1-Pot Apple Butter (Date-Sweetened!)

If you’ve never tried apple butter, you’re in for a serious treat! All of the sweetness and flavor of apples becomes concentrated and on full display. Swoon!

We’re going to show you how easy it is to make this simple, date-sweetened fall and winter treat, plus share our favorite ways to use it. Just 1 pot and 5 simple ingredients required!

What is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is like applesauce but on a whole new level. Imagine apples cooked down into sauce, then slowly simmered with cinnamon and ginger until thickened and caramelized. The result is a dreamy, versatile, candy-like spread.

How to Make Apple Butter

Making homemade apple butter is almost as easy as making applesauce.

This naturally sweetened version begins with cooking chopped apples with dates and cinnamon for sweetness, ginger for a little kick, water to prevent sticking to the pan, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to help it keep longer. Once the apples are tender, they’re mashed into a sauce.

Then to make the transition from sauce to butter, it’s simmered for 1½ to 2 hours to allow it to thicken and caramelize. The result is rich, golden brown, pure deliciousness!

We hope you LOVE this apple butter! It’s:

Naturally sweet
Caramelized
Cinnamon-infused
Intensely flavorful
& So delicious!

It makes a delicious spread on toast or pumpkin bread, topper for waffles, pancakes, and oats, or mix-in for fall-themed baked goods (think apple-spiked pumpkin bread or cinnamon rolls!).

More Easy Apple Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

1-Pot Apple Butter (Date-Sweetened!)

Incredibly delicious apple butter made in 1 pot with 5 wholesome ingredients! Apples turn to sauce then caramelize and thicken into a spread that’s perfect for toast, oats, baked goods, and more!

Author

Minimalist Baker

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SAVE

SAVED

4.95

from

18

votes

Prep Time

10

minutes

Cook Time

2

hours

30

minutes

Total Time

2

hours

40

minutes

Servings

8

(1/4-cup servings)

Ingredients

• 6

  medium

  honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into bite-size pieces

  (sweet apples are best // for tart apple butter, use Granny Smith // organic when possible // for more texture and fiber, leave the skin on — we peeled half)

• 2-3

  pitted

  medjool dates

• 1

  tsp

  ground cinnamon

• 1/2

  tsp

  ground ginger

  (or sub 1 tsp fresh ginger)

• 1/2

  cup

  water

• 1

  Tbsp

  lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

  (for preserving / keeping fresh longer / tartness)

Instructions

• To a large pot or Dutch oven , add chopped apples (peeling optional), pitted dates, cinnamon, ginger, water, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Stir.

• Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes, or until the apples and dates become so tender that they’re easy to mash. Once the mixture reaches this point, turn off the heat so you can mash or blend.

• If you peeled your apples, you should be able to use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to mash into a loose sauce. If your apples were unpeeled, you’ll need to use an immersion blender food processor , or high-speed blender to pulverize the skins and turn the mixture into applesauce.

• Once you have applesauce, it’s time to turn it into apple butter by cooking in the same pot over medium-low heat for ~1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring every 8-10 minutes, until it thickens and caramelizes. NOTE: At the beginning of simmering, you’ll need to cover your pot partially with a tilted lid to avoid splattering while still allowing moisture to escape. As the liquid evaporates, you can uncover to allow steam to fully escape, which helps the mixture caramelize and thicken.

• You’ll know your apple butter is done when it’s rich and golden brown in color, is sweet to the taste, and is reduced by ~1/3 to 1/2 of its original volume. It will also start sticking to the bottom of the pan near the end, which is a good sign. The longer it cooks, the more intensely caramelized and concentrated it will become (a.k.a., thicker and more flavorful).

• pumpkin bread, oatmeal,

  Enjoy fresh, or store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 1-2 months, or in the freezer up to 6 months. Can be enjoyed cold or reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until hot (add more water as needed if dry). Apple butter is delicious on toast pancakes , and waffles and in baked goods , smoothies, and more.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of

8

servings)

Serving:

1

one-quarter-cup serving

Calories:

83

Carbohydrates:

22.1

g

Protein:

0.5

g

Fat:

0.2

g

Saturated Fat:

0

g

Polyunsaturated Fat:

0

g

Monounsaturated Fat:

0

g

Trans Fat:

0

g

Cholesterol:

0

mg

Sodium:

1

mg

Potassium:

174

mg

Fiber:

3

g

Sugar:

17.2

g

Vitamin A:

69.84

IU

Vitamin C:

6.31

mg

Calcium:

14.45

mg

Iron:

0.23

mg