Written by Kate Tietje and updated by Sarena-Rae Santos in December of 2023.
I have an apple butter recipe that I love – it’s simple and yummy. At first, my daughter, Rebekah, swore she wouldn’t like it (because she didn’t like butter), but she got very curious about it as she saw me adding spices (she loves applesauce with cinnamon). She eventually tried it and decided that she was a fan. Kid-approved, plus easy – need I say more?
You can start this recipe with store-bought applesauce (be sure you have one with no added sugar) or follow the simple instructions below to make this apple butter completely from scratch. If you choose to make it completely from scratch, you will need about 2 pounds of apples to make the 2 cups of applesauce required for the recipe below. You can feel free to use any type of apples you like. I used Jonathan, Yellow Delicious, and McIntosh this time. I find that a mixture of different types produces a better apple butter in the end.
Apple Butter
Ingredients:
- 2 cups thick applesauce (or 2 lbs of apples to make from scratch)
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Directions:
Optional: Making Apple Sauce
Step 1: I use my handy dandy apple peeler corer to peel, core, and slice. That cuts up my apples nicely, and I put them in a big stock pot.
Step 2: I add about 1/2 cup water, then cover it and allow it to simmer on medium heat for 30 – 60 minutes.
Step 3: I stir about every 10 – 15 minutes to allow the apples to steam and begin to fall apart. This results in very chunky, thick applesauce.
Making Apple Butter:
Step 1: The applesauce goes into the blender with the water. (It’s much too thick right now and won’t make good apple butter this way. I tried it years ago, but it did not work.)
Step 2: Blend this until completely smooth and rather thin.
Step 3: Add it to a Crockpot.
Step 4: Add your spices.
Step 5: Stir it all up, then turn it on low.
Optional: Canning the Apple Butter:
Step 1: Fill your jars with the hot apple butte,r leaving an inch of head space at the top of the jar. I like to use half-pint jars when possible because we won’t use a ton more than this before it goes bad.
Step 2: Put the jars into the water bath and process for 20 minutes.
Step 3: Pull out of the pot and let the jars sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours to ensure the jars seal. Now, you’ve got canned apple butter that is ready for winter!
Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups thick applesauce or 2 lbs of apples to make from scratch
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Instructions
Optional: Making Apple Sauce
- I use my handy dandy apple peeler corer to peel, core, and slice. That cuts up my apples nicely, and I put them in a big stock pot.
- I add about 1/2 cup water, then cover it and allow it to simmer on medium heat for 30 – 60 minutes.
- I stir about every 10 – 15 minutes to allow the apples to steam and begin to fall apart. This results in very chunky, thick applesauce.
Making Apple Butter:
- The applesauce goes into the blender with the water. (It's much too thick right now and won't make good apple butter this way. I tried it years ago, but it did not work.)
- Blend this until completely smooth and rather thin.
- Add it to a Crockpot.
- Add your spices.
- Stir it all up, then turn it on low.
Optional: Canning the Apple Butter:
- Fill your jars with the hot apple butte,r leaving an inch of head space at the top of the jar. I like to use half-pint jars when possible because we won't use a ton more than this before it goes bad.
- Put the jars into the water bath and process for 20 minutes.
- Pull out of the pot and let the jars sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours to ensure the jars seal. Now, you've got canned apple butter that is ready for winter!
Hi, I like the whole idea of this recipe, but, you mention peeling and coring apples, but I did not see any amount of fresh apples in the ingredients list. Is there an amount that I will need that is not on the ingredient list? Thanks!
If you want to make fresh applesauce for this, it’s about 2 lbs. of apples.
How many apples did you use and what kind of apples do you think are best?
For a quart of thick applesauce, it’s about 4 lbs. of apples. So for the 2 c. called for, about 2 lbs. Not sure how many that was since it varies based on size. I like to do a mix of apples, golden delicious, jonathon, and macintosh, or whatever heirloom varieties. I think a mix produces a better final product than a single variety.
Sounds great! what are your favorite apples to use for applesauce & apple butter?
Jonathon, Macintosh, and golden delicious. This year I had some of those plus a random mix of heirloom varieties, that worked out really well.
I canned applie pie filling one year, and it turned out great. I just prepared the apples as for pie, with sugar and spices and thickener, packed them tightly into the jars, and canned. They produced their own liquid, of course, as they cooked in the hot-water bath, and when I wanted to make a pie I just emptied a quart jar into a pie shell, covered with a top crust, and baked until the crust was done.
Ironically I canned apple pie filling too, two years ago. And it worked great! But…now I can’t remember how I did it. lol. I think I figured it out this afternoon though (a new way).
Yummy! I do wish there were an apple orchard near us!!!
You can cook the apples down to applesauce in the crock pot too. Last year when I did apple butter (from apples of an unknown variety on a German friend’s trees), all I did was peel, core, and quarter my apples into the crock pot. I covered them, and left them on low for about 8 hours. At that point, I blended them (I really do <3 my immersion blender!) and added cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (probably near to a tablespoon of each), covered, and let it cook on low for about 8 more hours or so. I didn't can it; I froze it and thawed for use. It kept really well in the fridge/freezer, and was a beautiful burnt sienna sort of color…and was delicious!
I'm looking forward to free apples again this fall…should only be a couple more weeks here in Germany!
Is the 1/2 cup of water added to the apples in the beginning, part of the 2 cups called for in the ingredients list?
Yes, but that’s not from the recipe list. Sorry — I wrote the recipe as if the applesauce were already made, but then explained how to make it too!
hi! plz explain the water bath process. I am new to creating foods to be stored and your recipe has sparked an interest!
Thanks!
https://mam.stage.earthley.com/2011/9/14/canning-and-preserving-water-bath-method/
Yummy!! What do you put the apple butter on? And what machine did you use to peel/core the apples?
I like to put it on English muffins often times. 🙂 I’m not sure what the machine itself is called — but if you look up an apple peeler/corer you should find one.