If you are as into cozy fall flavors as I am, you are going to absolutely LOVE this apple butter recipe. And it’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.
Ok, but what IS Apple Butter?
Are you thinking…what really is apple butter? I hear you! I did not grow up with apple butter, but now that I’ve discovered it, I’m totally hooked in the very best way.
Apple butter is this luscious spread made of slow-cooked apples, sugar, and cozy spices. It’s like a rich, caramelized apple jam that is so delicious on anything from toast to ice cream.
And, it’s naturally vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free! I know, the word “butter” is deceiving. There is no butter in this recipe. But the end result is as smooth as butter.
3 secrets to making the very best apple butter
I have 3 secrets to making the very best apple butter, I’m sharing them all with you. Here we go:
1. Use a variety of apples. By using different types of apples, your apple butter will have a beautiful blend of sweet, tart, juicy, crisp apples all coming together for the most complex, yet pure, creamy flavor.
2. Time (but in a crockpot!). There’s no shortcut: apple butter takes 12 hours to cook. The great news though is that you can make it in a crockpot. I recommend making it overnight. For example, place all the ingredients in the crockpot at 8pm, and by 8am your apple butter will be ready to blend (and your home will smell incredible).
3. An immersion blender. For years, I was using a regular blender to make this apple butter, because that’s what I had. That is totally doable, but it means you have to pour the very hot and heavy apples from the crockpot into a standing blender, which can be a challenge. An immersion blender makes it all SO easy! If you don’t have one, I linked to my fav on the recipe page.
The recipe
OK, now that we’re on the same page about how magical apple butter is, let’s make it!
Show off your apple butter! Share photos on Instagram (or your favorite social media platform) and tag @FetchingGoodies and hashtag #FetchingGoodies. I love to see + share what you make.
Easy Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 6.5 lbs apples, peels and chopped About 20ish apples, depending on the size
- 200 g granulated sugar 1 cup
- 200 g brown sugar 1 cup, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice can sub .5 tsp nutmeg & .5 tsp cloves
- .25 tsp salt just enough to bring out the flavors
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop all of your apples. Don't worry about the chop job being pretty, just dice them up.
- Put all of the ingredients into the bowl of your crockpot and cover with the lid.
- Plug in your crockpot and turn it to low.
- Cook the apple butter in the crockpot for 10 hours.
- After 10 hours, take the lid off of the crockpot, give the apples a stir with a wood spoon or silicon spatula. Then allow to cook for 2 more hours.
- Now, the apples should have cooked down significantly and appear to be a deep brown color (thanks to the cinnamon).
- Turn off and unplug the crockpot.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture in the crockpot into a smooth, creamy spread. It takes 5 minutes or less.
- Voila, enjoy! You can enjoy the apple butter right away, warm, on toast, as part of an appetizer spread with cheese (vegan cheese if needed), muffins, pancakes… the possibilities are endless.
- For the apple butter that you are not eating right away, allow it to cool completely and store it in glass, airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
I’ve also linked a $20ish immersion blender here that I’ve heard good things about if you’re looking for one that costs less. If you’re looking for a crockpot, this is a great one. Crockpots are not super expensive (usually around $40) and are so useful for soups, chili, easy meals, and of course, apple butter.
Did you make this recipe? Share photos on Instagram (or your favorite social media platform) and tag @FetchingGoodies and hashtag #FetchingGoodies to show it off. I’ll share it on the Fetching Goodies Instagram stories, too. 🙂