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Apple Butter

Christina Holmes

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED July 3, 2025

This is a no-work recipe. You’ll have a thick apple butter to spread on the morning's toast, with a hint of smokiness and nary a pot to wash in sight. Throw the apples on a dying charcoal fire and put the lid back on the grill, or adjust the heat on a gas grill if necessary. You can also make this with pears or a mix of pears and apples.

 

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Apple Butter

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Makes 1/2 cup 1x

Time 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours, largely unattended

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds any apples
  • 1–2 tablespoons sugar, to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt

Instructions

  1. Start the coals or heat a gas grill for medium indirect cooking. Make sure the grates are clean.
  2. Put the apples on the indirect side of the grill. Close the lid and cook until they’re super soft and have noticeably shrunk down; the skins may burst open at some point. Depending on the size and variety of the apple, this can take anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Transfer the apples to a platter.
  3. When the apples are cool enough to handle, scrape the thickened, soft flesh from the skins and from around the core with a spoon. Put the flesh in a small bowl. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and a pinch salt and vigorously mix together with a fork until puréed. (This will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.)

—Recipe from How to Grill Everything

Recipe variations

Maple or Honey Apple Butter Substitute maple syrup or honey for the sugar.

Five-Spice Apple Butter An unconventional alternative for your morning toast: Substitute 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder or more to taste for the cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Pumpkin Butter The flavors of pumpkin pie: Substitute seeded pumpkin pieces (or any kind of winter squash other than spaghetti) for the apples; don’t bother to peel them. Taste after adding the sugar and spices; you may need to add more sugar.

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