Smooth, creamy, and delicious this apple butter recipe for canning is the perfect way to preserve the flavors of fall. This recipe is easy to follow, sure to impress, and a great gift, too.

We have been making all of the apple canning recipes here recently. From applesauce to apple pie filling, to delicious apple jelly and apple rings, we’ve worked our way through over a bushel of local apples.

My favorite this apple season is this delicious apple butter. It smells amazing cooking down in the kitchen and really harnesses that cozy, fall flavor that we all love.

This apple butter recipe is super easy to make, too and a cinch to can. So, even if you’re a beginner canner, this recipe can be made and canned up to put on a shelf or given as a gift this winter… if you don’t eat it all first.

It has a nice, creamy, smooth texture and is sweet, but not too sweet with the perfect amount of warm spices. If you’ve never canned apple butter before, you’ll wonder why you didn’t.

Tips for Canning Apple Butter

The catch to making apple butter is, that while it’s delicious, worthwhile, and a great way to use up an abundance of apples (you’ll need 6 pounds for this recipe), it does take quite a while to cook down into the smooth, creamy goodness that is apple butter. So make time to do it correctly, you won’t regret it.

This apple butter recipe for canning can be made traditionally on a stovetop, in the slow cooker, or even in the instant pot and I’ve included directions for all three. Canning will be the same regardless of which method you choose to cook it down.

Best Apples for Canning Apple Butter

The type of apple you use is really a personal choice. Some varieties will take longer to cook down than others.

Using a mixture of both sweet apples and tart apples will give the best flavor. Varieties like fuji and golden delicious are popular because of their softer texture, meaning they cook down in less time. However, don’t discount tart, firm types like Granny Smith and Gala.

I used a mixture of honeycrisp, gala, and Granny Smith in this particular batch and the flavor is amazing. Just pick up what you can find at the grocery store, or even better at the local orchard, and use them up. I promise you’ll love the flavor.

Ingredients for Apple Butter

First, you’ll want to gather all of your ingredients. Since this takes so long to cook down, you won’t need to get your canning supplies ready for a while, but you can make sure you have 4-5 pint jars and lids available for later.

Apples – Again, you’ll need approximately 6 pounds of apples. Peel, core, and quarter the apples.

Sugar – A mix of white sugar and brown sugar combine to make the flavor of this apple butter amazing. You may use less sugar, or even no sugar at all. This will not affect the safety of the recipe.

You can sub all one type of sugar or the other if you choose, or even sub in a little honey or maple syrup. None of these things will affect the safety of the recipe.

Apple Cider – A traditional apple butter recipe just uses water, and that’s fine to use. However, I really prefer the added flavor that some local apple cider provides to this condiment.

Spices – Seasonal spices that pair well with apple including cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.

How to Can Apple Butter

There are three very simple, basic methods to make your apple butter. They all result in apple butter that is safe for canning, so no worries there.

Stovetop Apple Butter

First, peel, core, and quarter apples. You can slice them smaller if you choose.

Combine apples and apple cider in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the apples to a food mill, food processor or blender and purée into a uniform texture, don’t liquify.

Place the apple puree, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice in a large saucepan and stir until the sugars dissolve.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir frequently. Reduce to low heat, allowing for a simmer, and stir frequently until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Using the crock pot is a great way to free up some time. I suggest starting this slow cooker apple butter recipe at night before bed or first thing in the morning before you head to work as it will take several hours to cook!

Begin by peeling, coring, and quartering the apples.

Combine apples, apple cider, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a large 6-quart, or larger, slow cooker.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Remove the lid, and carefully use an immersion blender to blend everything until smooth.

Leave the lid off and cook an additional 2-3 hours on low or 1-2 hours on high, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon.

Instant Pot Apple Butter

This method is great if you want to quicken some of the process, but it will still take a few hours.

Peel, core, and slice fresh apples.

Combine apples, cider, sugars, and spices in a 6-quart or larger instant pot, making sure not to overfill it past 2/3rds.

Lock the lid into place and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.

After it is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes, then use the quick release method to release any pressure still left in the vessel.

Carefully remove the lid after the pressure is released and carefully use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until smooth.

Leave the lid off and cook on low slow cook for 2-3 hours, or high slow cook for 1-2 hours or until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon.

Water Bath Canning Apple Butter

Don’t want to can this into a shelf-stable product? That’s ok. You can cool to room temperature and refrigerate apple butter for up to 10 days or freeze apple butter in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Wash canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water and fill them halfway with water. Place them in a water bath canner that is 1/2 full of water and heat over medium-high heat until 180°F and hold at that temperature.

Carefully ladle hot apple butter into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace if necessary.

Wipe rim with damp cloth. Center lid and finger tighten screw bands. Return each jar to the boiling water canner while you fill the other jars.

Once all of the jars are packed, fill the canner so that the tops of the jars are covered by at least 1″ of water.

Place the lid on the canner and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Process pint jars and half-pint jars for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for altitude if necessary.

Remove the canner lid and wait five minutes before removing the jars to a towel-lined counter. Check seals after 12-24 hours.

Remove the screw bands, wash the jars, and store them in a cool, dark place for up to 18 months.

Other Apple Recipes:

• Canning Applesauce: How to Can Homemade Applesauce
• Canning Apple Pie Filling | How to Can Homemade Apple Pie
• No Churn Apple Pie Ice Cream

If you try this delicious, homemade, apple butter recipe for canning, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below! Also, I’d love if you would leave me a recipe review on the recipe card below and tag me on Instagram with your recipe creations @therusticelk!