Plum Butter
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This Plum Butter recipe, known as Pflaumenmus in Germany and Powidl in Austria, is made in the slow cooker for an incredibly deep, rich, caramelized flavor. It’s easy to make and if canned properly will keep for up to a year. It’s delicious on bread, muffins, scones, waffles, pancakes, added to cakes and pastries, and even served with grilled meats and seafood!
Plum Butter brings back memories of the time I spent with my Oma and Opa growing up in southern Germany. There it’s called Pflaumenmus and you can readily find it in any grocery store next to the jams and marmalades. My Oma used to make Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes) and we would eat them with apple sauce (Apfelmus) or Pflaumenmus. She would also use it as a filling for one of my favorite Swabian dishes, Dampfnudeln: Sweet yeast dumplings filled with fruit and served drizzled with brown butter and hot vanilla custard. I would imagine plum butter or something similar is made wherever plums grow, but for me it will always be associated with Germany.
This version is for the slow cooker but in Germany plum butter is most commonly made by baking it in the oven in a heavy pot with lid closed, usually around 350 F for 2-3 hours. The oven method produces a little different texture, a slightly more jam-like consistency versus the consistency of apple butter. I’ve made it both ways and both are excellent. For the sake of convenience I usually use the slow cooker. I also like the deeper caramelization that takes place through the lengthy slow cooking process.
Tips for Making Plum Butter
The longer you cook the plum butter the deeper the flavor will be; it will develop a rich caramelized flavor over time. I’ll often cook it for 20 hours on LOW (yes, 20), then remove the lid and puree the plum with an immersion blender, and leave the lid open as it simmers for another 4-5 hours until quite a bit of the liquid has evaporated and the plum butter is thickened.
Alternatively, you can cook it on HIGH for about 4 hours, blend it, and then leave the lid open (still on HIGH) for another couple of hours until thickened. The LOW and HIGH routes both produce excellent results.
A note on sugar: The plums themselves can be safely canned without the addition of any sugar (most fruits, including plums have enough acidity to be safely canned without anything added to them), so that means you can freely use as much or as little sugar as you prefer.
Really, there are no rules here and no matter which route you take – slow cooker on low vs. slow cooker on high vs. oven vs. sugar or no sugar – it’s going to taste delicious!
Italian plums (aka, European plums) are used for plum butter in Germany. Unlike all other varieties of plums, Italian plums are especially suitable for cooking and develop a nice, complex flavor in the process. Their season is very short, usually September through early October, so take advantage of them while you can.
We’re very fortunate to have 3 Italian plum trees and I’ve been working up a storm in our kitchen using the plums every which way (more plum recipes to come!). Making plum butter is a great way to preserve them so you can enjoy their flavor throughout the year.
Plum Butter Recipe
Let’s get started!
Slice the plums in half and remove the pits. Place the plums in the slow cooker.
Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
Cook either on LOW for at least 10 hours or on HIGH for at least 4 hours until the plums are very soft.
Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender, puree and return to the slow cooker) to puree the plum butter until smooth. If you prefer it a little chunky, blend until the desired texture is achieved.
Continue to simmer the plum butter, this time with the lid opened, until the plum butter is reduced in volume to a spreadable texture, approximately 5-6 more hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH.
The longer you simmer the plum butter the more deeply caramelized it will be. If you’re going to simmer it for a much longer time, I recommend doing so on LOW to prevent burning.
Once it’s reached the desired consistency, taste it. You can add more sugar at this point if you prefer and let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
Enjoy!
Spread this on toast, bagels, muffins or add it to a savory glaze for chicken or incorporated in your favorite BBQ sauce. Or serve it the traditional Austrian way with homemade Germknödel!
Be sure to also check out our Caramel Pear Butter!
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Plum Butter (Pflaumenmus)
Ingredients
- 6 pound Italian plums ,halved and pits removed
- 4 cups sugar ,or combination of white and brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Place the plums in the slow cooker. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Cook either on LOW for at least 10 hours or on HIGH for at least 4 hours until the plums are very soft.Use an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender, puree and return to the slow cooker) to puree the plum butter until smooth. If you prefer it a little chunky, blend until the desired texture is achieved.
- Continue to simmer the plum butter, this time with the lid opened, until the plum butter is reduced in volume to a spreadable texture, approximately 5-6 more hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. (Note: The longer you simmer the plum butter the more deeply caramelized it will be. If you’re going to simmer it for a much longer time, I recommend doing so on LOW to prevent burning. I’ll often simmer it with the lid closed for up to 20 hours and then open the lid, puree it, and simmer for another 5-6 hours until thickened.) Once it’s reached the desired consistency, taste it. You can add more sugar at this point if you prefer and let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
- For Canning: Pour the hot plum butter into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rim and secure the lids. Boil in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before transferring them to a cool, dark place for long-term storage. Will keep opened in the fridge for up to 2 months.Makes approximately 4-5 pints depending on how long you cook and reduce the plum butter.
- Spread this on toast, bagels, muffins, incorporate it into your favorite BBQ sauce or savory chicken/pork glaze.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet September 13, 2016
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I’m looking forward to trying this! Do you think it would work to make this recipe with less sugar? I’d like to minimize sugar but don’t want to mess up the recipe either:)
Thank you!
Absolutely, Emily. You can use however little you like. And you can always stir in more towards the end after tasting it if you decide you want it sweeter.
I made your recipe a couple years ago and it was a hit. Didn’t have a bumper crop of plums last year so didn’t make any however this year I am. as I am not a canner I jar it up let it cool and then freeze it like I do my freezer jams. Gave away as Christmas gifts and to friends who came over to the mailman, etc. Looking forward to making it again this year.
That’s terrific, Judy, thanks so much for the feedback! We didn’t have a bumper crop either but for different reasons – the squirrels got every single one, lol! Along with all the pears, apples, figs and peaches…. Until we figure out a viable solution I will live vicariously through your success! <3
Is there a reason the spices are added at the beginning? They added a funny taste, not burnt but not normal, that I think was due to the very long cooking. My slow cooker cookbook recommends adding spices near the end of cooking.
Hi Hanna, yes it’s to extract maximum flavor from the spices. This is made the way we make it in Germany where the plum butter has a very rich and deep flavor. If you prefer less of the spiced flavor you can also reduce the amount used.
Can I step the canning step and keep in refrigerator for up to 2 months?
Yes, there’s no need to use the canning process unless you’re wanting to store it long-term. I’m not sure if it will keep for as long as 2 month in the fridge, but it will keep for a while for sure. Alternatively you can also freeze it and it will keep even longer.
Have you ever measured the post-stone removal weight of your plums? Our neighbor gave me approximately 8 pounds of small plums (about 1-inch diameter). I’m worried that the percent that is fruit may be lower than in larger plums, thus throwing off the sugar and spice measurements
Hi Martin, I haven’t. But there’s not a whole lot of risk here. I don’t know how the pit size compares but 8 pounds of small plums is probably within the same ballpark in terms of the amount of actual fruit.
I just wanted write to tell you that I’ve made your Pflaumenmus recipe every year since you originally posted it, and it is so delicious and easy. Much less mess than on a stove top!
My mom and oma are from Munich and I spent many years there and really miss the food! Especially my Oma’s amazing cooking. She is no longer with us, but I’ll remember and miss her cooking until I die! Her Dampfnudeln, Krautwickel, Kaiserschmarren, Schweinebraten and Knödel…OMG just the best.
Thank you!
Made this 2 years ago and was so good! Took my homemade sourdough bread to a totally new level!!
No plums last year but tree looks promising now. Would like to freeze in small containers rather that hot water bath canning. Would this work and do I need to alter recipe for this.
Thanks so much for all your information and great site.
Fantastic, Doug, thank you! And yes, this can be frozen!
How do I make this in my instant pot if you have to leave the lid off?
Hi Debbie, I don’t recommend this for the Instant Pot. It need to slow simmer with the lid off so that the excess water can evaporate and the plum butter can thicken; otherwise you’ll have a pot of plum soup ;)
I am just in the process of making this in the Crock Pot without the lid and read about the Instant Pot. Are they one in the same?
Dying to try my hand at « Germknoedel mit Mohn und Butter ». This is the first step. 🥰
Hi Heeney, they are not the same. The Instant Pot is a pressure cooker. What you need is a Crock Pot, which is a slow cooker. Happy cooking! I can just taste those Germknödel already! :)