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!
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!
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:
- Slice apples into small pieces (about ¼”) and dispose of cores (you do not need to peel the apples).
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Homemade 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:
- Place the apples in a slow cooker.
- Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to the crockpot. Mix well.
- 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.
- If desired, use a blender to blend the apple butter into a purée until smooth.
- 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?
What makes apple butter different from 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?
What thickens apple butter?