How to Make Fruit Butter (13 Recipes) ~ fruit butters are the ultimate summer treat ~ they turn a late season glut into the silkiest, most intensely flavored spread imaginable, and help stock the larder for so many cozy fall and winter recipes to come.
What is fruit butter?
Fruit butter is fresh fruit that has been cooked thoroughly, then pureed, and cooked a little further to reduce it to a smooth spread. Often it is put through a mesh strainer to refine it further. Fruit butter differs from most jams and jellies not only because the texture is much smoother, but because there is no pectin added, the thickening comes from slowly cooking off the moisture in the fruit. A true fruit butter has a unique silky mouth feel and intense fruit flavor. Fruit butters are perfect for cooks who don’t have much experience with jam or jelly making because it’s almost foolproof. Just cook, puree, and cook some more 🙂
Intensifying flavor by reducing, or cooking down, is a time honored culinary tradition and is the secret to so many great recipes. Fruit butter illustrates this technique in its purest form.
Of all the fruit preserves, fruit butter is my favorite. Luckily, it can be made with nearly any kind of fruit ~ everything from mangoes and persimmons to figs and  cranberries. Here are some of the best fruit butter recipes to get you started…
SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER ~ Dessert for Two
APRICOT LAVENDER BUTTER ~ SPUD.CA
PLUM BUTTER ~ Savory Simple
EASY PEACH BUTTER ~ Two Peas & Their Pod
VANILLA SPICED PEAR BUTTER ~ Baked in AZ
CRANBERRY APPLE BUTTER ~ The View From Great Island
BLUEBERRY BUTTER ~ bbc.com
CROCK POT PUMPKIN BUTTER ~ The View from Great Island
MONKEY BUTTER ~ 12 Tomatoes
RHUBARB BUTTER ~ The View From Great Island
PASSIONFRUIT BUTTER~ Belly Rumbles
STRAWBERRY HONEY BUTTER ~ The Butter Half
BOURBON BANANA BUTTER ~ The View From Great Island
What to do with your fruit butters ~
If you need a little inspiration for using up your delicious fruit butters, try these ideas.
- Put it on toast ~ probably the simplest way to enjoy fruit butter!
- Or in yogurt ~ A spoonful of fruit butter swirled into yogurt make a delicious breakfast.
- Bake with it ~ There are lots of great baking recipes that call for fruit butters. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Apple Butter Cinnamon Swirl Bread ~ Baking a Moment
- Spiced Apple Cake ~ The View From Great Island
- Peach Butter Slab “Hydrangea” Pie ~ Food 52
- Spiced Vanilla Pear Butter Baked Oatmeal ~ A Kitchen Addiction
- Make a cocktail ~ Smooth fruit butter incorporates well into cocktails. This Apple Butter Old Fashioned from Half Baked Harvest sounds like the perfect fall drink.
- Add it to a sandwich ~ A little apple or plum butter on a grilled cheese sandwich is a decadent twist on a classic.
- Do something unexpected ~ The sweetness of fruit butters can make a great addition to savory recipes, too!
- Baked Apple Butter Brown Sugar Wings ~ Damn Delicious
- One Pan Apple Butter Pork Chop Skillet ~ The Cookie Rookie.
- Apple Butter Onion Chicken Burgers ~ Nutmeg Nanny
my first try this year to make fruit butters. Can not wait to start on them.
This past year I made apple butter for the first time! Loved it!! Thanks for these!! I’ll be adding them to my list of things to make this year!!!!
Would the process for making blackberry butter be similar to the blueberry? How do I accommodate for the seeds? Thanks!
Yes, it would be similar, and you can always strain out the seeds.
My Aunt used to make grape butter with home grown Oregan grapes. It was delicious and a beautiful pink color.
Very interesting, that’s one fruit I wouldn’t have thought of…I’m going to try it!
Can frozen fruit be used instead of fresh fruit in these recipes? Thanks.
Yes, that will work fine.
Hi i was wondering if i could use a fruit butter in any home made body creams..and if yes which fruit would be ideal..thanks
I’m so sorry that I can’t weigh in here I don’t have enough experience, maybe a reader will chime in.