Homemade Apple Butter

Smooth, perfectly spiced homemade apple butter is perfect for spreading on toast, stirring into oatmeal or yogurt, or even marinating pork or chicken. This easy, big batch apple butter recipe is freezer friendly, and makes enough that you can package some up for a DIY gift for friends and family!

It's way better than store-bought, and it makes great use of all of those apples you picked last weekend.

If you have a lot of extra apples at home, this is the absolute best way to use up a large quantity at once! This recipe yields about 4 cups of apple butter, which you can keep all for yourself, or use it as a delicious DIY gift for hosts/hostesses, friends, family and more.

It can easily be stored in the freezer (or you can water bath can several jars) for long term storage, and will last for several weeks in the fridge.

Apple butter is incredibly versatile – it's not just for toast! Stir it into oats or yogurt, use it as a topping for pancakes or waffles, marinate (or use as a glaze) with pork or chicken, add it to a cocktail or a latte, spread onto a sandwich, or serve it on your next cheese/charcuterie board. One of my personal favorite uses it paired with homemade cinnamon sugar popovers!

We make ours on the stovetop, but if you would prefer to make this in a slow cooker, here's how to do it. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker, stir well and cook for 5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low, then puree using an immersion blender or regular blender. If it's not quite thick enough, you can let it cook for an extra hour or two on low.

Step-by-step Instructions

Add the diced apples to a large, heavy bottomed pot (we used a 7 qt. dutch oven). Add in the apple cider, maple syrup, brown sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt. Stir well until the apples are evenly coated. 

Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook over medium-low for 75 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until the apples are very soft.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree until completely smooth (be careful of hot splashes!). If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular heat safe blender, but you'll have to do it in two batches. 

Once the apples are blended, return to low heat and cover half of the pot with a lid (you'll need to let steam out, but this prevents it from splattering all over your stove). Continue to cook, stirring every 15 minutes or so to prevent burning on the bottom, for 2-3 more hours. The larger the diameter of your pot, the faster it will cook.

When the apple butter is done, it should be a deep brown color and should have a thick, spreadable, jammy consistency. 

Let it cool completely before transferring to jars or an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks, or the freezer for 6 months. 

Storage

Stored in an airtight container (like a jar), your homemade apple butter will last for several weeks (2-3) in the refrigerator. You may be able to keep it for longer, but if it smells or looks "off", discard right away.

You can also freeze it for up to 6 months (or even longer if properly stored). Make sure to leave some headspace at the top of the container, as it may expand in the freezer.

Canning for long term storage: You can process jars in a water bath canner for room temperature storage in a cool, dark place for 12-18 months. Make sure to use sanitized jars, and closely follow instructions for safe water bath canning.

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