Homemade Apple Butter
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This Homemade Apple Butter recipe is velvety, rich, and tastes like apple pie!
Perfect on top of a homemade biscuit or roll, a slice of toast, or even by the spoonful, you’ll love the spiced apple flavor, with just enough sweetness of this homemade apple butter to keep you coming back for more.
In the past, I’ve only made apple butter crockpot style (those directions will be in the recipe notes section), which is great when I remember to plan ahead. Buuuuut if you’re like me, sometimes the mood for apple butter strikes you when you didn’t put everything in the slow cooker hours ago.
You may be wondering about how to make apple butter on the stove, and this is one of the best apple butter recipes and can be made in about an hour or hour and a half. That may seem like a long cooking time, but a lot of it is hands off and with this easy apple butter recipe, it can cook while you work on other things, like maybe make some Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits or even sit back and enjoy a Raspberry Mimosa (or Mocktail).
How to Make Homemade Apple Butter
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If you’ve never had apple butter, you might be wondering what the heck it is!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLESAUCE AND APPLE BUTTER
They’re both similarly flavored, and made by cooking apples with spices and some sugar until tender. But where apple butter differs is that instead of stopping when it’s nice and saucy, you continue to cook it down until it becomes darker in color, more concentrated, thick, and glossy.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH APPLE BUTTER
Honestly my favorite thing to do with apple butter is grab a spoon and dig in! However, spreading some on a slice of toast or a freshly baked biscuit or homemade dinner roll is a VERY close second. I know a lot of people use it to bake with (like apple butter bars or apple butter pumpkin pie), and it’s even used in sauces (such as ribs or glazed over a ham). It’s pretty versatile!
You might be wondering if apple butter is healthy, since it’s made from apples. Apple butter ingredients are fairly basic, but sadly, it’s pretty high in sugar, and therefore calories. That said, it does contain some fiber from the apples themselves. I wouldn’t put it in your list of diet-approved foods just yet, but it’s wonderful for a treat!
awesome apple recipes
- Creamy Apple Slaw Recipe –FRESH!
- Mini Caramel Apple Dippers
- Apple Cheese Danish Bars – Easy dessert idea!
- Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Easy Apple Cinnamon Rolls – Family favorite!
HOW LONG BEFORE APPLE BUTTER GOES BAD
That answer depends on how you’re storing it. If you are canning apple butter in sterilized jars, it should keep just about indefinitely. In the refrigerator, it’ll last several weeks to a month. In the freezer, about 4-6 months.
When you’re craving a taste of Fall, any time of year, pick up a bag of apples from the grocery store and whip up a batch of this easy homemade apple butter! For other amazing apple recipes check out this old-fashioned apple crisp or these caramel apple pie bars!
Rich spiced apple butter made on the stovetop.
- 3 pounds sweet apples (fuji, braeburn, red delicious, golden delicious, etc)
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup apple juice or cider
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Peel, core and chop apples. Add all ingredients to a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Stir well, then heat over MED heat until apples are soft, about 20 minutes.
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Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. Alternatively, transfer the mixture to a regular blender and puree, then pour back into the same pot.
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Cook over LOW heat for approximately 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent spattering, until apple butter has thickened to desired consistency.
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Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Apple butter can be frozen as well.
Recipe yields approximately 3 - 3 1/2 cups.
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
To make crockpot apple butter, fill 6 quart or larger slow cooker with all ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours (overnight works well for this). Puree with immersion blender or transfer to a blender to puree.
To thicken, add apple butter back to slow cooker and cook on LOW, uncovered, until apple butter thickens to your liking. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and scorching on the bottom of the slow cooker.
(Nutriton information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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Amanda Batcher
Amanda is the creator behind the food blog The Chunky Chef, where she shares comforting family meals, and the healthy food blog Smart Skinny Recipes, where she shares delicious family recipes that are on the lighter side. She firmly believes life is all about balance; eat a salad, but enjoy some bacon along with it! When she’s not in the kitchen, you’ll find her behind a camera, reading, and spending quality time with her husband and 2 children! You can visit her at The Chunky Chef and Smart Skinny Recipes!
How do you prep the apples? Are we supposed to peel, core and dice? Slice? Skin on or off? Thank you.
The apples should be peeled and chopped (I’ve updated the recipe). Enjoy!