Apple Butter Recipe
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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)
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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!
I’m not sure about this, but, can you freeze the apple butter by putting in a freezer bag?
Hi Ricky! A bag could end up being a bit messy, but it could work.
Can you put this in plastic Tupperware type containers and freeze instead of canning?
Hi Sherry! That will work. 🙂
I have been looking for the best Apple Butter recipe for years. This is it!!! So easy to make! Tastes just like the way my church made it when I was a little girl. DELICIOUS!! I made enough to hand out to my co-workers who loved it, and my church ladies. Thank you.
What can be used in place of apple butter in a recipe
Apple butter is typically spread on breads or used as a dip, not an ingredient in recipes. 🙂
I used it in my apple butter cupcakes and they are DELICIOUS!! And I add it to my buttercream and it’s DELICIOUS!!! So, not to be confrontational, ok I am but this is for a good cause, it can be added to recipes! 🙂 Oh and I also make apple butter macarons with it. I add it to the buttercream, pipe a ring and fill the center with the apple butter. So good!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Nathalie! The apple butter macarons sound so good! I’ll have to try it sometime. 🙂
So you don’t need to strain the butter to remove the apple peels? Thanks!
Hi Erin! The apple peels will break down and blend up very easily. No need to strain it here. 🙂
prep time 10 minutes is ridiculous for me- washing and chopping 13 apples took me nearly an hour- this recipe takes a long time to cook so that extra prep time could put your processing and finish time later than you’d like if you aren’t expecting it. maybe I’m just a slow chopper!
We absolutely love this recipe. This is my second year making it & I am very pleased. Have an apple slicer, so that helps, & chopping took no time at all. thank you for this recipe. absolutely love it. 5 stars@
Oops, I added the vanilla extract with the sugar and spices and put it all in the crock pot. Will that affect the outcome of my apple butter?
Hi Shelby! It will likely cook off in the crock pot after all of that time. I would just give it a little sample after the 10 hours. 🙂
As long as the jar stays sealed any correctly canned fruit or vegetable they will last indefinitely from my experience.
I am making this recipe for the second time I cold pack mine in a canner for 10 minutes. I can open a jar now and it tastes just like it did when I made the first ones about 4 years ago. I love this recipe and have used many more of your reicipes
Hi Ginny
What is cold pack canning? I’ve only ever used the boiling water method. Would the boiling water method work for this recipe?
Thank you,
Tom
I’m currently making this now. Smells divine.
Recipe says to cook on low for 10 hours. But then says after you puree it to turn it to the low setting and cook for 2 hours.
Was it supposed to be on high for 10 hours? I hope not. I’ve been anticipating this all day. 😬
Sorry for the confusion, Michelle! It should be cooked on low the entire time. 🙂
Thank you for the reply.
This is the most delicious apple butter I’ve tasted.
It was well worth the wait.
This may be my choice for Christmas gifts this year!
I am just finishing a batch using jonagold apples. it tastes and smells devine! however, even after using the immersion blender for 10 minutes, there are still traces of skin. it won’t likely bother me and there is much nutrition in the skins, but is this expected?
Hi Mary! It’s not typical. They should break down after 10 hours in the slow cooker
Is this the same recipe you would use if you canned it? Do you know how long the shelf life would be if you canned? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Hi Roxie! The recipe would remain the same, but I am not familiar with the canning process so I can’t say for sure how it would be done or what it’s shelf life would be.
I’ve had issues with mold growing after I put these in mason jars. I don’t “can” them like putting them in a water bath for the lid to seal. Could this be my problem? How do I stop this from happening when making a large batch that I want to save in the pantry?
Hi Kaylee! This definitely needs to be refrigerated unless further steps are taken to can the apple butter. I’m not familiar with the process so I can’t advise exactly on how to do it.
sterilize clean jars at 225 in the oven for 20 minutes; fill while hot, with hot – sweet – applesauce, wipe jar edges clean with vinegar paper towel, screw down Mason rings on new lids that have been rinsed with white vinegar too. set aside to cool, with lids popping when sealed. Sugar helps preserve fruit so must be at least 30% to work
Kaylee, as Sam said, this is a perishable food that needs refrigeration or to go through the process of carefully, properly canning. Only following proper canning protocal will allow you to keep it in the pantry. So, yes, keeping the jars at room temp without canning is your issue. As an alternative, apple butter freezes very well. This year, I will use a water bath and carefully (following canning rules) can my apple butter just so I can keep it, unspoiled, in the pantry. In past years, I’ve filled one jar for the refrigerator, then put the rest in the freezer. When freezing, if in a jar or a baggie that will contain some air, apple butter remains good for about 6 months… past that point in these containers, freezer burn will be an issue past the 6 month mark. If a food saver vac bag is used and air is removed from the bags, it lasts longer, though it’s so good it never has lasted a year in my house.
So easy and so good!!! This will be a new go to. Thank you!!
I spent an hour chopping apples into 1/4 inch cubes. Do you think this would turn out the same if I cut the apples into larger pieces, and followed cook times in the slow cooker and used the blender to puree after 10 hours?
Hi Michelle! Your cook time would probably just be a bit longer if you cut the apples bigger, but I haven’t tried it to say for sure how long it would need to cook. 🙂
I made this on the stove, using about 13 small apples (1.35kg). I added approximately 100g of coconut sugar, omitting the white sugar entirely, and added the suggested amount of cinnamon to scale along with a small amount of nutmeg, mixed spice and 5 unground cloves and 1 cardamom pod. It’s amazing. Found it took 45 minutes of cooking down, blending, then another 20 minutes cooking once blended, as it looked like it was going to burn the sugar with any more. Added vanilla at the end. With a glut of apples, i will make again .
TIP FOR INSTANT POT USERS: If you (like me) use your Instant Pot’s slow cooker function to prepare this apple butter, select the “normal” setting – not “low.” The recipe is written for regular slow cookers with two functions (low and high), but if you use the low setting on your IP slow cooker, the apples won’t break down as much and your final product will have a grainy/gritty texture unless you continue slow cooking for several more hours before the puree stage. Once you’ve got it right, the recipe is delicious!
I’m glad you got it to work, Morgan! Thank you for your feedback. Every appliance can be different so this may not ring true for other instant pot users, but it’s good to know what you did to make it work. Thank you for sharing!