Apple Butter

How to Make Apple Butter

You'll notice there are a few distinct stages in making apple butter.

• Simmer good cooking apples, like Gravenstein or Granny Smith, in apple cider vinegar and water until they're soft.
• Puree the cooked apples and mix in sugar, spices, and lemon.
• Cook the mixture slowly, stirring often, until it's thick and smooth.
• Store your apple butter in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks, or process it in a water bath canner to keep it shelf-stable for up to 1 year.

The Difference Between Applesauce and Apple Butter

Apple butter is a smoother, more concentrated form of applesauce. The methods for making the two both start out similarly, by slow-cooking apples until they're soft and mushy. Applesauce will be ready at this saucy stage, sometimes with the addition of sugar and/or spices to flavor it. But to make apple butter, you puree the stewed apples and cook them down further so more liquid evaporates and the apples caramelize.

Alternatives to Stovetop Cooking

Don't love standing at the stove stirring for ages? These two methods are way more hands-off.

• Microwave: Instead of cooking the seasoned puree on the stovetop in Step 5, cook it uncovered in a microwave, on medium heat setting to simmer, for around 30 minutes. If you do this, monitor the cooking every 5 or 10 minutes. Microwaves vary in their power.
• Slow cooker: In Step 5, transfer the seasoned puree to a slow cooker. Cook on low with the lid ajar (lay spoons across the cooker and set the lid on top) so steam can escape. Stir once every hour or so. Depending on your cooker, it could take up to 5 hours for the apple butter to cook down.

The Best Apples for Apple Butter

Look to softer apples, like Gravenstein, to make apple butter, as they will cook down faster. We also like the tart flavor of Granny Smith apples. Combine different apples to match your taste preferences. We recommend the following varieties:

• Braeburn
• Cortland
• Fuji
• McIntosh
• Golden Delicious
• Jonagold

Learn which apples are best to use in cooking and baking in our guide to apples.

Swaps and Suggestions for Homemade Apple Butter

• Switch up the spices. This recipe calls for cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and some lemon to bring out the flavor, but feel free to play around with others spices such as ginger and nutmeg if you wish.
• Switch up the sweetener. We recommend sticking with white sugar for a straightforward apple flavor. But readers have shared some of the swaps they've made in the comments. Check them out!

To Can or Not to Can?

Want to make larger batches of apple butter so you can have jars on hand for later and not worry about refrigerating them? Planning to give jars as gifts? If so, sterilize glass jars for canning. We offer detailed directions for water bath canning in the recipe below.

If you want to eat your apple butter up quickly, skip the canning. Just keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks (or freeze it for later).

NOTE: For this recipe to be safe for canning, the sugar levels should not be reduced.

Storing and Freezing Apple Butter

• Fresh apple butter will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
• Sealed, canned jars of apple butter will keep for a year in the pantry. Once opened, they’ll also keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
• Frozen apple butter will keep up to a year.

Ways to Use Your Apple Butter

Whether you spread it on toast, swirl it into oatmeal, or serve it on a cheese plate, you'll find a plethora of delicious ways to incorporate apple butter.

• Cinnamon Toast
• Blueberry Muffins
• Oatmeal Raisin, Date, and Walnut Muffins
• Easy Overnight Oats
• How to Make The Best Oatmeal