Instant Pot Apple Butter

This Instant Pot apple butter tastes like it was cooked all day - but secretly only takes just over an hour! Made with three simple ingredients and no added sugar, it's a delicious fall treat that is vegan, gluten-free, and made with wholesome ingredients.

Just like our Instant Pot applesauce recipe, the pressure cooker does all the hard work for this Instant Pot apple butter - making it so easy to prepare. You can also make crockpot apple butter, which takes a little bit longer to make but is also easy and tasty.

This apple butter is the ultimate fall treat that is both indulgent and easy. With no added sugar, it still tastes sweet thanks to the natural sugars in the apples, and cinnamon which enhances the sweetness!

Made with just three simple ingredients (plus water), you can have it ready using the Instant Pot in just over an hour. No peeling the apples needed, and no babysitting a pot on the stove for hours as it cooks down and thickens.

Homemade apple butter can be spread on toast, enjoyed in oatmeal, or even as a natural sweetener in baking! This recipe makes about 8 cups, so you'll have lots of extra for sharing and gifting - or you can store it away in the freezer for later.

Recipe Video

Watch the video below to see how to cook this recipe! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel and Facebook page.

What Is Apple Butter?

Apple butter is a slightly more rich, sweet, and luxurious version of applesauce. While applesauce cooks up quickly, apple butter typically simmers away on the stovetop or in a slow cooker all day. Cooking it for longer than apple sauce allows it to thicken and caramelize the spices and sugars from the apples. 

Ingredient Notes

• Apples - we recommend using a mixture of red and green apples for the best flavor; you may leave the skins on or take the time to peel them. See below for more info on types of apples you can use for this recipe.
• Vanilla - vanilla extract adds sweetness and a delicious aroma
• Cinnamon - brings out the flavors of the apples and compliments their natural sweetness.

Types Of Apples You Can Use

For this Instant Pot apple butter, we have found that combining different apple varieties gives your applesauce so much more depth of flavor. We would advise staying away from macintosh or red delicious apples because they can add a mealy texture to the sauce.

Here are some varieties that you could include:

• granny smith - we don't recommend using 100% granny smith apples but to mix them in with a sweeter red apple
• fuji
• golden delicious
• braeburn
• courtland
• ambrosia
• gala

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Step by Step Directions

Prepare Apples

Chop apples into 8 pieces, removing the core. Leave the skin on or peel it off.

Combine

In the stainless steel pot of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot, place the apples, cinnamon, vanilla, and ¼ cup of water.

Note - though this recipe only has ¼ cup of added liquid, the apples release a lot of liquid while heating, which helps bring the Instant Pot to pressure. We had success in both 6 and 8 quart Instant Pots using ¼ cup liquid.

Pressure Cook

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the 'sealing' position, and pressure cook for 10 minutes. When the cooking cycle has completed, allow the pressure to release naturally (around 30 minutes).

Purée

Using an immersion blender, purée the apples until smooth.

Note- we love this immersion blender!

Simmer

Select the 'sauté' button on the Instant Pot, then select 'adjust' to set the pot to the lowest sauté temperature. Allow the apple butter to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Once the apple butter has reduced to the consistency you'd like, use oven mitts to remove the inner pot from the base of the Instant Pot, and allow it to cool.

Serve

Spread it on toast, swirl into oatmeal, or enjoy as is.

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FAQ

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14 Ways To Use it up

Apple butter makes a great gift during the fall season. It's always fun to share a jar or two with family or friends or in your next hostess gift basket! But, if you still have lots leftover, you can also use it up in the following ways:

1. Slather it on top of pancakes
2. In oatmeal or steel cut oats
3. In overnight oats
4. Spread it on toast
5. With a charcuterie spread or appetizer platter - apple always pairs well with cheese!
6. With pork ternderloin
7. Slathered on muffuins, like these apple coffeecake muffins or on pumpkin bread!
8. On french toast
9. In these brown butter apple blondies
10. With homemade waffles
11. As a side with overnight french toast bake
12. On roasted brussels sprouts with maple butter
13. In a honey, apple, cheddar and bacon panini
14. Use it as a natural sweetener in baking, just as you would apple sauce. These rhubarb muffins would work great with apple butter

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Storage

• Fridge - Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• Freeze - Freeze in an airtight freezer container for up to 6 months. Alternatively, you can freeze in jars using the tips below.
• Canning - we've never canned this recipe before, but if you know how to can jams and sauces, you could also can this apple butter to preserve it.

Tips for Freezing In Jars

Here are a few tips for freezing black beans in mason jars to avoid the jars breaking:

1. Make sure to select canning jars; repurposed pasta sauce or food jars are not designed to withstand dramatic temperature shifts and can break.
2. Avoid jars that have 'shoulders' and taper in at the top, as they are more prone to breaking
3. Leave an inch from the top of the jar empty to account for expansion when freezing
4. Leave the lids ajar until the beans are frozen solid- at this point, you can secure them!