My super easy Apple Butter recipe is perfectly spiced with rich fall flavors. It takes just 10 minutes to prep with NO peeling required! Recipe includes a how-to video.
All the Best Flavors of Fall in a Jar
Apple butter is the richer, prettier, and perhaps more sophisticated sister to plain-Jane applesauce. It’s truly the embodiment of fall, with colorful crisp apples cooked down and caramelized in spices, brown sugar and vanilla. It tastes great on just about anything, but we love it spread over an English muffin or warm scone (heavenly!).
My favorite thing about this apple butter recipe is that there is NO peeling required! I’ve tested this recipe with peeled and unpeeled apples, and I didn’t notice a difference between the two. When cooked for as long as my recipe calls for, the peels break down completely and are not perceptible in the finished product. Save yourself the time and skip the peeling!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Easy: only 10 minutes of prep before the slow cooker takes over.
- Perfectly flavored: the apples are the true star, with just enough sugar and spices added to accent them and make a warm, cozy fall flavor.
- Plentiful: this recipe makes a lot (3 pints!), so you’ll have some to share or gift (if you’re the generous type).
- No peeling: saves you SO much time and effort.
What You Need
To achieve a silky smooth and flavorful spread, you’ll need to slow cook just a few simple ingredients:
- Apples. What I love about my apple butter recipe is that there is no peeling needed! Just core and dice your apples into small, even pieces. Do not use a firm, tart apple like Granny Smith; stick with softer, sweeter apples like Golden Delicious (my favorite all-around apple for most recipes, like my apple turnovers!), Fuji, Gala, or McIntosh. A combination of apples works too!
- Sugar. A combination of brown and white sugar provides depth of flavor and helps the apples to break down and caramelize, giving the final product a fantastically rich fall flavor. Don’t forget, if you don’t have any on hand just follow my tutorial on how to make brown sugar!
- Spices. Lots of ground cinnamon and a pinch of cloves elevate the flavor of the apples by providing warmth and richness.
- Vanilla. A subtle hint of vanilla rounds out all of warm flavors. I recommend using a vanilla bean if you have one, but otherwise regular vanilla extract will work.
SAM’S TIP: The hardest thing about this recipe is waiting for it to be done. To mitigate this, I often like to prep everything before going to bed and let it cook while I sleep, but please always check your own slow cooker’s safety guide before leaving it unattended.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Butter
- Core and chop (don’t peel!) your apples and place them in the basin of a slow cooker.
- Mix together spices and sugars. Sprinkle these over the apples and toss to combine.
- Cook apple mixture on low heat for 10 hours.
- Puree apples. I like to use an immersion blender (I linked to the one I use, affiliate), but you can use a regular one instead.
- Remove the lid and cook for another 2 hours or until the consistency has thickened to your liking.
SAM’S TIP: The additional two hours of cooking might seem like a pain, but it’s important and worth it to get the proper consistency. If you want an even thicker butter, you can continue to cook yours even longer; but I’ve found the two hours to be plenty (and keep in mind it will continue to thicken as it cools!).
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically it is used as a topping for biscuits or bread, but it’s also delicious on oatmeal, pancakes, my favorite waffle recipe, crepes, etc. Some people even serve it with scrapple, or you can take my dad’s approach and enjoy it by the spoonful!
Apple butter is typically sweeter, richer, and thicker (more of a buttery/spreadable consistency). It’s often much darker in color than applesauce, largely because of the added ingredients (in this instance, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, etc) and the caramelization that occurs from the longer cook time.
Yes it does. If you’d like to try canning yours, that’s a great option for extending its shelf life outside of the fridge (I don’t have experience canning, so I can’t offer any advice there, but here is a guide on canning I found that should be helpful.).
Apple butter gets its name from its butter-like consistency, there’s no actual butter in it. If you’re looking for a flavored butter, try my honey butter instead
Looking for more? Here are some of my favorite fall recipes.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best Apple Butter Recipe (No Peeling!)
Ingredients
- 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) soft, sweet apples (see note 1) Cored and chopped into small pieces, about ¼"
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar firmly packed
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 vanilla bean (may substitute 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Slice apples into small pieces (about ¼") and dispose of cores (you do not need to peel the apples).5.5 lbs (2.5 kg) soft, sweet apples (see note 1)
- Place apples in the basin of large slow cooker
- In a medium-sized bowl stir together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cloves until well-combined.1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Pour sugar mixture over apple pieces and stir until well combined.
- Place lid on crockpot and cook on low heat for 10 hours.
- Once 10 hours has elapsed, use an immersion blender to puree apples until smooth and no chunks remain (see note 2 if you do not have an immersion blender).
- Scrape the inside of the vanilla bean into your apple puree (or add vanilla extract).1 vanilla bean
- Turn crockpot on to low heat and cook another 2 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, where it will keep about 2 weeks.
Notes
1. Apples
I recommend using Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Fuji, or Gala. Don’t use Granny Smith; they are too tart and firm for this recipe. Weigh your apples before coring and chopping. Do not peel them! For me this was about 13 apples but this could vary wildly depending on the size of your apples.2. Pureeing
If you do not have an immersion blender, pour the apples into a blender and puree until smooth, then return to crockpot. You may need to work in batches, depending on the size of your blender.Storing
Store apple butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several weeks or freeze for up to several months.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
This recipe was originally published in October of 2017, photos and recipe remain the same but text has been updated to be more helpful and I’ve added a how-to video!
Sum
Hi! i dont have a crockpot – would a regular, deep cooking pot work as well?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sum! Yes, that should be fine or a dutch oven. You just want to keep it on low. I would do this during the day so you can keep an eye on it as well. 🙂
Sum
Thank you! I can’t wait to make this!
Jamie Johnson
Delicious and easy. As a dad cook, this was incredibly easy. Its just like the apple butter I used to buy from an apple orchard in California. Thanks sugarspunrun!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the apple butter, Jamie! 🙂
Megan Hutchinson
I made this last week and I love it! Not sure about the 2-3 week storage, ‘cuz mine won’t last that long! So easy and so delicious! My house smelled like a designer candle all day?
Sugar Spun Run
A designer candle…. BEST description to date. I love it, Megan! I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
enna
Arrived at your site out of curiosity about making things with apples. Nice post; however, one must never, ever, tell folks to leave an electrical appliance on, in operation, unattended (especially one that generates heat), and go to bed.
There are so many things that can go wrong here….and I’ve seen them!
Think overheating, other appliances (heater) running concurrently and overloading the circuits, children, older folks with dementia, Alzheimer’s and a myriad others.
Don’t mean to put a damper on the apple butter party, but this is indeed the ugly reality of it!
Sam
Good point, Enna, I will make sure to add a note!
Tonya
Can u make these in an instant pot? If so, how long would I pressure cook them for?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Tonya! I have not yet tried making this in an instant pot. If you try it, I’d love to know how it worked for you. 🙂
Michelle
Can you use Macintosh apples?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Michelle! Yes, that will be fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Michelle Roberts
Worked great with the Mac’s! Thank you! Going to slather some on scones in the a.m.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it worked well. I hope that you enjoy it with your scones in the morning, Michelle! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Bri E
Hi! It sounds delicious and I’d like to try it on some roasted veggies for dinner tonight. However it’s a little later in the day to start it up. Is there any way to cook the apples faster and a pressure cooker? Thanks so much, I can’t wait to try it.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Bri! I am sorry but I have yet to try it in a pressure cooker so I can’t get you any personal recommendations. I am sorry that I can not be of more help.
Adelia
The recipe states the apple butter will keep two weeks in the refrigerator, but in your video you said several weeks? How long will this recipe, as shown in the video, poured into jars, keep in the refrigerator, please? Thank you so much!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Adelia! In the refrigerator, it will stay good for about a 2-3 weeks (If you don’t eat it sooner). 🙂
Christine Mattingly
Started this last night, and finished this morning.
Wow! Thank you for a great apple butter.
Will make again.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Christine! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Richard
Way better than store bought.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Richard! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Lauren
I forgot to take the lid off of my crock pot for the last two hours. Will this significantly mess up this batch? First time making it and I’m terrified all this work (and apples) will go to waste.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Lauren! You should be fine. I hope that you enjoy the apple butter. 🙂
Gabe Hashman
Just made this recipe spent all day waiting for it to cook in the crockpot now just have to sit and wait for to cool before I can have some most delicious apple butter I Can’t wait Thanks for this wonderful recipe
Sugar Spun Run
You are welcome, Gabe! I hope that you are enjoying the amazing smell while you wait. 🙂
Wendi
Can these be jarred? If so would I do a hot water bath to seal them?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Wendi! I don’t have experience with canning so I can not provide any recommendations. I do know that others have canned this recipe with great success. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Reta
Yes I cold pack it for about 20 minutes
Alexandra
Love this recipe. I live in Egypt but grew up in the USA, where I ate apple butter. There is no apple butter in Egypt, but I don’t care because this recipe is AMAZING. I have made it about five times already and everyone loves it – my children, my husband’s family and me. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Alexandra! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Catherine Casterline
This recipe has been a gift from God himself. All LOVED it: relatives, friends, and church members
I made several batches and each batch came out like a song you can sing straight from your heart
I even made a batch for myself. I canned batch from glass batch from glass jars that I made sure were cleaned from the dishwasher itself. PERFECTION FROM A DISHWASHER, CROCKPOT & BLENDER.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Catherine! I am so glad that all your friends and family enjoyed the apple butter. After all those batches, your house must have smelt amazing. I love it! Thanks again for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂