Instant Pot Apple Butter
Instant Pot apple butter is a no fail recipe for the classic fall treat. The pressure cooker cuts the cook time down and yields delicious results that you’ll love slathering on toasted bread or other baked goods. Plus it’s a NO PEEL version meaning less work, all the sweet flavor + the nutrients from the apples skin.
In my humble opinion, apple gets overlooked each autumn.
There’s all this buzz over pumpkin everything, and yes, I agree. Pumpkin is delicious. But let’s not forget how amazing apple is too.
And nowhere is apple more amazing than in apple butter.
And this no peel Instant Pot apple butter really takes the cake!
It’s super yummy and delicious with a prep that is fast and easy.
You can’t go wrong with it.
What is apple butter?
Apple butter is basically a super concentrated version of apple sauce made from cooked down apples and spices.
You puree everything once cooked to create a smooth, butter like texture hence the name.
It’s delicious spread on bread, muffins or really any sweet you can think of.
Ingredients
To make this, you don’t need much.
This recipe needs sweet apples, water, pumpkin spice, brown sugar, salt and lemon juice.
That’s it!
How to Make
Making this no peel Instant Pot version is much easier than making other apple butter recipes.
This option saves precious time and tastes great.
Plus, leaving on the peels means you get an extra burst of fiber and nutrients.
To make, start by scrubbing the apples clean, core and quarter the apples.
Add the prepared apples to the inner liner of your Instant Pot.
Add the spices, sugar, salt and water. Then secure the lid and make sure the vent is set to sealing.
Pressure cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
When the Pot beeps, let it naturally release for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes is up, open the vent and release any remaining pressure.
Once the pressure is released, open the lid and hit cancel.
Keep the apples in the liner of the pot and turn on saute mode.
Let the apple butter heat up and stir in the lemon juice.
Then use an immersion blender and blend the mixture until its completely smooth.
Spoon it into canning jars to store and enjoy!
Don’t Have A Pressure Cooker? Make It In the Crockpot!
While I love making apple butter in my Instant Pot, you don’t have to.
I know not everyone is on board with having so many different appliances for various things.
So, if you don’t have a pressure cooker- no worries, you can still enjoy this thick homemade apple butter.
We’re just going to put your slow cooker to work instead.
Add all of the ingredients to the crock of your slow cooker, and cook it on low heat for 6-8 hours.
You can mush it up with a spoon for chunkier sauce, or use an immersion blender if you want it completely smooth.
How long does apple butter last?
This apple butter can be canned for long term storage- IF you know what you’re doing when it comes to safely canning and pressure sealing for long term shelf stability.
Apple butter lasts for 3 months in a sealed jar in the fridge.
Once you open the seal, use the butter within a week.
You can also freeze apple butter for up to a year.
Tips and Tricks
- Want to add even more nutrients to this? You can add chia seeds before blending. Just make sure everything’s finely blended before serving.
- If you don’t have have a great immersion blender or regular high powered blender, there’s a chance your skins could end up leaving a gritty texture depending on the variety of apple you use and how ripe they are. If you’re worried or want to avoid any of that- then you can absolutely peel the apples before adding them to the pot.
- Don’t skip adding salt to the recipe. The salt brings out the sweetness.
What to Serve with Homemade Apple Butter
This homemade apple butter is one of my favorite ways to enjoy all the flavors of fall.
Make it after you go apple picking and enjoy the fresh apple flavors all fall long!
To serve it, I like to pair it with:
- Copy Cat KFC Biscuits
- Sweet Sausage & Pancake Muffins
- Apple Walnut Bread
- Toasted slices of Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread
If you’ve tried this INSTANT POT APPLE BUTTER, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
No Peel Instant Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lbs apples any variety of sweet apple will work
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
- pinch salt don't skip- it enhances the sweetness
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Scrub your apples clean, core them discarding the cores, and quarter the apples. Add the prepped apples to the bowl of your instant pot.
- Add the spices, sugar, salt, and water to the pot.
- Add the lid, turning to close and making sure the vent is set to the sealed position.
- Hit the pressure cook, or manual button depending on your unit, and set it to cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.
- When the timer beeps to let you know cooking time has finished, let it naturally release for 15 minutes. After that turn the seal to vent to allow the remaining steam to escape the pot.
- Hit the cancel button, and then click the Saute button. Let the apple butter heat up and stir in the lemon juice.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the apple mixture until completely smooth.
- Once the apple butter's completely smooth, spoon it into canning jars for storage. Apply the lids and seals, they should suck shut.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to three months. Once you pop a jar's seal, the apple butter should be used within 5-7 days.
Notes
- This apple butter can be frozen for longer storage.
- Want to add even more nutrients to this? You can add chia seeds before blending. Just make sure everything's finely blended before serving.
- If you don't have have a great immersion blender or regular high powered blender, there's a chance your skins could end up leaving a gritty texture depending on the variety of apple you use and how ripe they are. If you're worried or want to avoid any of that- then you can absolutely peel the apples before adding them to the pot.
- Don't skip adding salt to the recipe. The salt brings out the sweetness.
Nutrition
I have a glut of apples at the moment and may have eaten my body weight in apple crumble recently so this is the prefect recipe for me to use them up in a different way – so glad I saw this!