Safely Making Fruit Butters

Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on October 3, 2026

One of my favorite things to make and can are fruit butters including but not limited to apple and pear. They are my favorites especially on a warm biscuit surrounded by all of the amazing scents of Fall.

If you are wanting to experiment this year and make your own fruit butters, be sure to follow the following tips to make sure that you are safely making them and also how to save them for either short- or long-term use or even gifts.

Variability in Results

• You can use the same recipe year after year with different results.
• The yield may vary depending on the juice content of the fruit. Some varieties of a particular fruit are juicier than others.
• Fruit that is very juicy will require a longer cooking time to reduce to the proper consistency for a butter.
• Fruit that is slightly immature contains more natural pectin which will have a gelling effect, thickening the butter more quickly.
• The shorter the cooking time, the lighter the color of the finished product. Cook butters in a wide diameter pan.
• The greater the surface area, the more quickly moisture evaporates to create a thick fruit mixture.
•  Recipes that make about four pints usually cook about 30 to 60 minutes for ideal consistency.

Caution—Avoid Scorching

• It is very easy to scorch or burn fruit butters because of the long, slow cooking.
• Simmer rather than boil fruit butter.
• Stir constantly as it thickens, especially as it reaches the point of doneness.
• Even a small amount of scorching will cause the entire mixture to taste burned.

Test for Doneness

• Remove a spoonful of the hot butter from the pan and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon.
• Spoon a small quantity onto a cool plate. When the rim of the liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning.

Process Fruit Butters in a Boiling Water Bath or Atmospheric Steam Canner

• Fruit butters that are stored in jars at room temperature need to be processed in a boiling water bath or atmospheric steam canner.
• Some recipes specify filling the heated butter into sterilized jars and processing for 5 minutes.
• Other recipes use clean jars and process the butter for 10 minutes.
• Either method works to provide a good vacuum seal and to prevent molds in the air space.
• Some products that are low in acid, such as pumpkin butter, cannot be processed safely and should be refrigerated and used within four weeks.

Novel Uses of Fruit Butters

• Spread apricot or peach butter between layers of cake. Cutting the layers crosswise creates more layers to apply the flavorful butters.
• Create a sandwich cookie with apple or pear butter between the cookies.
• Make delicious low-fat baked goods by substituting fruit butter for some of the fat in the recipe.

Making Slow Cooker Fruit Butter

The slow cooker method is definitely my preferred method, the temperature gets so low and consistent the entire process becomes a lot less involved. I can put fruit in the slow cooker first thing in the morning and have ready-to-be-canned fruit butter by the evening.

The instructions are simple: prepare the fruit as described above, adding it to a slow cooker along with a cup of water (this amount will vary by recipe, always use the amount called for), the sugar, and the spices (or add it later, if preferred).

Cook the fruit on high heat for 2 to 3 hours or until very soft, giving them a quick stir every hour or so. Remove the fruit and process using your choice of equipment before adding back to the slow cooker.

Cook the puréed fruit for another 8 hours on high, stirring occasionally, and then cook for another 3 to 5 hours with the lid removed (you can keep the lid partially on to prevent splatters).

During the last stage of cooking, you’ll need to stir more frequently, every 20 minutes or so, and with more frequency as the butter gets closer to being finished.

What Fruit Butters Do You Like to Make?

Whether you are making your fruit butter with apples, pears or even pumpkin (yum!!) be sure to follow all food safety guidelines and most of all have fun.

Please follow Make Food Safe for more fall food safety tips.