Peach Butter

Can I make this in the crock pot?

You can absolutely make fruit butter in the crock pot. And, it requires less stirring, so it’s less work. But, it does take longer.

For the recipe below, I decided I want to make it on the stove top, but if you’d like to make it in the slow cooker, simply put the peeled peach chunks, sugar, water, and lemon juice in the bowl of the crock pot, and cook on high for about 3-4 hours.

After that time, remove the lid, and stir. Continue cooking for 1 hour, uncovered.

Allow the peach butter to cool slightly.

For a chunky butter, it’s done.

For a smooth butter, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, or use an immersion blender. If it isn’t thick enough, pop it back into the crock pot and continue cooking, uncovered, until it reaches desired thickness.

What is fruit butter?

I mean, there’s no butter in this, so how can it be called fruit butter? That’s a good question!

Homemade fruit butters are one of the best ways to enjoy the taste of fresh fruit in the middle of winter. It’s a way that Grandma used to save fruit.

Basically, they are the fruit itself cooked down to a smooth puree. Thick and rich, fruit butters are just the essence of that fruit itself, and nothing else. Well, unless you want to add some spices to the mix, which it totally up to you.

Fruit butters don’t require any pectin or thickeners because they are cooked down fruit. And they become spreadable and perfect for toast.

But what’s the difference between peach butter and peach preserves or jam?

Fruit butter is just the pulp of the fruit, cooked with sugar, then pureed into a thick spreadable mixture, and is typically very smooth.

Preserves are pieces or chunks of fruit in a gelled sugar syrup.

Jams are made with crushed or mashed fruit and sugar, and is typically sweeter than preserves. Jams use lots of sugar to preserve the original fruit.

Jelly, on the other hand, is made with fruit juice, and there are no pieces of fruit in jelly.

How to make this easy butter

This peach butter is easy to make, it just takes a little time for cooking it down.

Peel the peaches. Cut a small “X” in the bottom of each peach. Gently drop each peach into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds, remove the peach from the boiling water with a slotted spoon, and place them into a bowl of ice water for a minute. The peels should slide right off.

Place the peeled and chopped peaches along with the water and sugar in a large pot and cook until tender.

You’ll probably notice that I used white peaches and yellow peaches in my butter. Both are great, and you can use either or both. I typically like white peaches better, because they are sweeter and are usually free stone (which means the pits come right out).

Note: I have heard that white peaches are not safe for water bath canning due to their acidity level. Since I typically don’t can things I don’t run into that problem, but if you’d like to can this butter, be sure to follow all safe handling practices.

Puree and strain the cooked peaches.

Cook the peach puree until thickened to your liking!

Can I use frozen peaches instead of fresh?

Yes! Frozen peaches will totally work for this fruit butter. Just follow the recipe using the frozen peaches.

Can I add spices to my peach butter recipe? 

Sure, you can add spices to your heart’s content. I love the simple and pure flavor of peaches; I want the peach to shine, so my recipe doesn’t have any spices in it.

You can add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, vanilla, balsamic vinegar. Anything that makes you happy.

How do I use fruit butter?

The most popular way to use fruit better is to spread it on your morning toast. Or maybe a biscuit. Top a stack of pancakes or waffles with the butter. This is a great pancake recipe to try.

My favorite way to enjoy it is over cottage cheese with a drizzle of honey, and maybe some lavender flowers on top for breakfast!

Mix a spoonful of fruit butter into your morning oatmeal. Layer Greek yogurt, fruit butter, and fresh fruit for a fresh morning start.

Fruit butter can also be an ingredient in baked goods. Mix a spoonful into muffins or cakes. And check out my Apple Butter Cream Cheese Frosting (simply use peach butter in place of apple butter for a summery flavor!).

Use peach butter for topping chicken and pork chops.

Vanilla ice cream topped with peach butter is so yummy!

Check out my list of recipes that use apple butter for inspiration, and swap in some peach butter.

Storage

This peach butter can be refrigerated, frozen, or canned.

To refrigerate, keep the butter in air tight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

To freeze, pour the peach butter into freezer-safe containers, and pop it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

I’m not a big fan of actually canning recipes, so I typically will simply refrigerate or freeze the items. But, if you want to can this peach butter, you can. Pour the butter into sterilized glass jars and leave ¼-inch of headspace. Process the peach butter in boiling-water for 10 minutes.

Note: I have heard that white peaches are not safe for water bath canning due to their acidity level. Since I typically don’t can things I don’t run into that problem, but if you’d like to can this butter, be sure to follow all safe handling practices.

Please check out the instructions from the USDA’s National Center for Home Food Preservation or the official site from the makers of Ball jars.