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!
Josephine Kornelik
Made it last night! Perfect and delicious 😋. So glad I made it! Thank you!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Josephine! 🙂
Melissa Davis
Making it right now! 😁
Sam
I hope you love it! 🙂
Jessica
This recipe sounds absolutely wonderful! However, I am wondering if I could use my Instant Pot instead of a slow cooker? And, if so, how long would you recommend me cooking it for? Thanks, in advance, for the help and I look forward to trying your recipe!! 😊
Sam
Hi Jessica! I honestly haven’t tried it in an instant pot so I’m not sure how it would go or how exactly to do it. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Beth S.
I made this and it was delicious! It’s practically effortless too. I never knew what apple butter really was until I read your recipe 🙂 My house also smelled so yummy when I got up this morning. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
The best smell right? I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for commenting, Beth! 🙂
Maria
Long overdue…..this recipe is absolute perfection and delicious!!! I used a mixture of apples because I had a ton from apple picking. The spices are perfect and just the right amount of sweetness. Thank you and my 5-year old thanks you 🙂
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Maria! Thanks for trying my recipe. I am glad it was a big it! 🙂
Stephen
This recipe turned out fantastic! I did a large batch and canned in a hot water bath. Turned out beautifully.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out perfectly for you, Stephen! Thanks for trying my recipe! 🙂
Regina
Hi its me again!
Can I make this recipe with coconut sugar or Splenda?
Thanks and cheers from Mexico City 🙂
Sam
Hi Regina! I think either of those should work, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Regina
Hi Sam, i tried the recipe and turned ok, however it was a bit runny (considering it should be like a spread) and didn’t have the texture that yours had. What can I do to thicken it?
The ONLY thing I did differently was leaving it 9 hours instead of the initial 10 (I felt the apples too soft and thought they were ready). Do you think that was the problem? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Regina! Unfortunately it sounds like it needed to cook a little bit longer. 🙁
Debi
Can you freeze this recipe?
Sam
Hi Debi! That should work fine. 🙂
Patricia
Delicious…I don’t eat sugar so I didn’t add it. Good apples that were just a little tart. They didn’t need sugar. I will use this recipe again, definitely! Thanks
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Patricia! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Ginny
I have made this recipe twice and love it. Getting ready to make another batch, but wanted to do you have a recipe for cranberry apple butter? I found one, but would rather use yours if you have one.
thanks
Sam
Hi Ginny! Unfortunately I do not have one. 🙁
Tracey
Delicious!! I made this recipe as directed and my family and friends LOVE it!! 😍
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out so well and everyone loved it, Tracey! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Tracey
YUMMY!!! My family LOVES this recipe…I followed your instructions exactly and it was PERFECT! I even typed it up and shared it with friends. Thanks so much for a winner!! 😍
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear it, Tracey! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Tammy
Are you able to can these in a water bath?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Tammy! Unfortunately, I do not have experience canning so I can not advise. I know others have canned this recipe with success. 🙂
Sue
I canned this in hot water bath for 10 min. Worked beautifully.
Teal
There are many apple trees in my area, so the harvest is great this time of year. I’ve made this recipe a couple times already, tripling it each time (34lbs of apples so far…). I don’t have a slow cooker, so I just put the apples in a stock pot and cook at 240F over night (~10 hours). It works out great! I did notice that the apple skins do not soften up, so I push the mush through a sieve to get a very silky apple butter. I also add a touch of nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger for kicks.
P.S. I also love your pizza dough recipe and use it every Friday. ^.^
Sam
That is a LOT of apple butter! I’m so glad you enjoy it so much! 🙂
Rhoda Neader
Excellent recipe. I loved that I didn’t have to peel the apples. When the lid is off the last 2 hours the house smell so delicious!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Rhoda! I LOVVEEEE waking up to that smell in the house. 🙂