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+ servings
5 from 2 votes

Homemade Apple Butter

Super smooth and rich homemade apple butter made with apples, maple syrup or sugar, spices, and water. Use as a spread or in your favorite fall recipes!
Author Diana
Servings 2 large jars
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds (2 kg) apples
  • 1 cup (250 ml) water
  • ½ cup (100g) maple syrup or brown or granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
  • ¼ teaspoon cloves optional
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Over the stovetop

  • Wash, peel and core the apples and cut into quarters.
  • In a large pot, place the apples, water, sweetener, spices and salt, and cook on low-medium heat stirring occasionally until the apples become very soft. This will take around 1 hour.
  • Using a hand/emersion blender, puree the apples and then cook on low-medium heat for one more hour. The mixture should become smooth, velvety and dark in color.

In the Instant Pot

  • Place apples, ¼ cup of water, sugar, and spices in the Instant Pot. If you're using a newer version of IP, it might give you a "burn" message so you'll need to increase the amount of water from ¼ cup to ½ cup.
  • Cover with the lid, and make sure that the vent is in sealing position. Click on "manual" or "pressure cook" for 10 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to cover to pressure, then cook for 10 minutes. When the cooking is done, allow it to naturally release which will take around 15-20 minutes.
  • Carefully open the lid, and blend the apples using an emersion/hand blender. If the consistency is not thick enough (especially if you added ½ cup of water), cook the apple butter down for up to 15 minutes on "sauté" setting and make sure that you're stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid scorching½ the pot.

In the slow cooker

  • Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker, and mix well. Cook on low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. When the cooking is finished, blend the mixture using a hand blender and store in sterilized jars.

Notes

  • For the stovetop method, use 1 cup of water.
  • For the Instant Pot, use ¼ cup of water unless you're using a newer model of Instant Pot then use ½ cup of water.
  • And for the slow cooker, use 1 cup of water.

Nutrition

Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 181g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 1152mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 143g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 1mg