Homemade Apple Butter

Save money by making your own homemade apple butter by peeling and grating as many apples as you have, then cooking them down with just the right spices and a touch of maple syrup. Puree, and enjoy!

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Have you ever purchased apple butter? It's nothing more than cooked apples that have been sweetened, spiced and reduced, but a small 1-pound jar can easily run you $8 to $10.

When I'm making applesauce, I peel, core and slice apples thinly. They cook down really quickly that way, and the sauce is still pretty chunky if you handle it gently. But when I'm making apple butter, a quick and easy medium-grate is the way to go. There's no need to core the apples when you grate them, either, which saves some active cooking time.

Just grate down to the core and move on to the next apple. Once the mixture is cooked and reduced, process it in a blender or food processor for a silky smooth butter (or leave it as is—it will still taste nearly the same and perform just as well in recipes).

Why make apple butter at all?

Apple butter is so much better for baking than simple applesauce, which is a lovely ingredient for making simple gluten free applesauce muffins, but doesn't take much like apples and adds a lot of moisture.

Try to balance the moisture by tweaking the other ingredients in the recipe and you just end up changing the taste and texture for the worse. But apple butter is thick enough to add taste, texture and flavor—without making cake where you meant to make cookies.

Use apple butter to make our gluten free apple bread, gluten free apple snickerdoodle bars, or just spread some on a slice of toasted gluten free bread.

Homemade Apple Butter

5 from 1 vote

By Nicole Hunn

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Yield: 2.5 cups

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Homemade apple butter is a great way to use up tons of apples during the season, and it's perfect for baking all kinds of apple treats!

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 8 apples, washed and peeled (I used a mix of Granny Smith and Fuji)
• ▢ 4 tablespoons (84 g) pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 2 teaspoons apple pie spice (See Recipe Notes)

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Instructions 

• Grate the flesh of each of the peeled apples on a medium grate into a large, Dutch oven or heavy-bottom saucepan.
• Add the maple syrup, salt and apple pie spice, and mix to combine.
• Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes.
• The mixture will begin to liquefy, and then will begin to cook down and darken in color.
• Continue to cook for up to another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is evenly golden brown and the liquid has reduced, leaving behind a thick paste.
• For perfectly smooth apple butter, transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
• Add more maple syrup by the teaspoonful to taste, up to another 2 tablespoons.
• If you add too much syrup, you will thin the apple butter. Transfer to a heat-safe container and allow to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator or using in a recipe (or on toast!).

Notes

To make your own apple pie spice.

Combine 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon + 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom + 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg + 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger + 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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