Homemade Apple Butter Recipe
This homemade apple butter is delicious on your morning toast!
I love it when a recipe is easy to convert to a Clean Eating recipe. It makes life so much simpler, don’t you think?
Now that my two year old is demanding to eat with his “hork” and “poon” at every meal, I feel good about the fact that the food he’s putting in his mouth is nothing but healthy. This recipe, is no exception.
I learned to make apple butter years ago, but thought I was out of luck once I started trying to give up sugar. So I was happy to find that that was not the case.
This recipe is adapted from the Eclectic Recipes web site. This fabulous lady really knows her way around the kitchen. I love reading her blog posts. Her recipes are usually easily converted to the Clean Eating lifestyle. Here’s the original recipe.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It’s really very yummy!
TOAST TOPPER
If you need more ideas for delicious, healthy toast toppers, these toast spreads might be just what you’re looking for. They make great gifts too! (None are recommended for canning).
HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER RECIPE:
Homemade Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 12 small apples (of any variety)
- 2 cups apple grape juice blend (100% juice – no sugar added – Or two cups of one OR the other, depending on what you can find)
- 2 tbsp. unsulphered molasses
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground allspice
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Cut and core all your apples and place them in the slow cooker.
- Add your juice.
- Add your honey.
- Add your spices.Mix everything up and turn the heat on high. After a couple of hours, the juice should be boiling. Once it boils, turn the heat to low. Note: The original recipe says you have to cook for about 6-8 hours after turning down the heat. However, with the substitution of honey, you have to cook it a bit longer. I had to let mine cook for about 12 hours. Remember to stir occasionally. The apple butter should be a nice dark brown color when it's finished. Also, I do NOT recommend this recipe for canning.
2 Questions:
1 – Do any changes need to be made to this recipe for HOMECANNING?
2 – WHERE do I find agave? Which type of store would carry this and in what aisle?
Questianna – I’m afraid I don’t know the first thing about home canning. Wish I could be more help there.
Agave is typically sold in the same isle as honey and maple syrup. I buy mine at Costco, but you can get it at just about any health food store these days. Even Trader Joe’s carry’s it.
And one more question on this…
Since your recipe calls for either honey or agave, how are the flavors different? What does Agave taste like and from where does it come?
Questianna – Thanks for the canning info! I’m just always worried if I do one thing wrong, I’ll end up making my little boy sick with botulism. I’m a worry wart when it comes to him.
Honey adds a definite honey flavor. Agave is more mild flavored, allowing the flavors of the fruit (or whatever you’re putting it in) to come through more. Hope that helps!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m with you on the canning thing – it makes me, nervous, too! Could this be frozen, do you think?
Carrie – I don’t see why not! You might want to freeze a small batch for a couple days to see how it holds up. Honestly, it’s never lasted long enough around here to freeze!
I am almost ready to begin making this recipe and canning it. Could you clarify if it is 2 cups apple juice AND 2 cups grape juice OR is it only 1 cup of each?
Questianna – It was a blended juice that I used that had apple and grape juice in it. If you can’t find a blend, then go for 1 cup of each.
We just made this and the whole house smells amazing!! Ours has been on low for about 16 hours, but is still fairly liquid-y. Us it suppose to be smooth like commercial apple butter? What about the skins?
How does the 30 grams/ 90 grams convert to say tablespoons or cups?
Anna – I just updated the recipe for you. Enjoy!
Thanks Tiffany!
I’m wondering about the canning. Did it work? Questianna come back! 🙂 I’m going to a you-pick orchard this fall, and would LOVE to make a huge batch of this to can. 🙂
Amanda – If you know how to can, it will definitely work.
This is fantastic! I’ve made apple butter for the last few years, but have just started down the clean eating path and now can continue to make it (was a big part of homemade Christmas gifts for friends and family). Do you know if it will can just as good with the agave as the hot water bath canning with the full-on-sugar?
Anna – If you are canning, I would be more likely to use honey because it is a natural preservative. But that said, you should know I know nothing about canning, so it might be better for you to ask somebody who knows more. Sorry! Wish I could be more help on that one!
have this in the crock pot right now, smells delicious! thanks for the cleanup on this one!
Sarah – You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it!
Kelly – I’ve always treated it like jam. I spread it on toast or english muffins. You can also mix it in with some non-fat greek yogurt or mix it into your cereal or oatmeal in the morning. Yummy stuff!
Question – is it 2 cups apple juice AND 2 cups grape juice??
Jmitchell – No, it was a combination juice I bought. So it was 2 cups total. If you buy the juices separately, just do 1 cup of each.
my slow cooker is one if the big oval ones, is that too big?
Well, I would have to know how many quarts it is. But you should be fine. Just be sure you have enough apples to fill at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the pot.
how do you store it? freezer?
Shari – It can be in the fridge for up to about 2 weeks. Other than that, yes, the freezer is perfect. It freezes quite well. Enjoy!
Runnyingdeer – It sounds like the apples may have had more water in them than mine. You may just need to cook longer. Put them in a pot on the stove and gently boil them down until they thicken. You can add cornstarch if you want, but it’s really not necessary. They just need to be boiled down more. Let me know how it turns out!
Kassandrah – I keep it in the fridge or freeze it. Sometimes I freeze it in ice cube trays so I can take it out in small portions.
It was and apple/grape combination juice that I bought. So it’s 2 cups total. Not each.
I used unsulphured molasses.
I didn’t. But you can if you prefer.
Sure!