Homemade Apple Butter

A simple recipe for Homemade Apple Butter that you can make in the slow cooker. Use as a spread, a syrup or in your fall recipes! It’s one of the best apple recipes to make during the fall!

Homemade Apple Butter Recipe

Is it officially fall yet?  The leaves are not yet turning orange and red, but last week our whole house was filled with the aroma of baking apples and cinnamon. Who needs an official date? Fall was happening

Who needs an official date for it to be considered fall? Fall was happening a week ago on my radar.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. You’ll find me huddled around a campfire, drinking warm apple cider…what could be better than that?

Well, maybe this:

I really don’t know what to say about this Homemade Apple Butter besides it’s really easy and it is unbelievably good. It’s one of those things that you take a spoonful of and say, “This could go in soooo many recipes!”

What is the difference between applesauce and apple butter?

Both apple butter and apple sauce are slow cooked apples and spices. Apple butter is cooked longer than applesauce which creates a thick, smooth, intense apple flavored spread.

How to Make Apple Butter

To make homemade apple butter, all you have to do is stick some apples in a crock pot with brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and a dash of salt. Let it sit there all day, stirring occasionally, and BOOM! Apple Butter. It’s really that easy.

What do you do with apple butter?

My first bite reminded me of applesauce with a bit of tang to it. I love how when I put this homemade apple butter on a piece of white, fluffy bread, it completely changes the flavor! Instant, fall-flavored bread. You can put it in muffins & biscuits.

I also like to put this homemade apple butter on custard ice cream. Warm it slightly in the microwave and use it as a syrup on ice cream or fluffy pancakes. Because, why not?

• Apple Butter Cinnamon Rolls
• Apple Butter Streusel Muffins
• Apple Butter Pie
• Apple Butter Buttercream Cupcakes
• Apple Butter Sheet Cake

What apples are best for apple butter?

For apple butter, we like to use Mcintosh, Red Delicious or Gala because they are easy to find in our stores. Although Granny Smith are great for baking, they are not recommended for apple butter. Also, some apples are sweeter than others. You can adjust how much sugar you use based on how sweet your apple is.

How to Make Apple Butter Smooth

Also, when your apple butter has slow-cooked all day, you can leave it slightly chunky, which is awesome for recipes, or you can put it through the blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree it. We made two batches.  One we left chunky and made one batch perfectly smooth. You know…for those picky texture eaters.

How do you store homemade apple butter?

I’ve never canned this apple butter before, but if you know how to can, I’m sure it would work well. I like to freeze my apple butter because I have plenty of freezer space. Just spoon it into small, 1-cup freezer containers and pull them out as you need them!

Does apple butter need to be refrigerated after opening?

Yes! Make sure that you refrigerate your apple butter after you’ve opened the can or jar.

How much apple butter does this recipe make?

This recipe ends up making between 2-3 pins of apple butter. The difference is how much you cook it down.

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4.89 from 18 votes

Homemade Apple Butter

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

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword apple butter recipes, apple recipes, fall recipes

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 hours

Total Time 10 hours 25 minutes

Servings 20

Calories 120kcal

Author Lizzy T

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Place the apples in a slow cooker.
• Add the sugars, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to the crockpot. Mix well.
• Cook in slow cooker 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 puree the apple butter until smooth.
• Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze in small containers.

Video

Notes

Adjust the sugar to your liking!

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 6.8mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Adapted from My Baking Addiction