Pumpkin spice lattes get a lot of hype. But if you love those cozy autumn flavors, there’s another fall favorite to try: apple butter! Rich, creamy, and oh-so-delicious, apple butter is packed with all of that autumn goodness, and it’s incredibly easy to make!
While you can make apple butter from scratch with store-bought apples, it’s even more tasty if you use apples picked fresh from your own apple trees. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple steps you need to take to make slow-cooker apple butter, and we’ll even provide you with some apple butter serving suggestions. So, if you’re ready to make homemade apple butter, fire up your slow cooker and read on!
Jump to:
- How to make apple butter from scratch in 5 easy steps
- What you’ll need:
- The process:
- 1. Wash and prep your apples.
- 2. Add your ingredients to a slow cooker.
- 3. Cook your apples.
- 4. Puree your apple butter.
- 5. Cook for 2 more hours.
- How long does apple butter last?
- How to use apple butter
- Best apples for apple butter
- Frequently asked questions
- Summary
- Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
How to make apple butter from scratch in 5 easy steps
Apple butter may taste like a million bucks, but it’s made from just a few fresh apples, some spices, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Even more impressive, apple butter is incredibly easy to make, and it can be stored in your freezer for up to one year. Depending on your cooking preferences, apple butter can be made on your stove, but the cooking process is even more hands-off if you use a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker!
What you’ll need:
- 5 to 6 pounds of apples (any variety)
- 1 cup of brown sugar (packed)
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon of ground cloves
- 4- or 6-quart crock pot
- Immersion blender
- Apple corer
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Spoon
The process:
1. Wash and prep your apples.
To get started, give your apples a good wash in your kitchen sink and then remove their cores with an apple core or a pairing knife. Then chop your apples into small, ¼” cubes. There’s no need to peel your apples, although you can if you want to!
2. Add your ingredients to a slow cooker.
After prepping your apples, scoop your cut apples into your crockpot and then measure in the salt, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. For now, leave out the vanilla extract.
Once your ingredients are all measured in, give the mixture a good, thorough mix with your spoon.
3. Cook your apples.
Now, place the lid on your crockpot, turn the crockpot on ‘LOW’ heat, and allow your apples to cook for 10 hours. Starting your apple butter in your crockpot in the morning is a great idea, as your butter will be finished before you go to bed for the evening. You can also start your apple butter in the evening and allow it to cook overnight so it’s ready for you bright and early in the morning!
4. Puree your apple butter.
After cooking for 10 hours, your apple pieces should be nice and soft, and they will have released a fair amount of liquid. But you still need to puree your ingredients!
The easiest way to puree apple butter is with an immersion blender, but you can also process your apples in a standard blender. If you’re using a blender, you’ll want to allow your apples to cool before you add them to your blender, and you may need to process your apples in batches if your blender is on the small side.
Generally speaking, apples only need to be pulsed in a blender a few times to get the right consistency. After pureeing, your apple butter should be consistently smooth and without any chunks, but it’s totally fine if it’s still on the watery side. Your apple butter isn’t done just yet!
5. Cook for 2 more hours.
Once you’ve blended up your apple butter, return it to your crockpot (if you used a standard blender), mix in your vanilla extract, and turn your crockpot back on ‘LOW.’ However, this time, don’t put the lid on your crockpot!
Allow your apple butter to cook for 2 to 4 more hours, uncovered. During this time, much of the excess liquid in your apple butter will evaporate, leaving you with thick and creamy apple butter. You’ll know your apple butter is finished cooking when it easily sticks to your spoon and mounds up a bit!
After your apple butter has finished cooking, switch off your crockpot and allow your apple butter to cool. Then scoop your finished butter into jars, food storage containers, or Ziploc baggies… or gobble it up right away. It is just that tasty!
How long does apple butter last?
Fresh apple butter can be stored in airtight containers in your fridge for about 2 weeks. If you’d like to store apple butter even longer, ladle your apple butter into Ziploc bags or another airtight container and pop it into your freezer. When frozen, apple butter should stay fresh for about 1 year!
Tip: While you can freeze apple butter in Mason jars, make sure you freeze your butter with the jar lids OFF! Freezing apple butter (or other moist foods) in sealed jars often results in a messy disaster. This is because water expands when it freezes, and it can explode in tightly sealed glass jars!
How to use apple butter
Homemade apple butter is so scrumptious it’s not likely to last long in your kitchen. You can gobble up apple butter as a snack with a spoon, or you can mix it into baked goods, use it as a condiment, or dollop it onto your favorite desserts as a topping. While you are free to use apple butter any way you like, some of the most popular ways to eat apple butter include:
- Served on toast or English muffins
- Charcuterie boards
- Grilled cheese with apple butter
- Mixed into baked goods, like spice cake
- Used as a topping on pancakes, muffins, and other baked goods or ice cream
- As a substitute for tamarind chutney
Best apples for apple butter
Any apple can be used to make apple butter, so feel free to get a bit creative. You can use store-bought apples or apples you picked from your own backyard orchard. Depending on your tastes, you can also use a single apple variety, or you can mix things up and blend together many different types of apples to create a truly one-of-a-kind apple butter!
If you prefer to stick to the classics, many home cooks agree that apples with soft textures work best in apple butter recipes. Some classic apple varieties for making apple butter include:
- Golden Delicious
- Fuji
- Braeburn
- Cortland
- Idared
- Jonamac
- Gravenstein
Frequently asked questions
Applesauce and apple butter are both made with slow-cooked apples and spices. However, applesauce isn’t cooked as long, and it has a lighter color and a higher moisture content. Apple butter, on the other hand, is a thicker product with a dark, caramelized color and a more intense flavor.
No, apple butter and apple jam are similar, but they are two different apple preserves. Apple butter has a darker color, and it’s blended completely smooth. Apple jam, however, usually has a lighter color, and it may contain bits and pieces of apple.
No! Despite the name, apple butter doesn’t contain any dairy products whatsoever, and it’s totally vegan-friendly!
The best way to thicken apple butter is to cook it longer. Be sure to leave your pot lid off towards the end of the cooking process so excess moisture can evaporate, leaving you with a thick and rich, finished apple butter.
Pennies are by no means a necessary addition to apple butter, but they were sometimes added to apple butter back when apple butter was made on an open fire or hot stove. Today, apple butter is typically made in a crockpot; however, traditionally, apple butter was made in a hot fire. Due to the higher cooking temperatures, apple butter often burned, so traditional cooks would add pennies to their pots to keep apples from sticking to the pot surface and burning.
Yes, like other freshly made foods, apple butter doesn’t last forever. Fresh apple butter can be kept in your fridge for about 2 weeks, or it can be stored in your freezer in airtight packaging for up to 1 year. For longer-term storage, apple butter can also be canned and then stored on a pantry shelf for a year or two.
Summary
During the autumn harvest season, the opportunities to preserve our homegrown foods are endless. Foods like apple butter can be preserved with freezing or canning, but other foods can also be saved with dehydration, freeze-drying, and fermentation. And, of course, there’s root cellaring, which is a great option if you have fresh apples left over after you make a batch of apple butter!
Apple butter is one of the many seasonal treats that autumn is famous for. But if you want to make even more fall foods from your garden harvest, why not make your own acorn flour from foraged acorns or create your own sauerkraut or hot sauces using the art of fermentation.
Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
Craving the sweet and tangy taste of apple butter? Try this irresistible apple butter recipe that will have your taste buds dancing with joy.
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 pounds of apples (any variety)
- 1 cup of brown sugar (packed)
- ¾ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ⅛ teaspoon of ground cloves
Instructions
- Wash and prep your apples. To get started, give your apples a good wash in your kitchen sink and then remove their cores with an apple core or a pairing knife. Then chop your apples into small, ¼” cubes. There’s no need to peel your apples, although you can if you want to!
- Add your ingredients to a slow cooker. After prepping your apples, scoop your cut apples into your crockpot and then measure in the salt, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. For now, leave out the vanilla extract. Once your ingredients are all measured in, give the mixture a good, thorough mix with your spoon.
- Cook your apples. Now, place the lid on your crockpot, turn the crockpot on ‘LOW’ heat, and allow your apples to cook for 10 hours.
- Puree your apple butter. The easiest way to puree apple butter is with an immersion blender, but you can also process your apples in a standard blender. After pureeing, your apple butter should be consistently smooth and without any chunks, but it’s totally fine if it’s still on the watery side.
- Cook for 2 more hours. Once you’ve blended up your apple butter, return it to your crockpot (if you used a standard blender), mix in your vanilla extract, and turn your crockpot back on ‘LOW.’ However, this time, don’t put the lid on your crockpot! Allow your apple butter to cook for 2 to 4 more hours, uncovered. During this time, much of the excess liquid in your apple butter will evaporate, leaving you with thick and creamy apple butter.
Notes
- After your apple butter has finished cooking, switch off your crockpot and allow your apple butter to cool. Then scoop your finished butter into jars, food storage containers, or Ziploc baggies… or gobble it up right away. It is just that tasty!
- Fresh apple butter can be stored in airtight containers in your fridge for about 2 weeks. If you’d like to store apple butter even longer, ladle your apple butter into Ziploc bags or another airtight container and pop it into your freezer. When frozen, apple butter should stay fresh for about 1 year!
- While you can freeze apple butter in Mason jars, make sure you freeze your butter with the jar lids OFF! Freezing apple butter (or other moist foods) in sealed jars often results in a messy disaster. This is because water expands when it freezes, and it can explode in tightly sealed glass jars!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
3 PintsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 909Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 204mgCarbohydrates: 237gFiber: 23gSugar: 204gProtein: 3g
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