Apple Butter
Updated Nov 06, 2025
Make homemade apple butter with apples, spices and sugar. This is an easy-to-follow guide with two cooking methods: stovetop and instant pot.
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Make Homemade Apple Butter
If you’re wondering what to do with all those apples from the apple orchard, you should try making your own apple butter. I like making apple butter when the apples start to soften and become less ideal for snacking. I just cook them in a pot over the stovetop or instant pot with some apple cider vinegar and then blend. The great thing is that it makes for cute holiday gift giving to add to french toast or pancakes like greek yogurt pancakes.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Apple Butter Ingredients
- Apples: Choose softer types of apples like Golden Delicious, Fuji, or Red apples
- Apple cider: Swap for apple juice or water if you’d like.
- Brown Sugar: I like the molasses from light brown sugar, but you can use any sugar or even a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves work well here. Sometimes I even add a little ground ginger or cardamom.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh is best. Swap for lime or even orange juice if needed.
Recipe Video
How to Make Apple Butter
Start by cutting the apples into chunks. Then, choose which cooking method you prefer, either on the stove in a large, heavy bottom deep pot or an Instant Pot.
Stovetop Apple Butter
Instant Pot Apple Butter
Apple Butter Recipe
Homemade apple butter recipe made with slow-cooked apples, warm spices, and a hint of sweetness. Spread it on toast or pancakes, or add on top of oatmeal.
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples 8-9 medium, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
- 2 cups apple cider
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
For the Stove
- In a large, deep pot, combine apples and apple cider. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then cover and simmer until the apples are soft, 25-30 minutes.
- Transfer the apples to a blender and blend until mostly smooth.
- Return the apple puree to the pot and add brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter has thickened to a jam-like texture and is the color of dark brown sugar, 75-90 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely and then refrigerate in an airtight container.
For the Instant Pot
- Place apples and apple cider in the instant pot. Close and seal the instant pot and set for 15 minutes on high pressure. After the 15 minutes are up, allow the instant pot to vent completely before opening.
- Transfer the apples to a food blender and blend until smooth.
- Return the apples to the instant pot insert and add brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Switch instant pot to the saute setting and bring apple mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter has reduced to a thick jam-texture and is the color of dark brown sugar, 75-90 minutes.
- Remove the instant pot insert from the instant pot and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely and then refrigerate in an airtight container. Yields 3 cups.
Equipment
Notes
Storage: Store in a clean airtight jar or container for up to 3 weeks.
Freezing Instructions: Use freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving about 1-inch of headspace for expansion if you use a jar. It will last for about 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Nutrition
Calories: 33kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 0.1g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g, Sodium: 7mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 21IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 5mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot. Cooking the apple butter in a wide pot that distributes the heat evenly will help it cook down evenly without scorching. Using a wide pot will encourage evaporation which is what makes the butter thick and concentated in flavor.
- Brighten the flavor. Add a splash of vanilla extract to enhance sweetness or 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar at the end of cooking to enhance the apple flavor.
- Stir often, especially at the end. As the apple butter gets thicker, it will start to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn, so keep a close eye on it and stir every few minutes during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Store in 8-ounce glass jars. This recipe makes 3 cups of apple butter so you can evenly divide it into 3 8-ounce mason jars with an air-tight seal. This will help to keep each jar fresh because you won’t be opening the same container multiple times, and instead preserving the spread and extending its shelf life.
- Keep an eye on the texture. If your sauce isn’t super thick at the end of the listed cooking time, simply cook it a bit longer. This can be due to cooktops cooking at slightly different temperatures. However, keep in mind it will thicken slightly as it cools.
How to Use Apple Butter
- As a mix in for Easy Overnight Oats
- To top Fluffy Banana Pancakes or Sweet Potato Waffles.
- As a spread for Cinnamon Apple Bread
- Mixed into the custard for this Apple Bread Pudding, add about 3 tablespoons to boost the apple flavor.
