How to make Apple Butter in Instant Pot
This Instant Pot Apple Butter is what you want to make with all those extra apples this time of year. It’s fast, easy and bursting with flavor.
Well, it’s official – ever since I rescued my Instant Pot from a basement flood, I’ve come to appreciate it more than ever. I think my previous hangup in regards to this appliance is that, despite it’s name, it’s rarely instant. In fact, many recipes I’ve found take just as long to cook in the Instant Pot as they do on the stove or in the oven.
I can’t argue with that – it’s just the way it is. By the time the pot comes up to pressure, does it’s cooking, and then you release the pressure, well, like I said, nothing instant about it.
But – BUT – I’ve found it easy to love in the FLAVOR department. In my opinion, cooking under pressure really, well, concentrates the flavor of whatever you’re cooking (I particularly love it for Instant Pot short ribs and Instant Pot sweet and sour chicken).
In fact, when I did a side by side taste test of my Instant Pot Lentil Soup compared to the slow cooker version, I loved the Instant Pot one so much more. The flavor was SO intense and robust.
So now, I don’t look at this appliance as necessarily being a time saver. Instead, I look at it as being a flavor concentrator. And there’s nothing like the concentrated apple flavor of today’s recipe!
Why you will love this Apple Butter Instant Pot recipe
- The pressure cooker makes it super simple. So it’s a minimal effort but maximum flavor kind of apple butter.
- The pressure cooker enhances the natural sweetness of the apples, so you need just a touch of sugar for deep, concentrated flavors without excess sweetness.
Apple Butter (Instant Pot) Ingredients
- Gala apples (also my secret ingredient in coleslaw with apple cider vinegar)
- lemon juice
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- ginger
- nutmeg
- salt
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How to make Apple Butter in Instant Pot
- PREP. Add apples, water, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt to the bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure.
- RELEASE. When the cooking time ends, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then move the Pressure Release lever to Venting to release the remaining steam.
- BLEND. Use an immersion blender to puree the apples inside the Instant Pot bowl.
- SAUTE. Select the Sauté setting and cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the bowl once halfway through. The mixture should reduce by half (from about 3 cups to about 1-1/2 cups) during this time, but if you need to go longer to achieve that, go longer.
- CHILL. When the mixture is very thick and smooth, transfer it to an airtight container and let it cool at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes, then transfer it to the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours.
Home Chef Tips for this Apple Butter Recipe (Instant Pot)
- You read it right – you don’t need to peel your apples! The apple peels actually help with thickening the butter when they are pureed. They also add flavor and color (just like the apple peels add to the beauty of my apple rose tart!).
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture to a traditional blender and then back to the Instant Pot for the sauté.
- The sauté is where it gets a bit tricky. You need to make sure you cover the pot with either a clean kitchen towel (but use an old one you don’t care about, because it will get dirty) or a splatter guard, if you have one.
- When you stir during the sauté, you’ll need to be careful, because the apple butter will sputter and splatter. Wear an oven mitt to protect your hand, and use the longest-handled spatula you can find!
How to serve Instant Pot Apple Butter
Apple butter is the star condiment of my breakfast charcuterie board and autumn butter board. It would be perfect on a Thanksgiving board.
You can use it in place of the applesauce in my apple mug cake for a super concentrated apple flavor. My friend Carla makes it shine in her apple butter gooey butter cake.
How to Store Pressure Cooker Apple Butter
After the apple butter has cooled , transfer it to a very clean airtight container or containers and store in the fridge up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 6 months. If freezing, be sure to leave some headspace in the container(s) to allow for expansion.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can omit the brown sugar and still end up with a great (albeit slightly less sweet) end result. You can also substitute honey or molasses in place of the brown sugar.
This recipe was developed specifically for the Instant Pot, but there are a ton of recipes out there for stovetop and slow cooker versions!
Yes! This Instant Pot apple butter is naturally gluten-free. Just ensure that any spices are certified gluten-free, if needed (they should be!).
Pressure Cooker Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Gala apples halved, cored and stemmed (not peeled)
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- In bowl of 6-quart Instant Pot, stir apples, water, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until well combined. Secure lid and set Pressure Release to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual Setting and set cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure (pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure before cooking time begins).
- When cooking time ends, let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then move Pressure Release to Venting to release remaining steam.
- Using immersion blender, carefully blend apples in Instant Pot until very smooth (you will have applesauce at this point!).
- Leave applesauce in Instant Pot and select Sauté setting. Cover pot with clean kitchen towel or splatter guard and cook 10 minutes, stirring and scraping bottom once halfway through.
- The goal of sautéing is to get the applesauce to reduce down to a thick and smooth apple butter (like a thick jam consistency). Mixture will reduce by half (from about 3 cups to about 1-1/2 cups). Depending on how juicy the apples were to begin with, you may need to sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Watch the mixture extremely closely during this time to prevent burning.
- When mixture is very thick and smooth, transfer to airtight container and let cool at room temperature, uncovered, 30 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the mixture to a traditional blender and then back to the Instant Pot for the sauté.
- The sauté is where it gets a bit tricky. You need to make sure you cover the pot with either a clean kitchen towel (but use an old one you don’t care about, because it will get dirty) or a splatter guard, if you have one.
Lori, can you suggest instructions for doing this stove top? I love good apple butter, but do not own (and have no desire to own) an instant pot. Even though I grew up around a pressure cooker, and later used that pressure cooker for pressure canning, I am just not comfortable with pressure cookers.
Hi Susan! I have a stovetop apple butter recipe, not to worry. It’s in the the recipe card of my Breakfast Charcuterie Board: https://foxeslovelemons.com/breakfast-cheese-board/
Thanks, Lori! I did a search on your site and didn’t find it. But I have now saved it.
This apple butter was delicious. Both the little munchkin and I enjoyed it. Me on English muffins. Her as a direct replacement for apple sauce. Nice recipe!