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Homemade Apple Butter (Stovetop and Slow Cooker)
Apple butter is a thick, spreadable and concentrated apple sauce that can be used as a spread or in both sweet and savory recipes. It's so easy to make with only 5 ingredients, and making it from scratch is much more cost-effective than buying store-bought jars.
Equipment
- 1 large pot (for stovetop method)
- 1 slow cooker (for slow cooker method)
- 1 apple corer (optional, but very helpful)
Ingredients
- 4 lbs apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 10-12 apples; see Note 1)
- ¼ cup apple cider, apple juice or water (see Note 2)
- ½ cup – 2 cups maple syrup, to taste (see Note 3)
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg, optional
- â…› tsp salt
- ½ tsp vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- In a large pot, combine the apples, liquid of choice, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and salt and stir (the mixture will bubble as it cooks so make sure the pot is large)
- Cook, covered, over the lowest heat setting for 5-6 hours, stirring occasionally (about every 15-30 minutes), until the apples have broken down and softened and most of the liquid has evaporated (it should be similar to applesauce at this point)
- Remove the cinnamon stick (don't discard it yet) and transfer the contents to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth
- Return the puree and the cinnamon stick to the pot
- Cook, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 1-2 hours or until the mixture has darkened, caramelized and thickened and the contents of the pot have reduced by about a third
- To test if your apple butter is ready, spoon a generous scoop and jiggle the spoon; if the butter stays in place and does not spill off the sides of the spoon, it’s done. If it doesn't, continue reducing until it passes this test
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract (it's optional, but adds great flavor)
- Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired (see Note 3)
- Allow to cool then transfer to a mason jar or glass container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month
Slow Cooker Instructions
- In a slow cooker dish, combine the apples, liquid of choice, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and salt and stir
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, stirring once or twice, until the apples have broken down and softened and most of the liquid has evaporated (it should be similar to applesauce at this point)
- Remove the cinnamon stick (don't discard it yet) and transfer the contents to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth
- Return the puree and the cinnamon stick to the slow cooker dish or a large saucepan (see Note 4)
- Use a wooden spoon to wedge open the lid of the slow cooker slightly and cook for 1-2 hours over low heat, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture has darkened, caramelized and thickened and the contents of the pot have reduced by about a third
- To test if your apple butter is ready, spoon a generous scoop and jiggle the spoon; if the butter stays in place and does not spill off the sides of the spoon, it’s done. If it doesn't, continue reducing until it passes this test
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract (it's optional, but adds great flavor)
- Taste and adjust the sweetness if desired (see Note 3)
- Allow to cool then transfer to a mason jar or glass container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month
Notes
Note 1:Â My favorite apples for this recipe are Honeycrisp apples, but any variety of apples can be used. The apples do not need to be peeled, but I prefer to peel them for a smoother final product. If you prefer to skip the peeling step, make sure they are very well washed to remove any wax on the peels.
Note 2:Â This recipe requires a little bit of liquid in the pot, but any of the three suggestions can be used. My favorite is apple cider (I normally use the Algoma Orchards Sweet Apple Cider sold at Costco), but apple juice and water are both also great! Don’t use apple cider vinegar here because it’s too bitter.
Note 3: Brown sugar can be used instead of maple syrup, but I love the flavor maple syrup adds. I don’t like my Apple Butter too sweet because I love to use it in both sweet and savory recipes and can always adjust the taste accordingly. The apples break down and the natural sugars caramelize during cooking, so the final product is naturally sweet. I use about 2 tbsp of maple syrup for each pound of fruit, for a total of ½ cup. If you want a sweeter apple butter, or if your raw apples are on the tart side, you can use up to ½ cup per pound of fruit, for a total of 2 cups.
Note 4:Â Even when making my Apple Butter in the slow cooker, I prefer to transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan for the final cooking and reduction step. Because the slow cooker dish is large and heats on all sides, I find a bit of the mixture can get stuck to the sides as it reduces, potentially burning or just making clean-up more difficult. You can definitely use the slow cooker for the whole process, but I recommend scraping down the sides a few times to avoid this.
Nutrition Facts are calculated automatically and could be inaccurate. Nutrition Facts for this recipe are calculated using apple cider as the liquid of choice, and ½ cup of maple syrup.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 tbspCalories: 70kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.03gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.05gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 16mgPotassium: 115mgFiber: 2gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.1mg
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