If you’ve never made Homemade Apple Butter, I promise it’s far more forgiving (and easier) than it sounds. There’s no candy thermometer, no canning experience required, and no fancy equipment beyond what’s probably already in your kitchen. Just apples, baking spices, a large pot, and a little time. My recipe uses the stovetop method, but you can definitely make this in the slow cooker. After you make this recipe, you be buying pounds of apples because there’s truly nothing like warm biscuits slathered in apple butter and coffee, especially in October.

What Is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is what happens when you cook down apples, sugar, and baking spices until nearly all the liquid evaporates, leaving a thick and deeply concentrated caramelized flavor. There is no actual butter in it. The name comes from its smooth, spreadable texture, similar to a fruit preserve. Apple butter is richer and more intensely flavored than preserves. You can enjoy it on everything from biscuits, toast, cornbread, my Apple Butter Spritz, oatmeal, yogurt, and even pork chops.

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

Apples. I prefer Fuji and Honeycrisp; however, you can use a mix of apples such as Fuji, McIntosh, and Golden Delicious. McIntosh apples break down fast and give you that smooth, buttery texture, while Fuji and Golden Delicious add sweetness and body. Honeycrisp adds a sweet and bright flavor.

Brown sugar and white sugar. Brown sugar brings a deeper, almost caramel-like sweetness, while white sugar keeps things balanced. You can lean more heavily on one or the other depending on your taste.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground clove. These are the backbone of apple butter’s flavor. A generous amount of cinnamon is non-negotiable, and a smaller pinch of nutmeg rounds everything out.

Fresh lemon juice brightens the flavors. You’ll want to use fresh lemon juice, not store-bought.

A splash of vanilla elevates the flavor once the apples have been cooked down.

A pinch of salt. Less than a teaspoon of salt to make all those spices pop.

Apple cider vinegar helps cut the sweetness and balance the flavor, especially if your apples are on the sweeter side.

Do You Have to Peel the Apples?

No, you don’t have to peel your apples for apple butter. The peels add pectin, which helps the mixture thicken naturally, and they soften completely during the long cook time. If you’re using an immersion blender or running the finished apple mixture through a food mill or blender at the end, the peels will blend in or get strained out; either way, no there’s no need to peel. That said, if texture bothers you or you just prefer a smoother finished product, peeling ahead of time works too. It’s really a matter of preference, not necessity.

How To Make this Apple Butter Recipe (Step By Step)

Step 1: Prep the apples. Wash, core, and roughly chop your apples.

Step 2: Combine everything. Add your chopped apples to a slow cooker or a large, heavy-bottomed pot on the stovetop. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground clove, salt, apple cider vinegar, and water.

Step 3: Cook low and slow. If using a slow cooker, cook on low with the lid slightly cracked to let steam escape, stirring occasionally, for several hours until the apples are completely soft and jammy. On the stovetop, cook covered over medium heat for 1 and 1/2 hours, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the apples are fork-tender.

Step 4: Blend the apple mixture. Once the apples have broken down, remove from heat, and use an immersion blender directly in the pot for a smooth, spreadable consistency. Make sure the head of the blender is submerged to prevent splashing and possible burns. No immersion blender? Run the mixture through a food mill instead, which will also catch any peels or seeds you may have missed. You can also pulse the mixture until it’s smooth.

Step 5: Reduce until thick. Add the vanilla extract and return the blended apple mixture to low heat, uncovered, and let it continue to cook down for 20-30 minutes. This step is what turns the mixture into apple butter; it thickens and deepens in color the longer it goes. Stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

Step 6: Jar it up. Once your apple butter has reached a thick, spreadable consistency (it should mound slightly on a spoon rather than run off it), ladle it into clean pint jars or smaller jars if you’re gifting. Let it cool, seal, and refrigerate, or freeze for longer storage.

Tips for the Best Homemade Apple Butter

• If it’s not thickening, it likely needs more time uncovered on low heat. Don’t raise the temperature; apple butter thickens through slow evaporation, not a hard boil, and rushing it can cause scorching, which will make the butter bitter
• Overcooked apple butter will taste slightly caramelized and darker in color. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it won’t taste fresh. Keep a close eye on it in the last stretch of cooking. For reference, I make this recipe on a gas stove over medium heat for 1 hour, blend, then reduce to low and simmer for another 20 minutes.
• If yours turns out more like applesauce, it simply hasn’t reduced long enough. Applesauce and apple butter start the same way; the difference is time and evaporation.
• Homemade apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks once sealed, or in the freezer for several months.

This recipe yields three 8oz jars of apple butter, which is ideal for gifting. If you plan to keep some for yourself, I recommend doubling the recipe, and you will have about 3 pints.