Apple butter

Apple butter is a rich, dark, and smooth fruit spread made by slow-cooking apples with cider or water, sugar, and warm spices like cinnamon and cloves until the sugars caramelize, creating a deep, complex flavor. It is a traditional preserve with roots in the Netherlands, Germany, and the American colonial era, particularly popular in Pennsylvania Dutch country.

🍳 View the full Apple butter recipe →

🍽️ Nutrition at a glance

As a concentrated fruit product, apple butter is high in carbohydrates from natural and added sugars, with negligible fat and protein. A typical 2-tablespoon serving provides around 50-60 calories and is a good source of quick energy, though it offers only modest amounts of dietary fiber and vitamin C.

Nutrition breakdown

Calories	50 kcal
Protein	0.1 g
Carbs	13 g
Fat	0 g
Fiber	1 g
Sugar	10 g
Sodium	5 mg
Potassium	50 mg
Vitamin C	1 mg
Vitamin A	2 µg
Iron	0.1 mg
Calcium	5 mg
Magnesium	3 mg
Phosphorus	5 mg
Manganese	0.05 mg

Per 1 tablespoon (20 g) · estimated, varies by recipe

💡 What's interesting

Culturally, apple butter was a practical way to preserve the apple harvest for winter before modern canning, and its signature dark color comes solely from the long, slow caramelization process, not from added molasses. Nutritionally, it's a unique condiment that delivers the concentrated essence and some phytonutrients of apples in a spreadable form.