This delicious apple butter is made from applesauce and gently sweetened with honey. It’s easy to make, healthy, and it taste like fall in a jar. Delicious on its own, on pancakes or waffles, stirred into yogurt, as a ingredient for baking, or even paired with cheese.
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Apple season is my favorite! From crisp late-summer mornings spent picking apples, to filling the kitchen with the sweet aroma of applesauce, cakes, breads, pies—and of course, apple butter and jams—it’s simply the best time of year. This apple butter recipe is wonderfully easy, velvety smooth, and tastes like fall captured in a jar. The hardest part? Resisting the urge to eat it straight off the spoon!
If you’re looking for more healthy and easy apple recipes to use up your abundant apple harvest, try my coconut flour apple bread and French apple cake (both grain-free and gluten-free), and my quick no-peel Instant Pot applesauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This apple butter is so simple to make! Start with applesauce (homemade or store-bought), add honey and spices, and let it simmer away. The Instant Pot or slow cooker makes the process even easier, just give it an occasional stir and wait until it thickens into something irresistibly delicious. Blend for extra smoothness and voilà! Don’t forget to soak in the heavenly scent of apples and spices filling your kitchen. Happy fall, everyone!
While I enjoy applesauce in many ways, apple butter is in a category of its own. It’s creamy, velvety, and perfectly balanced between spiced and sweet. I love the combination of apples with cinnamon and apple pie spice, with just a whisper of nutmeg and cloves. I like making this apple butter with honey rather than sugar as a natural sweetener, keeping it healthier and sweet just enough.
There are endless ways to enjoy apple butter: straight from the spoon, swirled into yogurt or smoothies, spread over toast, pancakes, or waffles, tucked into cookies or pies, or added to baked goods for an extra layer of cozy flavor. It’s even wonderful paired with cheese or brushed onto meats as a glaze.
Another thing I love? The savings. A single jar of organic apple butter can cost $10 or more, while this recipe gives me three jars for the price of just half a cup of honey (and my apples were free!). Plus, nothing compares to homemade, it always tastes better.
Ingredients For This Apple Butter with Honey
Applesauce. Homemade or store-bought works. If you’re using my quick no-peel applesauce recipe, one batch of applesauce will make one batch of this apple butter. Just leave it in the pot and add the rest of the ingredients, easy peasy!
Honey. Adds natural sweetness and a warm, floral note. Since honey is sweeter than sugar, a little goes a long way, so start small and then adjust to taste.
Spices. I like cinnamon and apple pie spice for that cozy fall flavor. You can also use pumpkin pie spice, allspice, or a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger if you don’t have apple pie spice.
Vanilla (optional). Pairs beautifully. Use 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, or simmer a vanilla bean in the apple butter and then remove before canning.
Lemon juice (optional). Helps brighten the flavor and balance the sweetness. Some consider it necessary if you’re canning your apple butter.
Tools You May Need
For making the apple butter
Instant Pot, slow cooker, or large pot.
Immersion blender (optional).
For canning
Water bath canner or large pot.
Canning rack (optional).
Jar lifter (optional, you can also let jars cool in water for 10 minutes, then remove safely).
Wide-mouth funnel (optional).
Bubble remover (optional, you can also use a small silicone spatula).
Clean towels.
How To Make This Apple Butter with Honey
Step 1: In your Instant Pot, slow cooker, or a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the applesauce, cinnamon, apple pie spice (or other spices of choice), honey, and lemon juice (if using). Stir well to mix everything together.
Step 2: Cook the apple butter uncovered on high heat for about 3 hours (or until thick enough), stirring occasionally.
- Instant Pot: Press the Slow Cook button, then adjust to More (or High on some models).
- Slow cooker: Set to High with the lid off.
- Stovetop: Simmer on medium-low heat with the lid slightly ajar to prevent splattering.
Step 3: When the apple butter has thickened to your liking, remove it from the heat. For an extra smooth, silky texture, blend with an immersion blender (optional but highly recommended).
Step 4: Your apple butter is now ready to enjoy! Store it in jars in the refrigerator, freeze for longer storage, or process in a water-bath canner if you’d like it to be shelf-stable.
How To Can This Apple Butter
Step 1: Set up your water bath canner or large pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil.
Step 2: Ladle hot apple butter into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a bubble remover or silicone spatula.
Step 3: Wipe rims clean with a clean towel, place new lids, and secure rings.
Step 4: Place jars in the canner, ensuring at least 1 inch of water above them. Process for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts).
Step 5: Remove jars and let sit undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals (lids should be flat, sealed tight, and not pop when you press on them). Remove rings and store sealed jars in your pantry.
If you try this delicious honey-sweetened apple butter, I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a comment down below and don’t forget to leave me a 5-star review if you loved this recipe!
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Printable Recipe Card
Delicious Apple Butter With Honey
Equipment
- Instant Pot, slow cooker, or large pot
- immersion blender optional
- Mason jars with new lids.
- Water bath canner or large pot. for canning
- Canning rack optional, for canning
- Jar lifter optional, for canning
- Wide-mouth funnel optional, for canning
- Bubble remover optional, for canning
- Clean towels. for canning
Ingredients
- 4 lbs (8 cups) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey or more, to taste
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1½ tsp apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice, or all spice
- 1-2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, optional
- ½ tbsp lemon juice optional
Instructions
For making the apple butter
- In your Instant Pot, slow cooker, or a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine the applesauce, cinnamon, apple pie spice (or other spices of choice), honey, vanilla, and lemon juice (if using). Stir well to mix everything together.
- Cook the apple butter uncovered on high heat for about 3 hours (or until thick enough), stirring occasionally.Instant Pot: Press the Slow Cook button, then adjust to More (or High on some models).Slow cooker: Set to High with the lid off.Stovetop: Simmer on medium-low heat with the lid slightly ajar to prevent splattering.
- When the apple butter has thickened to your liking, remove it from the heat. For an extra smooth, silky texture, blend with an immersion blender (optional but highly recommended).
- Your apple butter is now ready to enjoy! Store it in jars in the refrigerator, freeze for longer storage, or process in a water-bath canner if you’d like it to be shelf-stable.
For canning
- Set up your water bath canner or large pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil.
- Ladle hot apple butter into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles with a bubble remover or silicone spatula.
- Wipe rims clean with a clean towel, place new lids, and secure rings.
- Place jars in the canner, ensuring at least 1 inch of water above them. Process for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts).
- Remove jars and let sit undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals (lids should be flat, sealed tight, and not pop when you press on them). Remove rings and store sealed jars in your pantry.
Notes
- Use store-bought or homemade applesauce. Find my easy no-peel Instant Pot applesauce recipe here. One batch of my applesauce makes one batch of my apple butter.
- You can adjust the amount of honey you’ll add depending on how sweet the applesauce is and how sweet you want your apple butter.
- Properly canned apple butter can be stored in the pantry for up to 1 year.
- Once opened, keep jars in the refrigerator and enjoy within 7–10 days.
- Apple butter also freezes well—store in freezer-safe containers for up to 12 months.
