This Plum Butter recipe 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. Â There it’s called Pflaumenmus and you can readily find it in any grocery store next to the jams and marmalades. Â My Oma used to make Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes) and we would eat them with apple sauce (Apfelmus) or Pflaumenmus. Â She would also use it as a filling for one of my favorite Swabian dishes, Dampfnudeln: Â 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.
The longer you cook the plum butter the deeper the flavor will be; it will develop a rich caramelized flavor over time. Â 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. Â The LOW and HIGH routes both produce excellent results.
A note on sugar: Â 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. Â Unlike all other varieties of plums, Italian plums are especially suitable for cooking and develop a nice, complex flavor in the process. Â 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!). Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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.
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
Be sure to also check out our Caramel Pear Butter!
Flora says
Hi – how long should I cook it for at each stage if putting it in the oven? I guess I’d also need to do the stages with the lid on and then off? I don’t have a slow cooker – but living in Germany I DO have lots of plums! I find this website super helpful in understanding how to cook the common foods here. It’s great having the information all in english so I don’t need to translate anything (except for the measurements into metric) for a change :o) Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Flora! I’ve been slowly converting my recipes over so that all you need to do is click the blue “metric” under the list of ingredients and it will automatically populate the metric amounts for you. The oven method: Use a heavy pot and bake it with the lid closed at 350 degrees F (about 175 celsius) for 2-3 hours. Check the consistency and decide if it needs to bake a little longer.
Flora says
Fantastic! Vielen Dank für die sehr schnell Antwort :o) I’ll pop along to Aldi and buy some more plums later. Your recipes are such a help for us non-germans who want to learn the traditional german recipes. Grüße aus Bayern.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You’re welcome, Flora. And greetings to Bayern, Germany’s most beautiful region! :)
Katrina says
Tried this recipe for the first time last night and this morning!
Taste is great! But I’ve had it in the crock pot for 5 Hours on low
and it’s not thickening… is that ok? Seems funny to me. Help!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katrina, the cooking time will vary depending on the moisture content of the plums. Just leave it in the crockpot with the lid open and continue to simmer it on low until it’s thickened to your liking.
chris ward says
hi Kimberly, the plum butter came out great, really dark, my husband calls it mud butter. but it tastes very rich and plummy.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Haha, as long as it tastes good, right? :) I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Chris, thanks for the feedback!
chris ward says
I was so happy to find your recipe and that it uses a slow cooker….. it is in there and I’m excited to taste it. can I use the same recipe for apple butter?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Chris, yes you can or I also have this Apple Butter recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/24-hour-crock-pot-apple-butter/
L J Petersen says
Can this be frozen? Or does that ruin the texture?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s a great question, LJ. You can freeze apple butter so I doubt it’s any different with plum butter. That said, yes, it likely will affect the texture (some say it becomes a little gummy), but not necessarily “ruin” it. I would test it by freezing a little bit of it first and see what you think of the texture.
Alfredo Unda says
Thanks for the recipe. Do you add any water?
Best regards
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Alfredo, no water is added as the plums release an adequate amount of liquid.
Mary Dowsey-Herington says
Well, it 2018, January, Hobart, making this wonderful plum butter at this very moment. I have always made pear butter ( great mixed with yoghurt for babies) thanks for the recipe
Christa says
I hail from the Rhine Palatinate and have always been mad about this stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have a recipe. I only remember that a relative once said you need to add vinegar to it. All plum butters I have tried are too sweet. Maybe they also did not add sugar. Can you or anyone else advise me? Thanks in advance for any help.
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Lynn says
Could this be frozen instead of canned?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lynn, yes it can be frozen.
Marcia R. says
I’m so glad I found your plum butter recipe when searching for “what the hell do I do with a tree full of plums”. Your recipe was easy to follow and the plum butter (pflaumenmus) was superb! YUMMY! I processed most of the recipe for gifts at the end of the year.
Thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Lol, Marcia, I’m glad you found a delicious use for all those plum!
Glenda says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!! I have a tree of round purple plums – grown up wild from the rootstock of an old Italian prune plum tree that died – so the variety is whatever the prune plum was grafted onto. I’m just processing my first batch of plum butter right now, made with no sugar at all, I just added cinnamon and cardamom. So, so delicious! And the crockpot method is brilliant. Thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Glenda! Cardamom is a wonderful touch, I’ve been making peach butter using cardamom as well. Enjoy!
Cindy says
How about the recipe for dampfnudeln? I had it at a street fair in Zurich and loved it 😀
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I know, Cindy, they’re one of my favorite things ever! Yes, I still need to get around to posting that :)
Elaine says
I am making this now, but on the stove. I used to have wild plum trees and made this every season, but without the spice. I added that this time.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Elaine! In addition to the slow cooker and stove top, I’ve also baked it in the oven (the method many Germans use) and it turns out fabulous and with a little different consistency.
Adina says
Dampfnudeln mit Pflaumenmus – so delicious! I’ve never made Pflaumenmus in the oven, I have to give it a try. Unfortunately I don’t have a slow cooker…
bob says
Looking forward to trying your plum butter, but first I must take a short vacation to Munchen, to try out their old beer recipes!!!
thanks
bob