Apple Butter Recipe

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.

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!

apple butter recipe

The Best Apple Butter Recipe (No Peeling!)

apple butter recipe

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!

Prep: 15min

Total: 735min

Yield: 3

Serving Size: 0.25 cup

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 0.25 cup, calories 75 kcal, Carbohydrate 18 g, Fat 1 g, Sodium 36 mg, Sugar 17 g

Ingredients:

  • 5.5 lbs soft, sweet apples (see note 1) (Cored and chopped into small pieces, about ¼” (2.5kg))
  • 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed (200g))
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar ((150g))
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 vanilla bean ((may substitute 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract))

Instruction:

  1. Slice apples into small pieces (about ¼”) and dispose of cores (you do not need to peel the apples).
  2. Place apples in the basin of large slow cooker
  3. In a medium-sized bowl stir together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves until well-combined.
  4. Pour sugar mixture over apple pieces and stir until well combined.
  5. Place lid on crockpot and cook on low heat for 10 hours.
  6. 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).
  7. Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into your apple puree (or add vanilla extract).
  8. Turn crockpot on to low heat and cook another 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally.
  9. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, where it will keep about 2 weeks.

Homemade Apple Butter Recipe

apple butter recipe

A simple Homemade Apple Butter recipe that you can make in the slow cooker. Use as a spread, a syrup or in your fall recipes.

Prep: 25min

Total: 625min

Serving Size: 1 serving

Nutrition Facts: calories 120 kcal, Carbohydrate 31 g, Sodium 32 mg, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 25 g, servingSize 1 serving

Ingredients:

  • 6 1/2 pounds apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instruction:

  1. Place the apples in a slow cooker.
  2. Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to the crockpot. Mix well.
  3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring every couple hours. The apple butter should be thick and dark brown.
  4. If desired, use a blender to blend the apple butter into a purée until smooth.
  5. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or freeze in small containers.

How to Make Apple Butter – Easy Recipe!

FAQ

What kind of apple is best for apple butter?

Since apple butter requires quite a bit of cooking time, softer apple varieties will be your best bet as they cook down the fastest. Mix up a few different varieties for the best flavor; Fuji and Golden Delicious are popular softer varietals for apple butter that taste great together.

What makes apple butter different from applesauce?

Apple butter is essentially concentrated applesauce.

The only difference is that apple butter is milled, pureed, or finely chopped and then cooked for a longer period of time, which gets out more water and allows it to caramelize.

How long does apple butter last if you can it?

Home-canned apple butter has a shelf life of about two years.

What thickens apple butter?

Apple Butter is best when it has a nice thick consistency. To thicken it, after you blend it in the blender, cook it in the slow cooker on HIGH uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring it every so often. It will thicken more as it cools.

About the author

Helen is an author and editor at helenbackcafe.com, who has a passion for writing about recipes. She loves to experiment with different ingredients and cooking techniques to create delicious and unique dishes.

Among all the foods, pizza holds a special place in her heart, and she loves exploring different variations and toppings to create the perfect slice. Through her writing, Helen hopes to inspire others to get creative in the kitchen and share their love for food with the world.

Leave a Comment