Welcome autumn with this super smooth and delicious Stovetop Apple Butter! This is absolutely my favorite and go-to recipe, made the easy and simple way with fresh apples and yummy cinnamon spice.

Fall is finally here and that means apples are available in abundance at your local market, so it’s time to make homemade apple sauce! If you ever made your own homemade applesauce or apple butter, you know how amazing the smell of apples cooking with cinnamon spice on your stovetop is. It makes your kitchen smell incredible for hours! This easy apple butter recipe will show you how to make the best thick, smooth, and rich homemade apple butter on the stove!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN APPLE BUTTER AND APPLE SAUCE?

Both apple butter and apple sauce are made by cooking apples with sugar and cinnamon spice over low heat. The difference is that apple butter is cooked for longer than applesauce so it starts to caramelize and the texture is thicker and smoother than applesauce. You can use apple butter as spread on biscuits or toast like a jam. Both are equally delicious, but if you prefer a saucy and watery texture, here is my apple sauce recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe >

Ingredients Needed & Notes >

Equipment You’ll Need >

Step By Step Instructions >

Serving & Storage >

Recipe Card >

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS STOVETOP APPLE BUTTER RECIPE

You can make pear butter with this same recipe! Just substitute any kind of pear you want for the apples and adjust the seasonings to taste, it will be just as yummy as the original apple butter.
Super easy to make! Just make sure your apples are clean, peel them, and remove the seeds.
It’s obviously healthier and cheaper than the store-bought.
Tastes and smells so heavenly! Your kitchen will smell incredible for hours!
There’s no need to stand over the stove. You can just stir occasionally as it simmers.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED & NOTES

Apples – You’ll want fresh apples that are sweet and tart to give it a flavor kick. Fuji, Gala, Cortland, Gravenstein, Jonathan, and Braeburn are some of the best apples for making apple butter. Fuji and Gala are two of my favorites.

Lemon – A lil bit of fresh lemon juice to enhance the flavor!

Apple cider – This adds a rich, concentrated apple flavor to your apple butter.

Water – We need some more liquid to help the apples cook without burning.

Cinnamon – Cinnamon gives apple butter a cozy, warm flavor.

Sugar – This recipe uses brown sugar. Both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are perfect for this recipe.

Salt – a little pinch of salt to balance the flavor.

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED

(Check my favorite baking tools and equipment here!)

Large pot
Rubber spatula
Food processor, blender, or hand-held immersion blender
Glass jar container

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THIS STOVETOP APPLE BUTTER

(Be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions)

STEP 1 – Prepare the Apples

Clean, peel, and cut the apples in half from the stalk down, then remove the apple core using an apple core remover or small knives and then cut the apples into chunks

STEP 2 – Cook the Apples

In a large dutch oven or large soup pot, combine the apples, fresh lemon juice, apple cider, and water. Simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes until the apples are tender, stirring occasionally.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soft apples or puree in a blender until completely smooth. Reduce heat to low and the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt to taste.

Continue to cook the apple sauce on low heat until the desired consistency, stirring often. This will take about 40 minutes until it is a rich brown and a nice, thick consistency. Be careful not to burn the bottom, that will ruin the whole batch. The apple butter is ready when you can draw a spoon through the middle and it doesn’t come back together.

If your apple butter gets too thick, you can thin it with a wee bit of water or apple juice and blend until well combined

HOW LONG DOES HOMEMADE STOVETOP APPLE BUTTER LAST?

For short-term use, apple butter can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to two weeks. But, if you want to store it longer, you use an airtight freezer safe container to store your apple butter in a freezer for up to one year.

You’ll know it’s gone bad and should be thrown away if it develops an odor and mold is growing on it.