Homemade Apple Butter
Apple butter is basically applesauce that’s gone the distance: Cook apples until soft, purée them, then keep cooking to concentrate the mixture into a dark, velvety, intensely fruity spread. It’s that spreadable texture that gives apple butter its name—no actual butter involved.
- 6 lb. mixed sweet and tart apples, unpeeled, uncored, chopped
- 6 cups unsweetened apple cider
- 1 cup raw or white granulated sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 (3") cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton’s kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Bring 6 lb. mixed sweet and tart apples, unpeeled, uncored, chopped, 6 cups apple cider, 1 cup raw or white granulated sugar, or light brown sugar, one 3" cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton’s kosher salt to a boil in a large wide pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and apples are very soft, 1–1½ hours.
- Discard cinnamon stick. Pass apple mixture through the fine disk of a food mill, or strain through a coarse-mesh sieve, pressing with a rubber spatula. Discard peel, seeds, and cloves.
- Preheat oven to 350°. Transfer apple mixture to a 13x9" baking pan and bake, stirring every 30 minutes, until reduced by half and very thick and dark amber, 1½–2 hours. Stir in 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; let cool in pan. Do Ahead: Apple butter can be made 1 month ahead; transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. Editor’s note: This recipe was first published online in September 2016; it has been updated for style. Head this way for more of our best apple recipes →
For the best apple butter, use a mix of sweet and tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Fuji, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious. Unlike apples destined for pie, they don’t need to hold their shape—you want them to collapse. There’s no need to peel or core them either: The skins contribute flavor and the cores supply pectin, which helps the spread thicken. Once the fruit is soft, a food mill quickly separates the purée from the peels, seeds, and whole spices. Pressing the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer with a flexible spatula works too, but will require a bit more effort.
Spoon your homemade apple butter over waffles or ice cream, slather it on toast, serve it alongside pork chops, or layer it into Appalachian Apple Stack Cake.
