4.78 from 50 votes

Homemade Apple Butter

Brittany MullinsUpdated Sep 18, 2024

Servings: 1 1/2 cups

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This healthy homemade apple butter is made in the slow cooker without any added sugar. Enjoy as a spread on toast or stir into a warm bowl of oatmeal.

As soon as the weather turns, I am rapidly making as many fall flavored treats I can think of! I typically make at least one batch of apple butter each year. If you’ve never made or tried it, it is super versatile, naturally sweet and absolutely delicious! And despite its name, there’s no actual butter involved! If you’re looking for a way to use up quite a few apples, here’s your recipe.

Apple butter in a jar with a twine bow tied around the jar.

Why You’ll Love This Organic Apple Butter

Only 15 minutes of hands-on time: Slice the apples, dump everything in the slow cooker and you’re done until it’s time to blend.
Just 7 simple ingredients: No fancy or hard-to-find ingredients required. If you’ve got apples, you’ve probably got everything else in your pantry already.
Naturally vegan, gluten-free and paleo: Great for just about any diet without any special swaps.
Freezer-friendly: One batch keeps for up to a year in the freezer, so you can stock up and have apple butter ready whenever a craving hits.
The house smells amazing: Warm apples, cinnamon and cloves simmering all day is basically the coziest fall candle you’ve ever experienced.

Sugar Free Apple Butter Ingredients

apples – I recommend a sweeter variety like Gala or Honeycrisp.
apple cider vinegar or water – I used apple cider vinegar and really liked the tanginess it added to the apple butter but you can simply use water if you don’t have ACV or don’t want your apple butter to be tangy at all.
cinnamon
vanilla extract
ground cloves
ground nutmeg
sea salt

Bird's eye view of a jar with a spoon and filled with apple butter. The jar has a twine bow tied around it.

The Difference Between Apple Butter and Applesauce

Both apple butter and applesauce are made by cooking apples with water, spices and sugar (if using). The main difference between the two is that apple butter is cooked longer so the mixture becomes a thick, caramelized consistency. Applesauce is soft and creamy too, but is typically a thinner, lighter consistency. The other difference is that apple butter is usually spiced with an array of spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla. Occasionally you’ll see cinnamon applesauce, but most of the time applesauce is plain.

So basically, you start making applesauce and just keep on cookin’ it down to get to apple butter!

How to Make Organic Apple Butter

Core and slice: Core and slice your apples. You can peel them if you’d like, but there’s no need. The peels will soften as the apples cook and blend right up! Add your apples to a slow cooker or crock-pot.

Mix and cook: Add the apple cider vinegar or water and spices into the slow cooker. Stir all ingredients together, cover the pot and set to cook on low. Cook for 5-6 hours.

Blend: Once the apples cook down and are a dark brown color, turn off the crockpot and use an immersion blender to puree the apples until smooth. Another option is to transfer the mixture into a blender and blend until completely smooth.

Cook again: Once the apples are puréed, turn your crock pot on high and cook for 1-2 more hours. This will help thicken and caramelize the apples.

Four photos of the stages of making apple butter in a slow cooker. 1. Chopped apples in the slow cooker. 2. Cinnamon topped on the apples. 3. Apples cooked. 4. Apples puréed into butter,

How to Serve Healthy Apple Butter

Apple butter is similar to a preserve or jam. Here are some ways I like to enjoy it:

On bread or toast
Mixed into overnight oats
As a topping for pancakes or waffles
Swirled into baked goods before baking or just a spread after they’re done baking
As a sandwich spread
As a spread for a charcuterie board
Brushed on chicken for the last few minutes of cooking
Serve it up as baby food – I didn’t know if Olivia would be keen on apple butter because of the spices but she LOVED it. I gave it to her straight up and stirred some into her oatmeal.

Glass jar filled with apple butter and decorated with a twine bow.

How to Store Homemade Apple Butter

After letting the apple butter cool completely, portion into airtight storage containers. I filled 2 8 oz canning jars with this recipe. Homemade apple butter lasts about three weeks in the fridge and for up to a year in the freezer. I usually keep one jar in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer to enjoy at a later time or to give as a gift!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat apple butter like applesauce?

Yes, you can! Apple butter and applesauce are pretty similar. Both are made from cooked apples and spices, but apple butter is cooked down longer and thicker with a more caramelized flavor. That means it’s still totally safe and delicious to eat straight from the spoon like applesauce. It’s just a lot richer and more intense in flavor, so you may find that a smaller serving satisfies you more than plain applesauce would. Try eating it on its own, stirred into yogurt or as a spread on toast.

Why is apple butter called apple butter?

Apple butter is called “butter” because of its thick, smooth, spreadable texture, not because it actually contains butter. When apples are cooked down for hours until they break down into a rich, jammy consistency, the resulting spread looks and feels similar to butter, hence the name. Apple butter is actually completely dairy-free and vegan when made with just apples, spices and a bit of liquid.

Bird's eye view of a jar filled with apple butter.

More Apple Recipes to Try:

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4.78 from 50 votes

Healthy Apple Butter Recipe

By: Brittany Mullins

This healthy homemade apple butter is made in the slow cooker without any added sugar. Enjoy as a spread on toast or stir into a warm bowl of oatmeal.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 7

Servings: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

▢ 6 medium apples, choose a sweet variety like Gala or Honeycrisp
▢ 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, or water
▢ 1/2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
▢ pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Place cored and sliced apples (not peeled) into a large slow cooker or crock-pot.
Add apple cider vinegar (or water) and spices. Stir all ingredients together, cover and let it cook for 5-6 hours on low.
The liquid will reduce and the apples will be very soft, dark in color and smell heavenly. Turn the slow cooker off and then use an immersion blender to puree the apples until smooth. Another option is to carefully transfer the apples to a blender and blend until completely smooth.
Once the apples are pureed, turn the slow cooker on high and heat the apple butter for 1-2 hours, uncovered. This will help it thicken and caramelize.
Once the apple butter is the consistency you like, turn off the slow cooker and let the apple butter cool for 30 minutes before transferring into airtight containers for storage. Let the apple butter cool completely in the containers or jars before placing in the fridge.
For storage: apple butter will keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or up to a year the freezer.