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!
Brenda Durden
Hi,
I cooked the juice from my apples; one pot turned into jelly and the other turned to juice. How many cups of my already jellied apples would I use for your recipe? I would love to try your apple butter.
Thanks so much,
Brenda
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Brenda! Without trying this ourselves it’s going to be hard to advise ๐
Cookie
The bottom of the crockpot burnt a little, is it normal? I’ve only put it on low or “keep warm” setting. The taste of the not burn part was amazing though!!
Sam
Hmmm mine typically doesn’t burn. Did you reduce the recipe or use a much larger crock pot? I’m glad you were still able to enjoy it. ๐
Robynne
I’ve made this twice this week and both times it was a hit! I did cut the sugar down to a quarter cup of light brown sugar, and added a teaspoon of freshly-grated ginger and a healthy shake of allspice (because I like it a bit spicy). I used my immersion blender the first time, but I had much better success the second time with my NutriBullet. And you’re absolutely right, leaving the peels on is not only easier, it’s super-healthy and adds fiber. I give most of the jars away to neighbors, but I think the next batch will be all mine! ๐
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds tasty, Robynne! Thanks for giving our recipe a try ๐
Katgy
I saved this recipe a long time ago and finally decided to make it last night before going to bed. Oh my goodness my house smells wonderful this morning and my Apple Butter tastes great! Thanks for the recipe and all your helpful tips. Such an easy, delicious recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review ๐ฉท
Lori
I’m looking forward to making this! I’m wondering if the recipe with be as yummy if we peel the apples?
Sam
Hi Lori! I have tried this with both peeled and unpeeled apples and haven’t noticed a difference. ๐
Lori
Thanks so much! ๐
Kate
I accidentally put the vanilla in the initia mixture.. will it turn out okay? Or did I screw it up ๐
Sam
Hi Kate! It’ll be fine, the vanilla just may cook out and might not have as strong as a flavor as it would otherwise. I would just taste-test at the end and add a splash more vanilla only if you think it could use it. Enjoy!
Carly
I like this recipe but in my taste preference it calls for too much sugar. I went with just one cup of dark brown packed sugar and left out the white sugar and it was still very sweet. However, I feel as though if I just did half a cup of dark brown sugar this recipe would be perfect! I am just personally not a huge fan of overly sweet things anymore. The cinnamon amount is perfect and I also added 1/4 tsp of ground clove instead since I’m a big clove fan. That is just my preference, not something I would recommend to everyone especially if you don’t care for cloves.
Kerry
this this recipe says to cook the apples for 10 hours. is that a typo?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Nope, not a typo! Cooking for so long breaks down the apples and develops the flavor. We hope you love it, Kerry ๐
Teresa Wilhite
Hi Carly! I’m not a fan of cloves either, so I did a couple of grates of nutmeg & a few shakes of thyme. A lil sweet & savory going on at my house. I even thought about next time throwing in a rosemary twig instead of thyme?
D
could someone tell how many cups of cut apples
Chris Smith
I use 25-30 small apples.
I have made many batches and give most away and people (even kids) go crazy for it!
Diane M. Mitchell
This apple butter is delicious. All my grandchildren love it. I use a cup of this and a cup of ‘just chunky apples’ for my spice cake and it is heavenly! I just wanted to double check that the 5.5 pounds of apples is weight before the apples are cored & cut up? I just can’t remember what I did last year. Thank you for so many excellent recipes.
Anna
It costs a fortune to have a jar sent online so Iโm going to try your recipe. Is the brown sugar Demerera (coffee sugar) or soft brown?
Sam
Hi Anna! It’s regular brown sugar, not demerera. ๐
Andrea
Love this recipe woke up to home made apple butter and made homemade maple buttermilk bread as well! ๐
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That sounds heavenly, Andrea! Enjoy ๐
Leona G Canaday
I plan on using a vacuum jar sealer. will this work for this recipe?
Sam
Hi Leona! I’m not very familiar with using a vacuum jar sealer so I can’t say how the recipe works with it.
russell herriman
I think I know the answer to this, but just in case can it be frozen?
Sam
Sure thing! ๐
Vanessa
So delicious! Made this recipe using my sweet crab apples and it turned out perfectly!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Vanessa! ๐ฉท
Jennifer
I’m doing keto, so I subbed out the sugars for the monk fruit versions. I know that apples are not keto, but I feel like a little at a time is fine. This is sooooo tasty!
Loretta Smith
Made it. Love it and my 93 year old client says it passed the test. He is a biscuit every morning type of guy and enjoys his jelly. He saved half his biscuit today to try it and โค๏ธ it.
Kari Freeman
can this recipe be water bath canned??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We don’t see why not! ๐
Maddie
One of the best apple butter recipes Iโve tried so far, this will be what I use going forward!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you found our recipe, Maddie! Enjoy โบ๏ธ
Sean
About what is the yield of the final product? I’m planning on canning this recipe. Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Sean! This recipe yields 3 pints of apple butter. You can always find this info in the recipe card ๐
William R Ingram
I don’t have a crock pot so how would I make this without a crock pot thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi William! We havenโt tried making this recipe without a crock pot, so we can’t exactly say how it would need to be done.
Julia
I halved the recipe and it tuned out great!
Lindsey
Did you halve the the cook time as well? Iโm in the same boat with the amount of apples I have on hand, thank you!
SoCalSan
I want to try doing this as 3 pints would be too much for us here did you have just being ingredients or did you cut down the cooking time as well?
Rita Beyenhof
Can this recipe be used for canning the apple butter, not just for putting in the refrigerator?
Sam
Hi Rita! I am not personally familiar with canning, but I know others have done it with success. ๐
JJ
Yes. This recipe has worked well with canning. I can 2-3 fresh batches every year using half pint and pint jars. My family and friends expect their jar during the holidays lol.
Kate
Have a huge apple harvest this year and want to try out your recipe, but wanted to check – what temperature do you have your slow cooker on? The lowest temp on mine is 60ยฐC (sorry, Europe here lol) with 5ยฐC increments, what would be the closest one to yours?
Sam
Hi Kate! The typical low setting on a crockpot is around 70C-80C.
Paula
Can this be made with honey instead of sugar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It’s worth a try! You might not need quite as much though. Let us know how it turns out for you ๐
Heather
can you can this
Sam
Hi Heather! You can, but without having done it myself, I can’t say for sure how to do it.
Rebecca Hill
I made this with two different red apples and itโs lived by everyone I made like 6 batches using up all the apples and I made some with granny green apples it taste awsum to it was a tad thinner but still great tasting I shared jars of it with people at the mission where I got the apples and people at church everyone loved it js great apple butter
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for using our recipe, Rebecca! We’re so happy it was such a hit ๐ฅฐ
Ginger
Hello, I just wanted to chime in here because I found this recipe back in May of this year and canned about 10 pints of this and it was absolutely delicious. My husband really loved it and so do I. So today I’m making more of this With some apples I was gifted and just wanted to thank you for your recipe. I did not peel the apples the first time back in the spring and it turned out perfectlyโฆ I opted to peel them this time only because I wanted to use the peels and cores to make apple vinegarโฆ Hopefully the recipe will turn out just the same without the peelings! And I’m sure it will be delicious. Thank you again have a great rest of your summer ๐๐ฉต
PS…. I did not own an immersion blender until I tried your recipe. It was this recipe alone that got me to invest in one๐
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope you love it just as much this time around, Ginger! Thanks for commenting ๐
Catษlyst
Use pure ground vanilla powder from the beginning & it gives it even more depth of flavor! You lose a lot of flavor w/extract in recipes that use heat because the alcohol evaporates. Powder is perfect for long heat recipesยก i got a 1oz jar of powder (ยฝ tsp vanilla powder โก 1 tsp extract โก 1 vanilla bean) for only maginally more than a single vanilla bean @ the local market.
Kenny
delicious,
I don’t think the amount of time was necessary but I still followed instructions. because I hate when people say the recipe doesn’t work while not following directions. Now that I’ve tried it I’m gonna have to do a couple tweaks to see if it’s just as good.
Ben
Absolutely delicious. Cooked in pot for 1 hour, purรฉed in blender, cooked 1 more hour until perfect .