Making Spiced Apple Butter: No Added Sugar

This recipe is perfect if you want to make a small batch of spiced apple butter without the addition of any sweetener. This recipe includes options for making apple butter with or without a food mill, using the stovetop or oven method.

Follow these simple steps for the best-spiced fruit spread you can make at home!

Are you looking for creative recipes to use the apples you purchased on your recent trip to the apple orchard or farmers’ market?

With their distinct flavor profiles, apples can be used in various culinary applications, including sweet and savory. There are endless possibilities!

Some of my favorite recipes include this bar-b-barn ribs recipe and my mom’s apple crostata and apple bundt cake recipe.

Perhaps you are looking for a unique recipe with your abundance of apples. Have you ever considered making apple butter?

This small-batch, no-added-sugar recipe takes advantage of apples’ natural sweetness. It is perfect for anyone looking to make a tasty homemade preserve without all the added sugar found in many store-bought varieties.

It also includes warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to give it flavor and depth.

You’ll love this fruit spread so much that you’ll eat spoonfuls from the jar! 

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Best apples for apple butter
• Equipment
• Prepping and pureeing the apples
• How to make apple butter
• How to store
• FAQ
• Ways to use apple butter
• More fruit butter recipes
• Recipe origins
• Recipe

Ingredients

• Apples: A mix of sweet and tart varieties provides a balanced flavor.
• Water: Helps the apples soften during cooking.
• Lemon juice & zest: Adds brightness and preserves freshness.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the natural sweetness of the apples.
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves: Warm spices that deepen the flavor.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall taste.
• Maple syrup or honey (optional): For added sweetness if desired.

Apple butter is a delicious condiment that cooks down apples to create a smooth, rich, concentrated, and flavorful fruit spread. Adding cinnamon, cloves, and other fall spices gives it a lovely depth of flavor.

Just in case you are wondering, this recipe has no actual butter in it. The word butter describes the thick, spreadable consistency of its texture. Simply stated, apple butter is concentrated applesauce.

Another way to think of it would be overcooked applesauce or a fruit purée that is impossible to resist eating by the spoonful.

This recipe yields approximately one and a half to two half-pint jars of apple butter, depending on how much liquid evaporates from the apples. It is perfect if you want to make a small batch to enjoy with family and friends.

This recipe is also sugar-free, as the natural sweetness of the apples is usually enough to sweeten the apple butter.

Best apples for apple butter

While you can technically use any variety of apples to make this healthy apple butter recipe, some are better suited for this recipe than others. Remember that a mix of sweet and tart apples will add greater depth and complexity to the final product.

Tart apples

• Granny Smith
• Cortland
• Braeburn
• Gravenstein

Sweet apples

• Honeycrisp
• Golden Delicious
• Red Delicious
• Fuji
• Gala

Sweet-Tart apples

• Empire
• McIntosh
• Pink Lady
• Rome
• Jonathan
• Jonagold

Whichever kind of apples you choose, look for those with shiny, firm, and unblemished skins. Ripe, fresh apples, preferably organic, will have a brighter flavor and more natural sweetness.

Equipment

Depending on how you cook the pureed apples, you will need a large, heavy-bottomed pot, an oven-safe glass, or a ceramic baking dish. If you choose to use a food mill, have that ready. Alternatively, have an immersion blender, a food processor, or a regular blender ready.

Prepping and pureeing the apples

Depending on whether or not you have a food mill, here are two different options to prepare the apples for making apple butter.

If you have a food mill

Start by cleaning 4-5 medium apples, about 1 kg or 2.2 pounds of apples, preferably a mix of sweet and tart varieties. Then cut a “V” to remove the stem and the blossom end. You don’t need to peel or core the apples.

Cut the apples into quarters or eights, including the cores, depending on the size of the apples. Then, place them into a large heavy-bottomed pot with one-third cup of water.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and falling apart. They’re ready if a paring knife slides into them with no resistance.

Take the pot off the heat and let the apples cool for 5-10 minutes.

Place a food mill fitted with a fine disk on a bowl. Working in batches, transfer the cooked apples and liquid to the food mill and process until smooth. If necessary, clean the food mill screen between batches to remove the skins and seeds. You should have about three cups of pink applesauce or apple puree.

If you don’t have a food mill

Start by cleaning 4-5 medium apples, about 1 kg or 2.2 pounds of apples, preferably a mix of sweet and tart varieties. Then, core and chop the apples into 1-inch chunks. You don’t need to peel the apples.

Place the chopped apples into a large heavy-bottomed pot with one-third cup of water.

Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the apples are soft and falling apart. They’re ready if a paring knife slides into the apples with no resistance.

Take the pot off the heat and let the apples cool for 5-10 minutes.

Transfer the apples and liquid to a regular blender to puree the apples until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender. You should have about three cups of smooth pink applesauce or apple puree.

You have just made unsweetened applesauce!

Depending on the apples you choose, your finished product may be pink applesauce, like mine!

You can stop here and enjoy it as is or use it in any recipe that calls for homemade applesauce, like this apple cake. Or, you can continue and make a small batch of apple butter.

How to make apple butter

Now that we have our applesauce, it’s time to turn it into apple butter!

You can now make a small batch of spiced apple butter on the stovetop or in the oven for a more hands-off method. The total time for this cooking process depends on the water content of your apples.

Stovetop method

In the same pan you used to cook the apples, combine the apple puree with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

Cook over low heat, frequently stirring, until the mixture thickens. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot as you stir to prevent burning. The total cooking time can take up to 2 hours.

When the apple butter is ready, you should be able to draw a line through it with a spoon and have that line remain visible. You will no longer see the liquid seeping out of the apple puree. Refer to the video included in this article.

Stir in the spices, then taste and adjust as necessary.

Transfer the apple mixture into sterilized glass jars. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with lids.

Oven method

Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C).

Transfer the apple puree to a ceramic or glass baking dish. Stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest.

Bake for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the dish as you stir to prevent burning.

When the apple butter is ready, you should be able to draw a line through it with a spoon and have that line remain visible. You will no longer see the liquid seeping out of the apple puree. Refer to the video included in this article.

Stir in the spices, then taste and adjust as necessary.

Transfer the hot apple butter into a sterilized Mason jar. Let cool to room temperature, then cover the glass jar with lids.

How to store

Properly stored, apple butter will last up to 1 month in the refrigerator or up to one year in the freezer in an airtight container. Please note that this recipe has not been tested for canning.

FAQ

Ways to use apple butter

• Spread on bread, pancakes, or muffins for breakfast.
• Swirl into oatmeal, yogurt, ricotta, or smoothies.
• Use as a filling between cake or cookie layers in baking.
• As a sandwich spread or condiment for roasted pork, grilled chicken, or ham glaze.
• Serve as a dip with veggies, crackers, or apple slices.
• Use as a topping for ice cream or in fruit parfaits.
• Of course, apple butter is delicious, just eaten with a spoon!

Nutrition Tip: Apple Butter is a great fat-free alternative for butter to spread on your morning bagel (or toast or bran muffin). But go easy… fat-free does not equal calorie-free.

More fruit butter recipes

If you’re interested in trying other fruit butter recipes, here are two of my favorites:

Pear Butter: If you want to preserve an abundance of pears, this recipe is one of the best ways to do it. Plus, they make great hostess gifts.

Italian Plum Butter: This slow cooker recipe is easy to follow and produces a delicious fruit spread. It includes four variations.

Recipe origins

Years ago, I had an interesting conversation about apple butter with a colleague. Up until that point, I had never tried making it at home.  I was so intrigued by his enthusiasm that I immediately researched the ingredients to make a homemade version. The original inspiration can be found here. 

Since then, it’s been one of the first recipes I make with freshly picked apples during apple season.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with different spice combinations and have finally updated this great recipe to include the perfect blend of spices. And to create a “pink” applesauce, I cook the apples without adding sugar, with their peel on and use a food mill to create the apple puree.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

You can find the food mill I am using in my Amazon store, if it interests you, head over to my amazon store for all the details.

★★★★★ If you have made this recipe for apple butter, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

This post was originally published on October 11, 2015, and republished on October 13, 2022 with updated content, photos and a video.  Thanks for sharing!