thick. I stirred from time to time. And I did run it through a strainer so I could have it as smooth as possible. It was awesome. Looking forward to putting that on some homemade buttermilk biscuits!
Michele Forsyth
I can it in jelly jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. My husband and Father in-law love it. I give it as gifts at Christmas. I use half Envy and half Honey Crisp apples.
Claudia
Is it possible to cook the apples in a slow cooker? Or could I maybe do the first 8 hours in the slow cooker and then transfer to the cooktop?
Sam Merritt
Hi Claudia! I’m not sure what you mean. You just cut the apples and mix in the sugar/spices all in the slow cooker. All of the cooking is done in the slow cooker. No need for a stove top. 🙂
Heather
This was so unbelievably good! I halved the recipe and kept the same cooking time. Even better than I remember as a kid, thank you!