Fruit butter is a smooth, richly flavored spread made by slowly cooking fruit puree—often apples, pears, plums, or even pumpkin—with a small amount of sugar and spices until the mixture thickens and becomes creamy. Unlike jam or jelly, fruit butter contains no fruit chunks, no added pectin, and typically has a lower sugar content. The result is a concentrated, spice-forward flavor and a soft, spreadable texture.

The term “butter” refers not to any dairy content, but to the smooth consistency of the final product—fruit butters are entirely fruit-based.

Especially popular in the form of apple butter and pumpkin butter, fruit butters originated with early American settlers as a way to preserve fruit through long winters.