Deliciously Easy Instant Pot Apple Butter
Looking for the perfect Fall treat? This apple butter recipe is as easy as it is delicious! Apples and spices are cooked together using the Instant Pot, creating a warm and rich butter perfect for your morning sourdough toast! You can also use this apple butter recipe for canning by simply make a larger batch. Then, you can enjoy delicious apple butter all year long!
Fall is an amazing time of year. Leaves showcase their vibrant colors, temperatures mellow providing relief from the blazing hot Summer, and the warm familiar aromas of pumpkin, apples, and spices fill the air.
It is harvest time, where gardeners get to experience the fruits of their year-long labor in the form of delectable jams, jellies, sauces, and baked goods. Gardens are often put to bed and the year’s harvests are stored away through canning, and other food preservation methods to prepare for the wintry season ahead.
Apples are plentiful this time of year and many are looking for ways to utilize this seasonal fruit that is not only rich in taste but also in health benefits.
Health Benefits of Apples
You can read more about the health benefits of apples here.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
All you need is fresh apples and a few basic pantry staples to make this recipe.
Apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and lemon juice are the only ingredients needed to create this yummy butter.
Utilizing the Instant Pot shortens the cook time and makes cleanup a breeze.
From prep to finish, this recipe only takes about 45 minutes and when finished, you can easily throw the pot in the dish washer.
Apple Butter Vs. Apple Sauce
They both may start with the same main ingredient but differ in texture and flavor because of the cooking time.
Apple butter is cooked much longer, resulting in a thick, smooth, richly spiced spread with a deep caramelized apple flavor. Applesauce is typically lighter, chunkier, and less sweet, often used as a simple side dish or snack.
Why is it called butter?
It can be confusing to some as to why they refer to this as a “butter” when in fact it is more like a jam. It is not overly thick, making it easy to spread. Because of this, it is often referred to as butter.
Choosing the Right Apple
When crafting the perfect apple butter recipe, selecting suitable apples is crucial to achieving the best flavor and texture. For this recipe, I used a combination of both sweet and crisp apples: Red delicious and Gala. Here are some apple varieties that will also work wonderfully:
- Granny Smith: A tart apple that holds its shape well during cooking, adding a tangy dimension to the apple butter.
- Jonagold: A mix of Jonathan and Golden Delicious, offering a balanced sweetness and tartness, along with a juicy texture.
- Honeycrisp: Known for its crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor, Honeycrisp apples can bring a delightful sweetness to the recipe.
- Cortland: These slightly tart apples have a tender texture and are great for adding a hint of acidity to the apple butter.
- McIntosh: With a soft texture and a hint of tartness, McIntosh apples break down easily during cooking, contributing to a smooth consistency.
- Fuji: Sweet and crisp; Fuji apples can provide a rich, sweet undertone to the apple butter.
- Red Delicious: Sweet, crisp, and juicy apple with a thick skin and a mild flavor
- Gala: Mildly sweet flavor and crisp texture
Ingredients for Easy Instant Pot Apple Butter
- Fresh Apples ( I use a mixture of Red Delicious and Gala but you can use other types as well)
- Brown Sugar- This caramelizes with the apples giving it a gorgeous flavor and a beautiful deep brown color.
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract– This adds a gorgeous creamy apple pie flavor to the spread. Feel free to swap in vanilla bean paste or a scraped out vanilla pod if you like.
- Salt-A pinch of salt balances the sweetness of the apples and enhances the flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Lemon Juice
How To Make Apple Butter Using the Instant Pot
Slice your apples (no peeling required!) and add them to the Instant Pot along with sugars, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and lemon juice. Stir to coat the apple slices.
Place the lid on your Instant Pot and turn the seal to vent. Pressure cook for 15 minutes.
When the timer is finished, allow the apples to natural release for 10 minutes before opening the vent (BE CAREFUL! The steam will be very hot!)
Puree the apples with your blender of choice. If you are transferring the apples, use caution as they will be very hot. I use an immersion blender for this step. If you still have apple peels left, discard them.
Next, continue to cook for 5-10 minutes on the Saute mode of your Instant Pot. Stir often and cook until you get the consistency that you prefer. Let fully cool before adding it to your jar.
How do I serve apple butter?
- Use in milkshakes
2. Toast (try it with delicious Sourdough) or croissants
3. Biscuits
4. Ice cream
How to Store Your Homemade Apple Butter
After fully cooling, use a wide mouth funnel and spoon into a jar or sealable container. You may store this in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage. If using a glass jar, make sure to leave plenty of room at the top of the jar to prevent shattering because it will expand as it freezes.
Canning Apple Butter
You can whip up multiple batches of this recipe and can them for easy long-term storage or give them as gifts!
Following the directions from Morgan’s Farmhouse, canning this recipe is as easy as (apple) pie:
- First sanitize the jars in the dishwasher. You want the jars to be hot when you put the hot apple butter into them, so it’s best to wait until near the end to run the dishwasher.
- Then put the lids in some simmering water for 10 minutes. This sterilizes them.
- Now it is safe to spoon the hot apple butter into the hot jars. Leave ½ inch at the top.
- Next wipe the rim clean and place the lids and rings on the jar.
- Put the jars in a pot of water. If using pint or half pint jars you will boil them for 10 minutes. The water should be about an inch over the top of the jars. The time starts when the water boils.
- Finally, remove the jars and allow them to cool. You may hear the lids pop, which is totally normal.
If you are looking for more creative ways to use up your homemade apple butter, check out this great post by Homespun Seasonal Living!
INSTANT POT APPLE BUTTER
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, 6 Quart
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Apples (I used Gala and Red Delicious) Cored and sliced. No peeling required.
- 4 TBSP Brown Sugar
- 4 TBSP Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
- 1/8 TSP Salt
- 1/2 TSP Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 TSP Nutmeg
- 1/8 TSP Allspice
- 1 TSP Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Slice the apples, removing the seeds and core. Slice into quarters.
- Add all ingredients into the Instant Pot and stir well to fully coat the apple slices.
- Place the lid on, turning the vent to the sealed position. Set timer to 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow to natural release for about 10 minutes before carefully opening the vent to release the remaining steam. BE CAREFUL. THE STEAM WILL BE VERY HOT!
- Puree apples with an immersion blender to carefully transfer to your blender of choice. If transferring, take caution as the apple butter mixture will be extremely hot! If any apple skins remain, discard them.
- Turn on the Sauté function on your Instant Pot and cook for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. You may cook longer, if needed, to reach desired thickness. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Allow to cool completely before transferring it to a jar for storage. You may store this in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or it can be frozen for longer storage. If storing in a jar, make sure to leave room at the top to prevent shattering. Instant Pot Apple Butter will expand and it freezes.
