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    Home ยป Recipes ยป Fall Recipes

    Apple Butter Recipe

    Updated: Sep 23, 2022 โ€ข Published: Sep 23, 2022 by Sam Merritt โ€ข 964 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
    2 image collage showing apple butter in a class jar (top) and spread on biscuit (bottom)

    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.

    Rich brown apple butter recipe in a glass jar tied with twine

    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

    Ingredients for apple butter

    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

    Chopped apples and spices in crock pot bowl
    1. Core and chop (don’t peel!) your apples and place them in the basin of a slow cooker.
    2. Mix together spices and sugars. Sprinkle these over the apples and toss to combine.
    3. Cook apple mixture on low heat for 10 hours.
    4. 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.
    5. 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!).

    Apple butter spread on to biscuit

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is apple butter used for?

    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!

    What is the difference between applesauce and apple butter?

    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.

    Does apple butter need to be refrigerated?

    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.).

    Why is it called apple butter?

    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

    Overhead of apple butter in glass jar

    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

    Rich brown apple butter recipe in a glass jar tied with twine

    The Best Apple Butter Recipe (No Peeling!)

    With its perfectly spiced, rich apple flavor and no peeling required, you'll be spreading this Apple Butter on everything from scones to scrapple. My recipe is incredibly easy thanks to the help of a slow cooker. Be sure to check out the how-to video!
    4.98 from 409 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 12 hours hours
    Total Time: 12 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3 pints
    Calories: 75kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    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

    • 6 quart slow cooker
    • Immersion blender (see note 2 to use a regular blender)

    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

    Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 23mg | Sugar: 17g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.2mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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      Apple Dumplings
    • glazed apple fritters on a cooling rack with the center fritter missing one bite
      Apple Fritters Recipe (with Video!)

    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!

    More Fall Recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. April

      October 04, 2020 at 9:29 am

      5 stars
      This was incredibly easy! I was a bit skeptical on leaving the skin on because almost all recipes I looked at stated to peel the apples. They blended nicely into a velvet butter. This is sooooo good and I canned a 6 half pints from the directions in the comments. Thank you for sharing this great recipe. Iโ€™m making more next weekend.

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 05, 2020 at 9:36 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, April! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    2. Maureen

      October 02, 2020 at 9:08 pm

      5 stars
      I just discovered your blog when I was looking for a caramel cake recipe-and I’m so happy I found it! Growing up I thought apple butter WAS an actual butter, I wasn’t interested. Not till I visited Tennessee did I discover it’s deliciousness. I’m so excited to try this recipe! Years ago I tried a crockpot recipe, didn’t turn out great and looking at your recipe-I’m sure I didn’t cook it long enough. Thanks for this!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 02, 2020 at 11:13 pm

        I am so happy you found my blog too, Maureen! I hope you LOVE this apple butter, it’s such a great way to use up apples and SO easy (and delicious!). Can’t wait to hear how you like it! <3

        Reply
    3. Ashleu

      October 02, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      If I want to do half the amount of apples, does the cooking time change or will it still be 10 hours? Canโ€™t wait to try!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 02, 2020 at 10:52 pm

        I’d still do the 10 hours ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Joan

      September 30, 2020 at 11:34 pm

      Hi Sam. Iโ€™m excited to try canning apple butter. I donโ€™t have an immersion blender. What else would you recommend? I have a traditional blender and food processor. Maybe a hand held blender?

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 01, 2020 at 12:38 pm

        Hi Joan! You can use a regular blender! I actually have notes on how to do so in the “notes” section of the recipe. I hope you love the apple butter! <3

        Reply
    5. Pat Fitzpatrick

      September 30, 2020 at 9:13 pm

      Hi. I have 1/2 bushel apples and want to make Apple butter tomorrow. Can I use canning jars and process to seal or does it have to be refrigerated.

      Reply
      • Sam

        October 02, 2020 at 11:04 pm

        Hi Pat! I have only tried refrigerating. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t can/process them, but since I am not familiar with the process I just don’t feel comfortable advising on it as I know improperly canning can be a safety issue.

        Reply
    6. Hannah wambuku

      September 30, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Please help with cooking tools like beater, piping heads,cooker,oven.Am from Kenya nyeri county lives in Narumoru near M.t Kenya park.want to start a business in our area for baking.Please God bless you.

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 30, 2020 at 4:52 pm

        Hi Hannah! I actually provide links to lots of the equipment I use. For example, in this recipe under “recommended equipment” I link to the slow cooker I use. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    7. Jessica

      September 29, 2020 at 12:20 am

      Hi! I have this cooking overnight now. How long should I let the jars cools before refrigerating in terms of foos safety?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 30, 2020 at 10:19 am

        Hi Jessica! I would just let it cool a little bit so that you don’t have any issues with the jars breaking or anything like that. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    8. Tiffany

      September 21, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Made this over the weekend. Itโ€™s wonderful, so much that I had to make more because each of my kids wanted their own jar. How long can it be frozen for?

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 21, 2020 at 4:30 pm

        Hi Tiffany! I haven’t ever frozen it, but it should be ok for several months. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • ~M

          October 07, 2020 at 2:27 am

          5 stars
          I made this last fall in late Sept. and put a bunch in the freezer. I thought it was fine until quarantine 7 months later when I realized it needs a hearty bread or a spice cake and itโ€™s heaven! Moral of the story, it freezes beautifully for at least 9 months and then you dream of it for the 3 months until apple season.

        • Sam

          October 07, 2020 at 9:41 am

          I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback on freezing it. ๐Ÿ™‚

    9. sheri

      September 20, 2020 at 5:46 pm

      4 stars
      Made this today in my crock. Turned out better than I had hoped. Didn’t want to be up til all hours tonight, so ran it on high. It’s nearly done now, but the immersion blender is such a gem for this recipe. Am happy to now go out and gift some of this nectar as well as use it in an apple cider doughnut recipe.

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 20, 2020 at 9:41 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Sheri! I love my immersion blender. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    10. Stacey

      September 18, 2020 at 11:07 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam,
      I purchased a 1/2 Bushel of Apple 2nd’s just yesterday and made a large pot of applesauce. I learned to make applesauce without peeling and I belive it adds so much more flavor and color to the final product. I’m so happy I found your apple butter recipe. I let it cook all day and now I’m on the 2 hours uncovered, reduction phase. I can’t stop taste testing it! It’s a gorgeous color and the texture is so smooth after the immersion blender. Thank you for the fantastic recipe, this one’s a keeper!

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 19, 2020 at 9:19 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Stacey! Hopefully it makes enough to last you a little bit. ๐Ÿ˜‚ ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Nikki

        September 26, 2020 at 10:14 pm

        Excited to try out this recipe! Question, is it 5.5lb of chopped apples?

        Reply
        • Sam

          September 27, 2020 at 11:44 am

          Hi Nikki! I weigh them before I chopping them up. ๐Ÿ™‚

    11. Cynthia Lane

      September 07, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      We love making this recipe we love eating this recipe easy to follow and we can freeze it and save a bunch for later

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 07, 2020 at 9:12 pm

        I’m so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed, Cynthia! Thank you so much for commenting, I appreciate it ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
      • Joann M Fair

        September 20, 2020 at 1:00 pm

        How much did this make?

        Reply
        • Sam

          September 20, 2020 at 9:34 pm

          Hi Joann! It will make about 3 pints. ๐Ÿ™‚

    12. Kim

      September 03, 2020 at 3:08 pm

      We just went apple picking upstate New York and I cannot wait to make this recipe. Your instructions look very easy to follow. Approximately how many apples is 5 1/2 lbs?I have a ridiculous amounts of honey crisp and fugi

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 03, 2020 at 3:10 pm

        Hi Kim! I hope you love the apple butter! For me it took about 13 apples but it really all depends on the size of your apples. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Kim

          September 03, 2020 at 9:13 pm

          The apple mixture is in the crock pot now!!!!

        • Sam

          September 03, 2020 at 9:50 pm

          I hope you love it! I know you’ll enjoy that wonderful aroma while it cooks. ๐Ÿ™‚

    13. Wymomma

      August 26, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Roughly how much/how many ounces of apple butter does this recipe yield? Thank you for the great recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 26, 2020 at 4:46 pm

        It should make about 3 pints or 48 ounces. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Wymomma

          August 26, 2020 at 5:12 pm

          Thank you so much! Canโ€™t wait to try it!

    14. Debbie Stiegler

      August 21, 2020 at 10:02 am

      How do I can your apple butter recipe. Looks awesome. Thanks Deb

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 21, 2020 at 11:58 am

        Hi Deb! I am not familiar enough with the canning process to provide guidelines. Maybe someone else can chime in. I’m sorry. ๐Ÿ™

        Reply
      • SheilaB

        September 03, 2020 at 10:57 pm

        20 mi utes in a water bath

        Reply
      • Kyle Weik

        September 27, 2020 at 12:05 pm

        5 stars
        Hey Debbie!

        I just finished canning this recipe in half pint jars- the process is pretty much the same as canning apple sauce. Hereโ€™s how I did it:

        1. Placed 6 jars (submerged) in canning pot until boiling, lids in a separate pot and boil them too.
        2. Empty jars and place on tablecloth.
        3. Use a funnel and pour apple butter in; leave 1/2 inch or slightly more of headspace.
        4. Make sure rims are clear of any spills. (May wipe with damp towel)
        5. Take lids out of water bath and place on top of jars
        6. *lightly but firmly* Twist rings over the lids
        7. Place back in canning pot water bath making sure theyโ€™re covered.
        8. Bring back to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, start a timer for 10mins.
        9. Remove from water bath and place on tablecloth
        10. Tips: my grandma always told me not to touch, breathe, or even look at the jars once taken out. Her saying was always to keep everything โ€œHot Hot Hotโ€!

        Reply
    15. C.M. Woods

      August 17, 2020 at 11:15 am

      4 stars
      I’ve been making roasted apple butter for 48 years and it’s a wonderful addition to the other 11 organic varieties of fruit we grow here in IN. I have to make a comment on your blog itself. I don’t know if there’s a way to produce a blog without so many annoying ads in between the blog article itself. I’m finding myself more and more turned off by trying to maneuver thru a blog with so many ads and returning to blogs that haven’t been so monetized. I’m not sure why there are so many ads but they’re driving some folks away. My book group and I discussed this the other day during a zoom meeting and I was happy to know I’m not alone. As we spend more and more time online the ads are taking away from the content. Do the blog platforms charge so much the ads are needed to pay for the service? Just wondering.
      Just an FYI: I used to compete at my county and state fairs and am now a state fair judge in the Midwest in canning division. I’m very pleased to see so many of the younger folks getting into organic gardening and canning. It’s very encouraging. We grow a large veggie garden and 12 var.s fruit and I put up between 400-500 jars a year of all kinds of goodies. For folks wanting to learn to can you can go to the National Center for Home Preservation at nchfp.uga.edu or contact your local county home extension agent. There’s someone on staff to help you access information, canning classes and fair competition. Perfecting and competing your homegrown, home canned fruits and veggies is a worthwhile objective and a lot of fun. You meet many wonderful people at the fair canning centers.
      Have a great day!
      Chris in Indiana

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 17, 2020 at 8:53 pm

        Hi Chris! The ads allow me to be able to provide free content for users like yourself online as well as feed my family. I have the ads turned down a good bit, but unfortunately for me to continue to be able to do this they have to be there. I am considering a membership site that is ad free but would require some sort of subscription fee. If this is something you’d be interested in I can certainly add you to my list. Competing in the county fairs sounds like a lot of fun. Thank you for supporting me by visiting my website and using my recipes. It means a lot to me. ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
        • Jenna

          September 26, 2020 at 9:27 am

          I have personally found some many great recipes on your site and would hate to miss out (as I would not pay for a subscription). I, however, do understand the need for adds on blogs and don’t mind them–especially when using a computer, it can be frustrating on a mobile phone. Just input from someone that does use your recipes.

          I am excited for my first try at apple butter! I just turned the crock pot on, so it will be awhile but can’t wait to try it!

        • Sam

          September 27, 2020 at 3:11 pm

          Thank you for understanding, Jenna. I hope you love the apple butter. ๐Ÿ™‚

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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