This Instant Pot apple butter is smooth, sweet and absolutely delicious. Perfect to serve on toasted bread or pancakes.
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Apple butter is one of my favorite dishes to make during apple season. Made with ripe, juicy apples, and a little bit of seasoning, this spread is not only easy to make, but also tastes great.
Apple butter is a thick and creamy spread, with an intense apple flavor. It's an excellent condiment, and one of my favorite jams of all time. And with this Instant Pot recipe, you can make it in just one hour.
Why you'll love it
- Easy to make
- A great way to use up a surplus of apples
- No added sugar
- Simple to customize
- A great freezer jam
- Kids love it!
🥘 More INSTANT POT RECIPES From Hint of Healthy
Ingredients
Apples: Use your favorite sweet apples. This is a great recipe to use up the apples growing in your garden. I usually use gala apples. Avoid using sour types, like Granny Smith.
Cinnamon stick: Adds lovely flavor. You can substitute with a pinch or ground cinnamon instead.
Water: It's important to add a little water to your Instant Pot, or it won't come to pressure correctly.
Vanilla extract, salt and allspice: Add flavor. These ingredients can all be omitted or substituted.
💡 TIP! This simple base recipe can easily be customized to suit your preferences. See the Variations section below for some fantastic flavor ideas.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
This simple recipe only has a few steps. First, pressure cook the ingredients on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, before you perform a quick release.
The apples should be really soft at this point. Remove the cinnamon stick from the pressure cooker, and use an immersion blender to puree the apples smooth. The consistency should be quite similar to apple sauce.
Cover the Instant Pot with a splatter guard. Saute the apple puree for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid will thicken, and gain a slightly darker color. Stir occasionally.
When the apple butter has reached a consistency you like, turn off the Instant Pot, and allow the spread to cool down before you transfer it to containers for storage.
💡 TIP! Want to avoid the splatter? Instead of using the saute mode, you can cook the apple butter on the slow cooker setting for 4-6 hours instead. Make sure to cover most of the pot with a lid, leaving a small gap to release steam.
Top tips
- Use ripe, sweet apples for the best results
- After you puree the apples, you can add more seasoning to taste
- If you don't have a splatter guard, I recommend you cover the top of the Instant Pot with the lid, leaving a small gap uncovered to release steam. The apples will splatter a lot as they cook.
Serving suggestions
Homemade apple butter is perfect to serve as a sweet spread on pancakes, waffles, toast, or a slice of homemade bread. You can also use it as a condiment, or as a substitute for apple sauce in other recipes. Here are some of my favorite dishes to pair it with:
- Pancakes: Healthy Greek Yogurt Pancakes, Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
- Waffles: Butternut Squash Waffles, Cinnamon Raisin Waffles
Variations
Apple and pear butter: Replace half of the apples with ripe pears instead. This is a great flavor variation, and perfect if you have plenty of pears to use.
Sweetened with sugar: If you want to make your apple butter a little sweeter, you can add brown sugar, refined sugar, honey or maple syrup to the apple butter. I recommend adding this to taste while the apple puree is reducing.
Other liquid: Feel free to replace the water with apple juice or apple cider for extra apple flavor.
Other flavors: Try adding gingerbread spice, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, or other autumnal seasoning. They all taste amazing paired with apples.
Leftovers
Store your pressure cooked apple butter in a sealed container in a refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it in freezer safe containers for up to 6 months.
Defrost frozen apple butter by storing it in a refrigerator overnight.
🥘 More INSTANT POT RECIPES From Hint of Healthy
Frequently asked questions
Apple butter thickens a little as it cools, but the majority of the reduction happens while it cooks.
Apple butter is like a thick, buttery, creamy reduced version of applesauce, where the apples have been allowed to cook for longer. Apple butter has a more intense apple flavor, and a much smoother texture. Applesauce is much easier and faster to make, which is why it's more commonly found.
If your apple butter is runny, you can thicken it by reducing it and allowing it to cook even longer. You can also add cornstarch slurry, which is a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon of cold water.
You might also like these recipes
- Instant Pot Apple Cider
- Sugar Free Grape Jam
- Blueberry Chia Jam
- Rhubarb and Apple Jam
- Whipped Feta With Honey
- Air Fryer Baked Apples
If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy!
Recipe
Instant Pot Apple Butter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples (sweet, like Gala)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the apple cores, and cut the apples into large chunks.
- Pour the water into the Instant Pot, followed by the diced apples and all seasoning.
- Seal the lid, and cook on the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL setting at high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, before you perform a quick release according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Remove the cinnamon stick from the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the apples. Alternatively, blend them in a regular blender in multiple batches.
- Add the cinnamon stick back to the pureed apples. Turn on the SAUTE setting, and cover the Instant Pot with a splatter guard.
- Saute the apples for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The puree will reduce into a thick, creamy apple butter.
- When the apple butter has reached your desired texture, turn off the Instant Pot and allow the apple butter to cool down completely before you transfer it to containers for storage.
Video
Notes
- Store apple butter in a refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost frozen apple butter in the refrigerator.
- When you have pureed the apples, you can add more seasoning or sweeteners to taste if you want.
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