Homemade Amish Apple Butter Recipe With 12+ Months Shelf Life

Apple butter – this old-fashioned powerhouse food was a favorite among early American settlers. They relied on it as a way to preserve apples for the winter months. They liked it in particular because it didn’t require refrigeration and could last for months in cool storage. And it can be made out of easily accessible ingredients that you might even have in your backyard right now.

Today, I want to show you the secret to preserving your apple butter so that you could enjoy it even a couple years from now, and add it to your stockpile for uncertain future days.

Why the Amish Love Homemade Apple Butter and Why You Should Too

Today, apple butter is still a favorite among the Amish, and it’s so loved that it even became a popular community event – the Apple Butter Stirring, where families gather together to cook huge batches over an open fire, taking turns stirring the thickening apples for hours.

Sugar free apple butter is a staple among the Amish people, as they brought this with them when they settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. The Amish community is one of the very few who live longer than the average American and that’s partly because they grow and prepare their own food. They don’t have to refrigerate or use power to preserve it, so they can enjoy it even a few good years down the line, without having to rely on any kind of external input.

The Amish poor man’s steak, the forever butter, the bread and hamburger in a jar – all of these are great long-lasting sources of protein and fat that could help you survive when supermarkets shelves run dry. If you want to see how to prepare them, you can find a short video with all the recipes here.

The Amish know that apple butter is a long-lasting, nutritious recipe that, when properly canned, can last over a year without needing to be refrigerated. This means it is reliable staple, especially during winter months, when fresh fruit is scarce. Making apple butter is also a really good way to preserve excess apples that might otherwise spoil.

They also often use apple butter instead of sugar or syrup in different recipes, like baked goods. It adds natural sweetness and moisture to foods like bread, cakes, and cookies without relying on refined sugar. The Amish value simple, wholesome foods with minimal processing, so the traditional Amish recipe contains just apples, cider, and spices—no preservatives or artificial ingredients. And in the next few minutes, I’ll show you exactly how to make this Amish-loved unsweetened apple butter perfect for canning—and I’ll also share a sweeter version if you prefer a touch of sugar.

Apple Butter Ingredients for No Sugar or Sweetened Recipes

You’ll start with 5 pounds of apples, preferably pink ladies, cripps, honeycrisp, or another very sweet and crisp apple. While you can use things like green apples or, the ever-harder-to-find yellow apples, these are ultimately better in other dishes. Why? A red or pink apple tends to be a little more shelf stable than these other colors (and/or types).

If you want to sweeten it up a bit, you’ll also need about 2 cups of sugar. Whether you use white cane sugar (“granulated sugar”) or brown sugar is up to you, but I prefer to use brown sugar. Why? I like the earthiness the molasses imparts to the dish. While I cannot honestly say that this is an enormous debate or anything like that, there are two definite camps within my family. The white sugar lovers are simply misled. Go team packed brown sugar!

Apple Butter Without Sugar? One Of the Most Loved Traditional Amish Recipes

However, if you want to know how to make apple butter the old fashioned way, like the Amish do, there are many other no-sugar-added alternatives to it that you could try. Most traditional Amish apple butter recipes use apple cider instead of sugar. The cider is simmered down, concentrating its natural sweetness.

You’ll also need good tap water, right around 2 cups of that as well. However, you may end up needing a dab more or a dab less, depending on how juicy your apples are. You can also omit this or use apple cider instead, if you really want to triple down on the apple-y-ness of your apple butter.

When it comes to spices, the Amish traditionally use cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, but it honestly depends on your preferences. I also like to add some ginger, for a slightly spicy kick. Others prefer to add cayenne and cinnamon, or simply want a sweetened apple butter with no additional spices. I would recommend adding some, though, as they are not only flavorful, but they also have incredible health properties, such as:

Cayenne pepper may be useful in reducing inflammations and strengthening immunity;
Ginger facilitates digestion and has anti-inflammatory properties;
Nutmeg has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties , and when combined with apples, it could improve mental state and boost memory;
Cinnamon could help in blood sugar regulation, is antibacterial and has ontioxidant properties.

➡️ What Cinnamon Does to Senior Brains ⬅️

If you have a bountiful harvest of apples, the sky is the limit. You could try a large variety of different spices: savory apples, sweet apples, hickory smoked apples; there is so much you can do with them and homemade apple butter is a wonderful place to experiment. For the purposes of this recipe, my strong suggestion is 1 teaspoon of cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.

The Process & The Recipe – How to Make Apple Butter from Scratch

If you want to make old fashioned apple butter, start by peeling, coring, and quartering your apples. Place them in the fluid you’ve chosen (water, apple cider; whichever) and, at a rapid simmer, cook your apples until soft. My suggestion is to bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce to low and simmer for another 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once your apples are soft, let them cool until they won’t melt your blender (that’s a story for a different day) and puree.

Yes, liquid and all. For the traditional Amish way, pour your puree back into the pot or pan and add your sugar and spices, watching it carefully and using a mesh cover to prevent popping. Simmering apple puree really, really hurts when it burns you. Be careful.

Cook your puree until you have something about the same thickness as organic true peanut butter. I usually use a low to medium heat on my stove top. At my medium settings, it takes about half an hour to get to where I want it. However, everyone’s cooking vessels, stoves, and preferences are different. Do what works best for you. If you really want to do it the Amish way, you should cook your apple butter uncovered on low heat for about 6-10 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once thick and rich, let the apple butter cool slightly. Transfer it to jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks if you want to consume it in the near future or can it for longer storage, if you want to keep it for darker days.

How to Thicken Your Apple Butter the Amish Way

For the Amish, thickening apple butter is all about the slow cooking process and natural evaporation. They avoid shortcuts like cornstarch or thickeners, relying on traditional methods instead. The quality of the apples used also plays a big part in the way this traditional recipe will thicken. The best apples for your apple butter are usually Fuji, Cripps, Honeycrisp or Gala.

Canning Your Apple Butter

I usually use half pint (1 cup) glass jars for my apple butter canning, but if you have an enormous amount of it, feel free to use larger or smaller jars as required. I strongly recommend that you use your canner’s specific settings, reading through your user guide prior to canning.

However, a good rule of thumb is about 15-20 minutes for a fully processed and sealed apple butter half pint jar. I suggest cooling double the time recommended if your apple butter is thicker than what is recommended above (ie: “you could stand a spoon in it” thick) as this may take a little longer to cool off.

After your jars are fully cool, which is usually the next day, go ahead and push the center of the lid – this is how the Amish did it during the Great Depression. If it does not spring back, you’ve created a good seal. Good job. If it does, put that jar (or those jars) in the refrigerator and use or freeze in freezer bags within 48 hours.

➡️ What the Amish Ate During the Great Depression ⬅️

Now, I will let you in on a secret on how to can apple butter the way the Amish do. For the traditional canned apple butter recipe, you will need some canning jars, a large water bath canner, and a jar lifter. If you don’t have a water bath canner in your household, you can also use a deep pot. Start by washing and sterilizing your jars and lids in hot (not boiling) water. Remove them using a jar lifter, and fill them with your apple butter, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace at the top. Remove a lid from the hot water and screw the lid band ring tightly. Place the jars into your water bath canner, ensuring they are fully submerged in water. You can also use apple cider vinegar (1-2 tbsp per batch) if you want extra preservation.

Bring the water to boiling point and water bath for about 10 minutes if you used pint jars or smaller and for about 15 minutes if you used quart jars. However, there is a little catch here I will let you in on. If you are wondering how long to water bath apple butter, the answer depends a lot on a very important, but overlooked detail that might have never crossed your mind: your altitude. If you live in a high-altitude area (over 1000 feet), you should adjust the processing time accordingly: increase the time by 5 minutes for every 2000 feet. Otherwise, your apple butter might not preserve well, your jars might not seal properly and all your efforts could end up going to waste. There may be a small mold layer when you open the container near the edge of the lid. If this happens, I recommend tossing that jar. It usually means that the seal is not as safe as you believed it to be or the glass in the jar has cracked from the stress of canning.

This is a mistake I have also done more times than I’d like to admit at the beginning of my food preservation journey – and it has cost me quite a lot of my time and my food resources. Mistakes like using tap water inadequately with your foods, canning overripe and bruised produce or not adding one common leaf to your jars could destroy your entire stockpile. Even the most experienced cooks make these mistakes – but you can check out the entire list and how to avoid them here.

Your Apple Butter Canning Recipe – How Long Can It Last?

How long will your freshly-made apple butter be good for? If properly sealed in a canner, your finished apple butter should be shelf stable for 1-2 years, with some lasting even longer than that. You can also freeze your apple butter, but keep in mind that it expands when frozen, so if you don’t do your maths right, the risk of your jars cracking would be pretty great, so my suggestion is to simply play it safe and go the canning way.

Now that you’ve made some delicious, long-lasting apple butter perfect for canning, what are you intending to do with it? Let us know in the comments down below and happy canning!

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