Easy Stovetop Apple butter (with no sugar options!)

By Rebecca St. Clair

This homemade stovetop apple butter is rich, smooth, and full of fall flavours! Whether you have apple trees on your property or if you love going apple picking in the fall, apple butter is a great way to use up apples and preserve them all year long!

This apple butter is extremely easy to make because it requires no peeling and everything is made in one pot right on the stove top.

How to Store Stovetop Apple Butter

Apple butter is a great spread that can be packed away in jars, just like jams and jellies, and stored for use all year long!

Fridge

This homemade stove top apple butter made with white sugar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. I have not tested apple butter made with all of the sugar alternatives.

Freezer

The freezer is a great option to preserve your stovetop apple butter. Apple butter freezes very well and defrosts perfectly.

To store your apple butter in the freezer,

• Allow you apple butter to cool
• Place the apple butter in freezer safe containers
• Allow at least ½ inch (1.5 cm) space from the lid. (The apple butter will expand slightly when frozen)
• Store in the freezer for up to 1 year
• Allow the apple butter to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours before use

Canning

Canning is a great option to preserve apple butter for use all year long. If you want to home can your apple butter using a water bath check out this link here!

What Types of Apples are Best for Apple Butter

There is no specific apples you must use to make apple butter, in fact a mixture of apple varieties give a more complex flavour that just sticking with one variety.

However, just like for apple sauce, we want the apple butter to be soft and smooth so choosing an apple that is soft and cooks down easily may be helpful, but is not necessary. The best choice of apples for your own apple butter is the flavour of apple you prefer, since that is the flavour that will be concentrated into your spread.

Some examples of softer apples to use for stovetop apple butter are,

• Mutsu
• Golden delicious
• Macintosh
• Fuji
• Braeburn
• Cortland
• Ida Red
• Jonamac
• Rome

Apple butter without processed sugar

Yes you can make apple butter without processed sugar! Depending on how sweet you like your apple butter, you can also reduce the amount of sugar in the original recipe to suit your taste. However, since sugar preserves food, the storage times may be altered. The best way to use apple butters made with sugar alternatives is by freezing for longer storage or store in the fridge if you will be using it right away.

Follow this chart for the sugar alternative you would like to use. You can easily adjust the amount needed as compared to the white sugar in the original recipe!

How to use stovetop apple butter

Apple butter is so delicious and packed with amazing fall flavours! It can be used with both sweet and savoury dishes. It is so versatile and can be used as a spread, a dip, or mixed into baked goods and icings.

Here are some of our favourite ways to use apple butter,

Apple butter with pork chops

Apples and pork just seem to go hand in hand. In fact pork is often served with an apple compote in restaurants and steak houses. The flavour of this apple butter is the perfect accompaniment to any home cooked pork dinner.

Apple butter with Cinnamon buns

This might be the best way to use apple butter! Whether you use apple butter in place of cream cheese icing, bake it into the spiral dough, or just add it along side for dipping, cinnamon buns only get better by adding a little bit of apple butter!

Apple butter and Pancakes

Not just to be spread on your morning toast! Apple butter is perfect to spread on pancakes, French toast, and waffles for a cozy fall vibe!

Baked goods

Mix apple butter into batter for cakes, muffins, cookies, and breads. Let the concentrated spiced apple flavour infuse your baked goods with delicious fall flavours.

Sauces

Apple butter can be incorporated in sweet sauces to drip and drizzle on top of your favourite baked goods or use in savoury sauce like barbecue sauce

How to make easy stovetop Apple Butter

Ingredients

8 cups quartered and cored apples 1200 g

2 cups apple cider 500 ml

1 ¾ cups sugar 350 g

1 teaspoon cinnamon 5 ml

½ teaspoon ground clove 2 ml

1 teaspoon ground allspice 5 ml

Method

1. Wash, quarter, and core the apples.
2. Add the apples to a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat.
3. Add in the apple cider, cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until the apples are very tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the apple cook evenly.

4. Remove from heat and purée. (I used an immersion blender. If using a food processor or blender, cool the apples slightly first.)

5. For a chunkier apple butter you can use the apple purée just like this. For a silky smooth apple butter, pass this mixture through a strainer.

6. To the same pot, add the sugar (or sugar substitute) and spices.

7. Stir in the apple purée.

8. Return the mixture to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes. Stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

9. Cook and reduce down to your desired thickness. (The butter will thicken more as it cools)

10. Pour into sterilized jars and process for canning, or store in freezer safe containers. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before freezing.

Looking for some more fall recipes? Hop over here!

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