I like to make this apple butter recipe within the fall. Thick, easy, and richly spiced, it is scrumptious on toast, pancakes, and extra. Simply 8 components!
This apple butter recipe tastes like apple pie in a jar! It has a candy, concentrated apple taste with heat, cozy depth from spices and brown sugar. I’ve eaten greater than I’d care to confess straight off a spoon, however it’s additionally great on pumpkin bread, scones, English muffins…even in a single day oats! This selfmade apple butter makes something it touches style like fall. 🙂
This recipe is an ideal cooking challenge for a crisp fall day, particularly after apple choosing. It takes a bit time to make, however I feel it’s completely price it. It doesn’t simply style scrumptious—it’ll make your kitchen scent superb too. I hope you adore it as a lot as I do!
What’s apple butter?
Apple butter is a thick, flavorful unfold made with apples, sugar, and spices. No precise butter right here! It’s primarily twice-cooked applesauce: you’ll simmer apples till they’re tender sufficient to puree. Then, you’ll cook dinner the apple puree once more with the sugar and spices. As soon as it reduces right into a thick, aromatic unfold, you’ve gotten apple butter!
Components You’ll Want
This apple butter recipe requires 8 easy components:
- Contemporary apples, in fact! You’ll want 2 kilos, about 5 medium. For the smoothest texture, peel the apples earlier than making this recipe.
- Water – It helps the apples steam and soften with out burning.
- Sugar – I particularly love the molasses-y taste of brown sugar right here, however be at liberty to make use of cane sugar if you happen to choose. A mixture of the 2 would even be scrumptious!
- Contemporary lemon juice – Its tangy taste balances the candy sugar and apples.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves – For heat depth of taste. Different warming spices could be nice right here too—be at liberty to make use of your favorites! Strive including floor ginger, cardamom, or perhaps a pinch of allspice. Or skip the person spices and add apple pie spice as an alternative.
- And sea salt – To make all of the flavors pop!
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
What are the perfect apples for apple butter?
Many various kinds of apples work properly in apple butter. Not like in baked items like apple pie or apple crisp, we don’t want the apples to carry their form, so we now have a bit bit extra flexibility relating to kind and texture.
I really like tart or sweet-tart apples like Granny Smith apples or Honeycrisp. McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, and Golden Scrumptious are good decisions too.
Make Apple Butter
The most typical methodology for the way to make apple butter is in a sluggish cooker, however since I don’t truly personal one (it’s true!), I choose to make this small-batch recipe on the stovetop. It requires a bit extra stirring, however it comes collectively in a lot much less time. Right here’s the way it goes:
Begin by peeling and chopping the apples. I like to chop them into small items to assist them soften shortly.
Then, simmer the apples till tender. Place them in a medium saucepan with the water. Simmer, coated, till the apples are smooth, about 20 minutes.
Puree the apples. You are able to do this with an immersion blender within the pot or switch the cooked apples to an upright blender and mix till easy.
Cook dinner the apple puree once more with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, lemon juice, and salt. Carry the combination to a delicate boil, then scale back the warmth to low. Cook dinner, uncovered, till the combination has a thick, spreadable consistency and wealthy brown coloration, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
Tip: Stir the apple butter typically because it thickens. This can stop it from burning or sticking to the underside of the pan. It would additionally cease it from sputtering (and splashing scorching apple butter throughout your kitchen!).
Put aside to chill to room temperature, then get pleasure from on pancakes, biscuits, scones, oatmeal, yogurt and granola, toast, and extra!
Do you’ve gotten a favourite means to make use of apple butter? Let me know within the feedback!
Retailer
As soon as the apple butter has cooled, seal it in an hermetic container or jar. It retains properly within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks and freezes properly for as much as 3 months.
Extra Favourite Apple Recipes
Should you love this stovetop apple butter, attempt one among these apple recipes subsequent:

Selfmade Apple Butter
Serves 12
- 2 kilos apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into small items (about 5 medium)
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup cane sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons contemporary lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch floor cloves
- Pinch sea salt
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Mix the apples and water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high warmth and convey to a simmer. Scale back the warmth to medium-low, cowl, and simmer, stirring sometimes, for 20 minutes, or till the apples are smooth.
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Enable to chill barely, then mix with an immersion blender or switch to an upright blender and mix till easy.
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Within the saucepan, mix the apple puree, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Place over medium warmth and stir till the sugar dissolves. Carry to a delicate boil, then scale back the warmth to low and cook dinner uncovered, stirring typically to stop sputtering, for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or till the apple butter has a thick, spreadable texture and wealthy brown coloration.
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Take away from the warmth and permit to chill to room temperature. Switch to an hermetic container or jar and retailer within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks or within the freezer for as much as 3 months.