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!
Rachael
So far so good, just used my immersion blender on the apples. Currently, it’s in the slow cooker continuing to cook
JUDY WILLIAMS
I MADE THIS APPLE BUTTER RECIPE FOR THE FIRST TIME
I made this apple butter for the first time the other day…..BEST APPLE BUTTER EVER..
I am very pleased the way it turned out….Better than store bought…….
Christine
It’s delicious, but is there any way to thicken it.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Christine! You can cook it longer uncovered to thicken it more 😊
Emma
Hey! I plan to halve this recipe and was wondering if the apples would only need to cook half as long as the recipe states. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Emma! You generally don’t have to reduce the cook time significantly when using a slow cooker. For the last bit of time, you can stir and check it more frequently to make sure it doesn’t get too thick. Hope this helps! 🙂
Joyce Swartzendruber
I was reluctant to try this slow-cooker/no peel recipe. My previous batches of apple butter were all slowly roasted in a Dutch oven after cooking the unpeeled apples on the range and running the whole batch through a food mill. But a gift of 8 pounds of very nice but tart apples yesterday necessitated action. I adjusted for the tartness with an additional half cup of brown sugar after blending. Three and a half pints processed in a water bath for 20 minutes at 5000 ft elev. Delicious.
math
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Sam
If your instant pot has the slow cooker setting on it, it could work. If it doesn’t have that setting, I’m not sure how it would work.
M
Putting the recipe on slow cook for 10 hours I found the apples were still firm.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened! If your pieces aren’t small enough it will take more time, but 10 hours is a long time for even larger chunks to still be firm. 🙁
Terri
I’m trying to cook it on the slow setting at 10 minutes, hopefully it will work.
Jocelyn Lubich
This is the best Apple butter EVER! Highly recommend
Madyson
Does that mean I have to wait 2 weeks to eat or it’s good for up to two weeks?
Sam
Hi Madyson! It’s good for 2 weeks. 🙂
Chrystal Bates
how much does this recipe make?
Sam
Hi Chrystal! It makes 3 pints. 🙂
Joyce
Can this be frozen?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Jenn Parker
Does this recipe work well for canning?
Sam
Hi Jenn! I am not familiar with the canning process, but I know others have done it with success. 🙂
Richard Moore
you just need to add lemon juice for the canning process, usually a teaspoon in each jar. hope this is helpful.
Dawn
I just used your recipe and made appke butter for the first time. turned out so delicious. thank you. 💓 I’m excited to discover all the things we can enjoy it on.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Dawn! 🙂
Kam
hi! what can you use the sauce for? I’m trying to use up my homegrown apples. Thanks in advance!
Sam
Hi Kam! It can be used on many things. Some people like to spread it on biscuits, english muffins, scones, but you could also put it on waffles, or pancakes. There are so many options. 🙂
Cat
I make my own “fruit on the bottom” yogurt with this and fat free Greek yogurt
Sam
That sounds delicious! 🙂
Denise Clarkson
Can this be used as a BBQ sauce ?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We haven’t tried this as a BBQ sauce, but we do have a homemade BBQ sauce 😊
Denise Clarkson
That’s awesome !! Thanks for the recipe I will definitely try it Sam.
nelson
Back in the ol’ Pennsylvania amish country we lived on apple butter. I finally got around to making this! I eat it on cottage cheese. Try it. It’s really good.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Rummy Arizankoska
Hi! I just made it and turned out absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe! 👍🙏
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you enjoyed it 🥰
Sheri Bergum
can you can this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Carrie
Can this recipe be halved? Would the cooking times need to be adjusted?
Sam
Hi Carrie! You generally don’t have to reduce the cook time significantly when using a slow cooker. For the last bit of time, you can stir and check it more frequently to make sure it doesn’t get too thick. I hope this helps! 🙂