Easy Apple Butter Recipe: A Homemade Treat For Fall

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Welcome autumn with this homemade easy apple butter recipe made on a stovetop. Your home will smell amazing when you cook this delicious fall treat.

Fall is here and that means apples are available in abundance at your local market. Or perhaps one of your family traditions is to go apple picking at your favorite orchard? Either way, today we’re going to show you a super simple and delicious way to use all those apples with this easy apple butter recipe.

Easy Apple Butter, a partially cut apple next to a full jar of apple butter

Hey there, Idea Insiders! Have you ever made your own homemade applesauce or apple butter? If so, you know that the smell of apples cooking with cinnamon on your stovetop for hours is absolutely incredible. Next to pumpkin spice, this is the quintessential smell of fall. If autumn had a taste, it seriously would be apple butter.

Today Meaghan from Cook. Craft. Love. is back and this time she’s brought her easy apple butter recipe to share with us. In addition to this simple recipe, you’ll learn the difference between applesauce and apple butter as well as the best ways to store apple butter.

We’ll also take a look at the time-saving tools and supplies you need to make this task as easy as possible. Then you can just cozy up on the couch in your favorite fall flannel to binge-watch Netflix or enjoy your latest book while that amazing aroma fills your home.

A bowl of fresh apple butter after it's been made on a stove top next to a plate stacked with homemade biscuits

easy fall treats for apple season

When Meaghan sent me this apple butter recipe, she said: “This is one of my favorite fall foods and SO stupid easy to make.” Easy recipes are my favorite too. Thankfully, Meaghan has so many awesome and easy apple recipes on her own blog too. If you like this apple butter recipe, you’ll love her recipes for Crock-Pot Apple Pie Filling, Easy Apple Pie Bites, and Healthy Cinnamon Apple Chips, just to name a few.

A fresh apple with a large slice out of the side next to a biscuit on a plate

How to Make easy apple butter

This easy apple butter recipe is going to be one of your family’s new fall favorites. I just know it!

Easy Apple Butter, a close-up of homemade apple butter spread on top of a delicious biscuit

What you need: 

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You’ll find a recipe card at the end of this post with the specific quantities for each ingredient and the instructions to make the apple butter. First, though let’s cover the basics of what you need as well as some tips and tricks for making homemade apple butter.

Kitchen Tools Needed: 

Ingredients Needed: 

a partially cut apple picked from the orchard next to a full jar of apple butter

Tips for making and storing apple butter

As you prepare this easy apple butter recipe, you may have a few questions. If you have more questions than these, leave them in the comments.

what’s the difference between apple butter and apple sauce

Both applesauce and apple butter are made by cooking apples over low heat. Usually, the apples in both recipes are mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and other spices. The difference is that apple butter is cooked for longer than applesauce so it starts to caramelize and becomes a thick puree.

Applesauce is more watery and served in a bowl with a spoon. Apple butter is thicker and can be spread on biscuits or toast like a jam or jelly. You can think of apple butter as being a more concentrated form of applesauce. Apple butter also typically has a longer shelf life than applesauce because of the higher concentration of sugar in apple butter.

why is apple butter called butter?

Apple butter has the word “butter” in the name because it has a thick, spreadable and smooth texture that’s similar to butter and often served on toast like butter. There are no actual dairy products or butter of any kind in apple butter. Other products with butter in the name like this include peanut butter or body butter lotion.

A warm homemade biscuit on a plate. The biscuit is split in half with delicious apple butter smothered on each side. There's a fresh apple and a full jar of the butter in the background.

what is the best way to serve apple butter?

This homemade apple butter is pretty simple and can be served in numerous ways. Here are a few ideas you might like to try:

Biscuits fresh from the oven stacked on plates next to a bowl of easy homemade apple butter

How long does homemade apple butter last?

If canned properly in a sterile jar, homemade apple butter can be stored in a cool, pantry for up to two years. It can also be frozen in small containers for up to one year.

Once opened, apple butter can last for several weeks in your refrigerator if it’s stored in a well-sealed container. You’ll know it’s gone bad and should be thrown away if it develops an odor, an odd taste or if mold is growing on it.

A jar of apple butter, an apple and a biscuit spread with apple butter

How do you Store apple butter?

Apple butter can be enjoyed immediately. For short-term use, apple butter can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for several weeks. However, if you want to store it longer, you have two options:

  • Apple Butter in the Freezer – Use small freezer-safe plastic containers to store your apple butter in a freezer or deep freezer.
  • Canned Apple Butter – Can the apple butter in sterile jars while the apple butter is still hot. Here are some instructions for canning applesauce that will be helpful to you if you’ve never canned apples before.

does apple butter need to be Refrigerated?

Yes, once it’s opened apple butter should be kept in your refrigerator.

A biscuit with a bite out of it and apple butter spread on top the biscuit sitting on top of a floral tea plate
a partially cut apple picked from the orchard next to a full jar of apple butter
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Easy Apple Butter Recipe

Welcome autumn with this homemade easy apple butter recipe made on a stove top. Your home will smell amazing when you cook this delicious fall treat.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple butter
Servings: 16
Calories: 68kcal
Author: Meaghan Lamm

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Peel, core, and chop apples into 1″ pieces and add to a 6 qt Dutch oven or large soup pot and toss with lemon juice and vanilla.
  • In a small bowl mix sugars, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and nutmeg and then sprinkle over apples and mix to coat.
  • Cook over medium heat for about 45 minutes or until apples are tender.
  • Blend apples with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.
  • Reduce heat to low and continue cooking the apple puree on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The apple butter is ready when you can draw a spoon through the middle and it doesn’t come back together.

Notes

Yield: About 3-3.5 cups or 1 pint jar

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tbs | Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag us on Instagram at @kenarryideas or leave us a comment rating below.

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What’s Next? 

While you’re here, you may also enjoy these delicious fruit recipes on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

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Easy Apple Butter from Ideas for the Home by Kenarry, photo collage shows a jar full of the apple butter and warm biscuits covered with apple butter

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