Baked Apple Butter is a luxuriously thick, ultra-smooth preserve that you can use like jam or serve instead of apple sauce with roast pork or sausages. Apples are gently stewed in cider, brandy, honey and warm spices, then blended and slowly baked in a low oven until reduced to an intensely rich, caramelised spread — the perfect autumn preserve.
This baked apple butter is an ideal way to use a glut of apples. Because the sauce reduces substantially during the slow bake, it’s best to make a large batch so your time and effort yield a generous amount.
Below you’ll find clear guidance on the best apples to use, precise weights for prepared fruit, how to sterilise and fill jars and how to process jars for longer-term storage.
Apple butter is incredibly versatile — useful for home-preservers, bakers seeking a seasonal ingredient and cooks who want an easy way to elevate lunch or dinner with a flavorful condiment.
What is Apple Butter?
Apple butter is an intensely concentrated, smooth apple sauce reduced and thickened by slow cooking — in this recipe in the oven, though a slow cooker can be used. Unlike jam, it contains less sugar and is primarily apples flavored with spices and apple cider or cider alternatives. The name “butter” refers to its thick, spreadable texture; there is no dairy in the recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Butter
- Oven-baking intensifies flavour and encourages gentle caramelisation.
- Warm, luxurious taste from spices, cider and a splash of brandy.
- Thick, spreadable texture perfect for toast, fillings, frostings or glazing meat.
Ingredients Needed
Apples. Windfalls are great if you have them; otherwise use a mix of cooking and eating apples (for example Bramley plus Cox’s) so the result isn’t overly sweet and has good body. Choose varieties that break down easily.
Apple cider. A dry cider works best and adds depth; check labels if you need to avoid gluten cross-contamination.
Brandy. Adds a rounded, warming note to the finished preserve.
Dark brown soft sugar. Gives a gentle molasses character.
Honey. Choose a honey with decent flavour — it complements the apples and spices.
Spices. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves create classic autumn warmth.
Salt and a pinch of black pepper. Salt brightens flavours; pepper adds a barely-there kick that lifts the spice mix.
How To Make Oven-Baked Apple Butter
Peel, core and dice the apples, then place them in a saucepan with the cider, brandy, sugars, honey, spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the apples are soft (about 20 minutes). Blend to a smooth puree with an immersion blender.
Preheat the oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / 335°F. Pour the blended apple puree into a wide roasting tray so the puree is about 2 inches thick. Bake for roughly two hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until the puree is deeply coloured and very thick.
When the apple butter is thick and caramelised, blend again if needed for a silky finish, then decant into sterilised jars while hot.
Sterilising jars & lids
Use clean, sterilised jars and fresh lids for safe storage. Sterilise jars in an oven preheated to 160°C / 140°C fan / 320°F for 20 minutes. Sterilise lids by boiling them in water with a splash of vinegar for 10 minutes — do not bake lids in the oven as they can warp.
Hot-fill
Fill jars straight from the oven while both the jars and apple butter are hot. Leave about 1 cm (½ inch) headspace, wipe rims clean, then seal with the sterilised lids to help ensure a good vacuum and reduce the chance of cracking.
Storing
Label and date jars immediately. For short-term use keep apple butter in the refrigerator for 3–4 weeks. For long-term shelf stability either freeze jars (allow 2 cm headroom) or process sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes to preserve them for 6–12 months.
Water-bath process
Equipment: large preserving pan, wire trivet or clean tea towel, jar lifter. Place a trivet or towel in the bottom of the pan so jars don’t sit directly on the base. Fill with water plus 2 teaspoons vinegar and bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes before adding jars. Submerge jars so they are covered by at least 1 inch of water, keep the water at a rolling boil for 15 minutes, then remove jars and leave undisturbed to cool completely. Check that lids have sealed (they should not flex up when pressed).
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Trim out any bruised or damaged apple before cooking; the butter needs fresh fruit.
- If you own a food mill you can skip peeling and coring: cook the apples, then pass them through the mill to remove skins and cores and save time. Note that this prevents inspection for pests or hidden bruising.
- An immersion blender is convenient and tidy; a stand blender works too for very smooth results.
- The apple butter is ready when it is jammy, thick and caramelised. Blend any darkened top back into the mix for uniform colour and texture.
- Start preparing the water bath while the apple butter finishes in the oven so jars can be hot-filled and processed promptly.
- Essential equipment: large heavy pot or roasting tray, immersion blender, jam funnel, jar lifter and 190 ml jars (or similar) for storing.
FAQs
Yes. Omit the cider and brandy and add about 300 ml water to help the apples cook down. You may need slightly less oven time — check every 30 minutes for the desired thickness.
It should be thick, jammy and scoop heavily from the pan with a caramelised colour. Frequent stirring during the two-hour bake helps achieve an even texture.
Yes. The sugar and alcohol levels here are not sufficient for shelf stability without processing. Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for 6–12 months storage, or refrigerate for 3–4 weeks.
Once opened, store in the fridge and use within about 2 weeks.
Discard jars if the lid has popped (seal lost) or if any mould appears. Mould can send invisible threads through the product, so scraping won’t make it safe.
Favourite Uses for Apple Butter
- Spread on hot buttered toast, crumpets or English muffins.
- Swirled into yoghurt, porridge or rice pudding.
- Served with glazed ham, roast pork or pork chops as a condiment or glaze.
- Used in sandwiches and cheese toasties for a sweet-savory lift.
- Baked into cakes, muffins, cookies or used as a filling for a Victoria sandwich.
- Enjoyed straight from the jar as a spoonable treat, or served with mature cheddar on oatcakes for a cheeseboard.
More Autumnal Preserves You’ll Love
Pumpkin jam makes the most of squash season, offering a smooth, slightly savory sweet preserve scented with vanilla and nutmeg.
Pear jam is delicate and fragrant, a lovely way to use surplus pears with a soft vanilla character.
Apple and stem ginger chutney is quick and richly spiced — excellent with cheese, crackers or cold meats.
Oven-Baked Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg apples
- 500 ml apple cider
- 175 g dark brown soft sugar
- 125 g honey
- 75 ml brandy
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Peel, core and dice the apples, then weigh them. You need roughly 1700–1750 g diced apple for the recipe — add more apple if required.
- Place the diced apples in a saucepan with the cider, brandy, sugar, honey, spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the apples are soft, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / 335°F.
- Blend the cooked apples and cooking liquid with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Transfer the puree to a large roasting tray to a depth of about 2 inches and bake for around two hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until extremely thick and caramelised.
- Blend again if needed to achieve a silky texture, then spoon the hot apple butter into sterilised jars, leaving 1 cm headspace. Wipe rims and seal with sterilised lids.
- Store jars in the refrigerator for 3–4 weeks, freeze with 2 cm headroom, or process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for 6–12 months shelf stability.
Water-Bath Processing
- Place a tea towel or wire trivet in the bottom of a large preserving pan so jars don’t touch the pan base.
- Fill the pan with water and add 2 tsp vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil and maintain for 15 minutes before adding jars.
- Submerge jars so they are covered by at least 1 inch of water and keep a rolling boil for 15 minutes.
- Remove jars and leave undisturbed until fully cool. Check seals — lids should not flex up when pressed.
Notes
Yield: Makes approximately 5 x 190 g jars.
Sterilising jars: Place jars in an oven preheated to 160°C / 140°C fan / 320°F for 20 minutes. Boil lids with a splash of vinegar for 10 minutes.
Discard: If mould appears or the lid pop indicates a lost vacuum, discard the contents.
Measurements: This recipe was tested using metric weights; using a digital scale will give the most consistent results.
Nutrition
Estimated per tablespoon: Calories 43 kcal; Carbohydrates 11 g; Protein 1 g; Fat 1 g; Sugar 9 g; Sodium 11 mg; Potassium 54 mg; Fiber 1 g. These values are estimates and will vary by ingredients used.
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