Homemade Apple Butter Recipe

Share, you Must!

Delicious and smooth Apple Butter doesn’t have to be store bought – Homemade Apple Butter is made with fresh apples and spices, slowly cooked down into a yummy butter that can be a dipper for your favorite treats or eaten on it’s own!

I am so ready for it to be fall. The crisp weather, the big comfy sweaters, the leaves changing colors that make Upstate NY beautiful for the first time all year. Apple picking, decorating for Halloween, soups, and cookies. Autumn is my favorite season of the year and I have been craving it.

Since it is not officially fall yet, all I can do is bring fall into my house whenever I want with amazing aromas and flavors – like this Homemade Apple Butter. I made this on the stove rather than Instant Pot Apple Butter or Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Apple Butter but both of those are amazing options to get the fall spices in your house!

For another delicious autumn dessert, try my Pumpkin Mousse.

What do I need to get started?

For this easy stovetop Apple Butter, you will only need a few ingredients:

• Granny Smith Apples. I use these over a honey crisp or golden delicious because I find they’re the best flavor for baking.
• Water.
• Apple Cider Vinegar.
• Salt. Do not leave this out! Salt will bring out all the sweet flavors.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice. This can also be a homemade mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
• Ginger. We want additional ginger flavor to give more of a kick.
• Light brown sugar. Dark brown will work just as well and give a nice rich molasses flavor.
• Vanilla extract.

How to make Apple Butter on the Stovetop

Start with peeling and coring the apples and then placing in a large pot or dutch oven.

Pour the water and apple cider vinegar over the apples, then add in the salt and spices and toss together.

Cover and cook over medium heat until the apples are very soft. This will take about 25 minutes.

Stir the cooked apples around until it becomes a sauce. This can be done with a whisk, but you can also use an immersion blender to speed up the process.

Add brown sugar and vanilla to the pot and mix. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened and become a deep amber color. This will take about 15 – 20 minutes. It should become nice and silky smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool before storing or serving.

Is Apple Butter just Apple Sauce?

Apple Butter is not apple sauce. It is thicker and richer in apple flavor, as well as silky smooth, like butter.

Storage and Freezing

This can be stored in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Apple Butter can definitely be frozen. Place in a freezer safe container when it is fully cooled and store for up to 12 months. This is a great way to preserve the apple flavor so you can enjoy it all year round!

Tips and Tricks

• This is delicious on toast, English Muffins, or biscuits.
• Eating it on a spoon is completely acceptable and tasty too! 🙂
• Add to oatmeal, like my Apple Pie Oatmeal.
• Try spreading on pancakes or waffles, or adding to a frosting recipe for maximum flavor.