Apple butter is used for everything from toast and sandwiches to baking and topping waffles. The delicious flavor of apple butter reminds me of going home to visit my family. You can use apple butter on toast, as a topping on muffins, waffles, etc.
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What is Apple Butter?
Apple Butter is a highly concentrated form of applesauce. It is made by slow-cooking apples with cider or water along with sugar. Turning the sugar into caramelize form and the color of apples turns into a deep brown. The sugar concentration gives a longer shelf life to apple butter which is more than the applesauce.
Health Benefits of Apple Butter:
- The fiber in apple butter helps to prevent constipation.
- It’s helpful in losing more weight rather than other similar spreads like fruit jelly.
What can I Substitute for Apple Butter?
If you are cooking a baking recipe that calls for apple butter and you don’t have it right now, you can use its substitutes. Finding an apple butter substitute is not an easy task. That’s why we have listed the best substitute for apple butter right here for you. You just have to check which substitute is suitable for your recipe and choose the right one for you.
1. Applesauce:
Applesauce and apple butter is a confusing term for some of us. Both are totally different from each other. Although, they come from the same source. Apple butter is thick in texture whereas applesauce is more liquified. Applesauce is a good source of vitamins A & C and can easily make at home. You can easily use applesauce as an apple butter alternative in a recipe. To substitute 1 cup of apple butter, you need to take 1 1/2 cups of applesauce.
2. Buttermilk:
Buttermilk is a dairy product. The taste of buttermilk is sour, tangy, and somewhat acidic. It is easily available in grocery stores. Buttermilk is low in fat content and acts as adding more liquid content to baked goods to make them fluffy. It can be used in baked goods such as muffins, cakes, and desserts in place of apple butter. A half spoonful of buttermilk is enough to replace a spoonful of apple butter.
3. Olive Oil:
Olive oil is a healthy substitute for apple butter. The unique pleasant flavor brings out the best in whatever recipe you try. Olive oil can be used in pizza dough, cookies, fudge, pasta dough, and baking bread. It’s a healthy alternative that can be used in the same amount. Just add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder to the sweet baked goods to get the sweet-smelling aroma.
4. Pureed Pumpkin:
Pumpkin is a healthy vegetable with a sweet and earthy flavor. Pureed pumpkin is an excellent apple butter alternative in baking recipes that has a similar flavor as well as texture. Pureed pumpkin acts like a real oil that provides moisture to the baking good. For the exact flavor of apple butter, you can add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
Pumpkin puree can be used in cocktails, desserts, toasts, and bread when you add a teaspoon of lemon juice or cinnamon maintaining the ratio of 1:1.
5. Vegetable Oil:
There are lots of vegetable oil available in the market such as soybean oil, canola oil, and palm oil. Vegetable oil is not as healthy as apple butter, but in an emergency, you can replace apple butter with vegetable oil. It’s a good apple butter replacement in baking but not much used by pastry chefs in other baked goods. To replace a cup of apple butter in a recipe, 3/4 cup of vegetable oil is enough to use.
6. Margarine:
Margarine is a processed spread prepared using oil, water, and salt. It is one of the most used alternatives for baking goods such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts, etc. The buttery flavor and creamy texture of margarine make it a good replacement for apple butter. It may not be a good choice for you but would be better to stick with butter.
7. Yogurt:
Yogurt is a superfood that has a sour and tangy flavor. It’s a protein-rich substitute that is used almost in every recipe. Use this alternative in any type of baking goods to provide moisture. Make sure not to use sweetened yogurt or any other flavored yogurt in your recipe maintaining the ratio of 1:2 where 1 refers to the apple butter quantity and 2 refers to the yogurt quantity.
8. Avocado:
Avocado is delicious and nutritious. It’s a perfect pairing for toast when you don’t like to use jam and butter. To replace apple butter in a baking dish, you can use ripe avocados and mash them. Mashed avocados give a creamy texture with a buttery flavor to the baking goods when you use them. Don’t worry about the green color of the avocado, it doesn’t affect the whole recipe. Make sure you are maintaining a ratio of 1:1 when using avocado instead of apple butter.
9. Pear Butter:
Pear butter is quite similar to apple butter. It has a sweet, spicy flavor with a buttery consistency. The textural similarity makes it a good substitute for apple butter in baking goods. You can use it as a topping in muffins and oatmeal. You can easily swap apple butter using pear butter.
10. Apricot Jam:
Apricot jam is a delicious spread. It is made with apricots, sugar, and lemon juice. This jam has a sweet-tart flavor and thick consistency resembling apple butter. It is an easily available substitute having a sweet-tangy flavor. Apricot jam is mostly used in recipes for glazing purposes as well as filling in desserts and pastries. You’ll barely notice a difference after using apricot jam instead of apple butter.
11. Pumpkin Butter:
Pumpkin butter is a creamy butter that is perfect for baked dishes as well as toppings. It tastes really well when spread on a fresh bread slice with a topping of waffles with maple syrup.
12. Butter:
Butter is the last substitute on the list here. This substitute is easily available in every kitchen/pantry/refrigerator. It has a rich-creamy-sweet taste. If you don’t have the above-listed substitute in hand, you can use butter in a recipe. Make sure don’t use salted butter or any other flavored butter. Normal butter blends well with other ingredients. So it’s better to use 1 cup of normal butter to replace 1 cup of apple butter in a recipe.
FAQ:
What does apple butter taste like?
Apple butter has a concentrated apple flavor.
How to make apple butter from applesauce?
You just have to combine cinnamon, cloves, ginger, sugar, and allspice with sweetened applesauce. Cook it over medium heat for about 45 mins or until you get a thick texture.
What is the difference between apple butter and applesauce?
Apple butter is a concentrated version of applesauce. It is cooked for a longer time to the caramelized sugar and give you an intense flavor of apple.
How does Apple butter taste like?
Apple butter tastes like apples. The more intense flavor of apples gets only when apples cooked down and concentrated.
Now, you know the best Apple Butter Substitute. You can choose according to what you have in the kitchen or you can also purchase from Amazon. Please! comment down below your questions, and let us know how much informative is this article for you. 🙂
