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
I’m interested in trying this as I have a tree full of fruit, but I live in Las Vegas and have plums that don’t separate easily from the pit. Any suggestions?
Here’s another update Kim: the plum butter is canned. This has such a smooth flavor. My husband tried both and said that he thought they both had too much sugar so on this next batch, I’m cutting back a bit on the sugar. He was very pleased with the consistency. Using the same processes but we just wanted to have more of the plum flavor coming out. Thanks again for sharing this!!
Thanks, Denise! Yes, both the variety of plum and degree of ripeness will also have a bearing on how much sugar you add. Definitely adjust according to your plums and your taste.
Hello from West Virginia, USA. Someone gave us 3 bushels of plums. While searching for plum butter and jam recipes, I found your site. Using your recipe, I am currently making a batch in the slow cooker and also wanted to try the oven method as they make it in Germany. :) My husband & I can’t wait to try it! I’ll send an update later… thank you for posting the recipe!
That’s wonderful, Denise, what a lucky find! I look forward to hearing what you both think of the Pflaumenmus!
Hi Kim, Just finished the plum preserves from the oven and turned out great! Of course hubby wanted me to leave some out to eat right away. :) This makes around 4 pints. The plum butter is still in the crock pot but should be ready soon. The flavors for both are amazing!!
I’m so happy to hear that, Denise, thanks so much for reporting back!
You don’t see plum butter/Pflaumenmus outside Germany much. I don’t have a slow cooker, make mine in the oven, for 2-3 hours. No stirring involed. Easybreezy. And I don’t blend mine, I like it thick & chunky :-). On a thick slice of white bread. Heaven! Great that you spread the Pflaumenmus-word :-)
Greetings from Holland
Hello daring gourmet my plum butter is not thicking i cook it for another 10 hours without lid . Can i use pectin to thicken it?
Please help!
Nadia
Hi Nadia, plum butter has a very different consistency than jam so I wouldn’t use pectin. Cooking time will vary depending on the water content of the particular plums so just keep cooking it with the lid off and it will thicken up when it’s ready to :) Keep in mind this will not have the same thick consistency as jam, it will have the same consistency as apple butter.
Hi, Nadia –
I just made a batch, and it took about 40 total hours for mine to get to the thickness I wanted – things were quite watery to start. Just be patient, and whenever you walk by, give the batch a stir to see how things are going.
So appreciative for this recipe, Kim! Pflaumenmus is my personal favorite! It brings back memories of my Oma and the times I spent watching her prepare meals and desserts in her kitchen in Esslingen. Now if I could just find an authentic bretzle recipe to spread this deliciousness onto…
You’re welcome, Christina, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and that it finally reached the consistency you wanted. Thanks for the feedback!
Do you have to peel the plums?
Hi Diane, no peeling necessary!
Is the calorie count correct ???!?!?!! 871 / per serving ?????
Hi Mary, no, that is for the entire batch (6 half pints), not per serving. I’ve just updated it to reflect the info per serving (1 tablespoon).
I wonder if you can make with Dansome plums. ?? We have a bumper crop this year.
Hi Dana, yes, you can definitely use those. It will work with any type of plum, you may just need to adjust the cooking time depending on the water content of the particular plum.