Oven Apple Butter Recipe

By
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith is a food writer and certified botanist who has written five books on foraging and preserving food.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/17/21
apple butter
Michael Grayson/Getty Images
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Canning Time: 15 mins
Total: 3 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 40 servings

Turning applesauce into rich, spreadable apple butter is easy when you make it in your oven. With this method, there's no need to spend time stirring and standing over the stove, and you get to control how much (if any) sugar goes into the recipe.

To make apple butter you need applesauce. You can start with store-bought, but you'll get a much tastier final product if you start with your own homemade sauce. You can use slow cooker applesauce or stove-top applesauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts applesauce

  • 1 cup brown sugar, or 1/3 cup honey, optional

  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional, omit if applesauce was already spiced

  • 1 pinch ground cloves, optional, omit if applesauce was already spiced

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 325 F (163 C).

  3. Combine all of the ingredients in a large baking dish.

  4. Bake for approximately 3 hours. Stir occasionally so that the applesauce near the edges of the baking dish doesn't cook faster than the sauce in the center. If you just want to stir once per hour, that's fine. If you can stir more often you will eliminate some of the cooking time in the oven.

To Can Apple Butter

  1. Fill clean pint or half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace between the top of the food and the rims of the jars. Use a butter knife or a small spoon to release any air bubbles.

  2. Wipe off the rims of the jars with a moistened paper or clean cloth towel (any food stuck to the rims could prevent a good seal). Fasten canning lids.

  3. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Adjust for your altitude if necessary.

Tip

  • Apple butter will keep in the refrigerator for at least a month, or it is easy to can for longer shelf life.

Recipe Variation

  • Since reducing applesauce to apple butter concentrates the flavor of the fruit, it can be fun to make single varietal apple sauces and butter.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
34 Calories
0g Fat
9g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 40
Amount per serving
Calories 34
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 1mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 4%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 38mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags: