This apple curd is made with cinnamon and tastes like a fall-themed spread. It can be used as a spread, filling, or added to baking recipes.
This apple curd has a smooth and creamy texture, making it perfect for spreading on toast, scones, or even as a filling for pastries.
The flavor of this curd is rich and tangy, with the natural sweetness of apples complemented by hints of citrus and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
You can use apple curd in various ways- swirl it into yogurt, drizzle it over pancakes, or even use it as a filling for pastries and cakes.
It's great if you have many apples to use and want something easy and quick to whip up.
For more apple recipes, check out my apple cinnamon rolls, apple crumble cake, apple fritters, apple crumble muffins, easy apple cake, apple crumble pie, and apple spice cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Apple and cinnamon flavor- the combination of cinnamon and apple creates a warm, comforting taste that can elevate any dessert or breakfast item like scones, tarts, cakes, waffles, pancakes ,etc.
- Texture- despite the absence of eggs, this apple curd achieves a wonderfully creamy and smooth texture. The use of ripe apples and butter blended in a blender creates a creamy and smooth texture.
- Time- this recipe is perfect for you if you are short in time and want a quick and delish spread to whip up within 30 or so minutes.
- Ease- making this curd without eggs is straightforward and requires only simple ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. It's an easy process that yields delicious results without much hassle.
- Way to use up a lot of apples- if you have ripe apples sitting around, making apple curd is a fantastic way to use them up before they go bad.
What is apple curd?
Apple curd is a delicious spread made from apples, sugar, butter, and lemon juice. Unlike traditional curd, it does not contain eggs.
The process involves cooking the apples until they are soft, then blending them with the other ingredients to create a smooth and creamy texture.
This curd has a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that makes it perfect for spreading on toast, using it as a filling for pastries, or even adding to yogurt for an extra burst of flavor.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Apples- I like to use green apples for this recipe, they are a little bit less sweet, but any kind of your favorite apples will work!
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of these delicious cookies.
Brown sugar- I use brown sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar adds a caramel flavor. You can use dark brown sugar as well.
Cinnamon- gives a delicious cinnamon flavor. You can also add nutmeg and other fall-themed spices that you like!
Lemon- helps to balance the sweet flavor.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor. You can use vanilla extract and also vanilla bean extract!
Instructions
Peel, core, and cut the apples into small cubes. Into a small to medium saucepan, add the apples, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
Add water if needed (we added some water to prevent the apples from burning) and cook the apples for about 30 minutes until they are soft.
Transfer the apple mixture to a blender or a food processor and blend the apples until a smooth mixture forms.
Transfer the blended apple mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and more spices if you'd like! Mix until well combined and the butter is melted.
Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes and transfer it into a jar and let it cool completely. Store the curd for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Expert Tips
- Choose the right apples. Opt for apples that are naturally sweet and have a good balance of tartness, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. This will ensure your curd has a rich flavor.
- Dice apples evenly. Cut your apples into uniform pieces to ensure they cook evenly. This helps achieve a consistent texture in the final product.
- Cook on low heat. Simmer the diced apples on low heat with a bit of water or apple juice until they become soft and tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Strain for extra smoothness. For an ultra-smooth finish, strain the blended mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining bits of apple skin or spice particles.
- Double the recipe or half it as you wish in the recipe card below!
- Replace the cinnamon with nutmeg or other fall-themed spices to get the perfect customizable flavors.
Faq's
Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work. If you like sweet apples, use Honeycrisp, or pink lady.
How many apples you need depends on the side of your apples. We used 5 large granny smith apples for this recipe. You will need about 7 cups of sliced apples for this recipe.
You can half this recipe by using our feature on our recipe card below!
Fruit curd is a creamy, tangy spread made primarily from fruit juice commonly lemon, lime, orange, or raspberry combined with sugar, eggs, and butter.
The mixture is gently cooked until it thickens to a smooth consistency. This condiment can be used as a filling for tarts and pastries or simply enjoyed as a spread on toast or scones.
It is commonly used as a filling for tarts, pastries, and cakes. Additionally, it can be spread on toast or scones for a delish breakfast treat.
Fruit curd also serves as a flavorful layer in parfaits and trifles, adding a tangy contrast to sweet desserts.
Storing
This curd lasts for up to a month stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure that you are using an airtight container like a mason jar.
Freezing
To begin, ensure that your apple curd has cooled completely to room temperature.
Once cooled, transfer the curd into airtight containers or freezer-safe bags, leaving some space at the top to allow for expansion as it freezes.
It's crucial to remove as much air as possible from the containers or bags to prevent freezer burn and maintain the curd's quality.
Label each container with the date and contents before placing them in the freezer. Properly frozen curd can last up to three months, retaining its flavor and texture when thawed in the refrigerator before use.
Substitutions
Vegan- swap the butter with vegan butter for a dairy-free and vegan option.
Variations
Spices- add your favorite fall spices to this paste to add a delicious flavor like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin spice, etc.
Fruit- swap the apples with pears and make this into pear curd!
Vanilla bean- add the inside of the vanilla bean and add it to the curd mixture instead of the vanilla extract. Or use a vanilla bean extract.
Citrus- you can add a delicious citrus touch to this curd by adding the zest of lemon, or orange, or any of your favorite citrus.
Serving tips
There are so many ways to use this curd. You can use it as a spread, a filling for pastries, add it to muffins to make them extra moist, and more! Here are our favorite ways to use it:
- As a spread- use this as a spread on scones, pancakes, muffins, waffles, English muffins, and toast!
- As a filling for a tart- you can use this as a filling for an apple tart! Fill the tart crust with this curd and top it with sliced apples and bake!
- As a filling for pastries- you can use this curd as a filling for apple turnovers, apple danish, or as a filling in a puff pastry dough that is topped with an easy glaze!
- As a filling for cakes- add the curd as a filling in a layered cake!
- As a filling for donuts- fill donuts with this curd for a fall-flavored donut!
- As a filling for macarons- fill macarons with this curd for a fall spiced macaron!
- As an addition to a smoothie like a banana smoothie or any fruit smoothie!
- As an addition to oatmeal- this tastes so delish an addition to your daily oatmeal! It adds so much flavor and ups your oatmeal game.
Equipment
- Rubber spatula
- Saucepan
- Apple corer and slicer
- Mason jar
- Blender or food processor
More apple recipes to try
Apple upside-down cake- This upside-down apple cake features an incredibly moist cake that is loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a caramelized apple topping.
Apple turnovers- These puff pastry apple turnovers are made with a delicious spiced apple filling and wrapped with flaky puff pastry.
Easy apple cake (sharlotka)- This apple cake contains only a few simple ingredients to make and takes under 20 minutes to prep.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe:
📖 Recipe
Apple Curd
Ingredients
- 5 Apples
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 3 ½ tablespoon Butter
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and cut the apples into small cubes. Into a small to medium saucepan, add the apples, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Add water if needed (we added some water to prevent the apples from burning) and cook the apples for about 30 minutes until they are soft.
- Transfer the apple mixture to a blender or a food processor and blend the apples until a smooth mixture forms.
- Transfer the blended apple mixture to the saucepan over medium heat and add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and more spices if you'd like! Mix until well combined and the butter is melted.
- Let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes and transfer it into a jar and let it cool completely. Store the curd for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Notes
- Choose the right apples. Opt for apples that are naturally sweet and have a good balance of tartness, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. This will ensure your curd has a rich flavor.
- Dice apples evenly. Cut your apples into uniform pieces to ensure they cook evenly. This helps achieve a consistent texture in the final product.
- Cook on low heat. Simmer the diced apples on low heat with a bit of water or apple juice until they become soft and tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Strain for extra smoothness. For an ultra-smooth finish, strain the blended mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining bits of apple skin or spice particles.
- Double the recipe or half it as you wish in the recipe card below!
- Replace the cinnamon with nutmeg or other fall-themed spices to get the perfect customizable flavors.
Kerry says
This is delicious….i added a teaspoon of mixed spice along with the cinnamon & I used half apple juice & half water for just a bit more apple flavour. Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Niki says
This apple curd is so easy to make and tasted so good!