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What smells and flavors make you think of Fall? For me it's apples and cinnamon. They invoke warm memories of chilly afternoons and tasty treats. This Instant Pot Apple Butter brings back all of those emotions, and it is super easy to prepare any time of year! It makes a delicious spread on toast or a Turkey Apple Panini.
For even more delicious pressure cooker recipes, check out the Instant Pot Recipes page.
Ingredients needed to make this naturally sweet Apple Butter:
- 5.5 pounds of apples - I used organic Fuji, Honey Crisp and Gala.
- cinnamon sticks
- ground allspice
- freshly grated nutmeg
- pure vanilla extract
- sea salt
- water
No I did not forget to list sugar, I didn't uses any. Ultimately the decision to add a sweetener will be up to you, your personal tastes and the sweetness of the apples that you use.
(yes that is a typo: Fuji not Fiji)
How to make Apple Butter in an Instant Pot:
Core and slice your apples into wedges.
Place the apple wedges into the liner of your pressure cooker. Pour the water over the top, then sprinkle with allspice, nutmeg, sea salt, vanilla and add the cinnamon sticks.
Secure the lid and cook on Manual/Pressure Cook at High pressure for 10 minutes.
When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release manually for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
Taste the mixture to determine if you need to add a sweetener or not. (more on this below)
To thicken the apple butter press the Cancel button. Next you will press the Sauté button, then press the Adjust button TWICE for "Sauté Less".
If you only press the ADJUST button once, you will see the red light under the More setting and not under Less.
Place a splatter screen or loose fitting lid over the top of the apple butter to keep it from splattering everywhere.
Simmer and stir until mixture reaches your desired consistency. This can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes depending on how thick you like your apple butter.
This is after 30 minutes.^^^
And this is after 45 minutes.^^^ The longer you simmer, the thicker and darker your mixture will become. It will thicken even more once chilled as well, so keep that in mind.
Let it cool then transfer into jars and store in the refrigerator for a week, or place in freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- To sweeten: .25 cup of molasses, .75 cup brown sugar, or a combination of .5 cup granulated + .5 cup brown sugar.
- Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon can be substituted for the cinnamon sticks. This will give you a darker color as well.
- Freshly ground nutmeg is amazing and adds a sweetness to the apple butter, but ground in a jar will work as well.
- Apple butter made with sweetener will thickener faster than the unsweetened version. That is part of the reason for the huge time difference.
What is apple butter?
It is basically a super concentrated, super smooth apple sauce. It is cooked down longer to create an almost paste consistency to spread on your morning toast or pancakes. Some recipes like my Boulets liégeois work with a thinner version, it really comes down to personal preference and how much patience you have!
I simmered mine for 45 minutes and it is thick enough to stick to a spoon, and the consistency is super smooth and creamy which is the way that I like it. You may prefer to cook for 1 1/2 hours to dark a stiffer consistency, and to keep the apple butter purists happy.
What kind of apples are best for apple butter?
Any combination of apples will give you a nice balance of flavors, but typically Fuji, Jonagold, Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp are good choices.
How do you use apple butter?
- Spread on sandwiches - Turkey Apple Panini
- Stir into your oatmeal
- Serve with a cheese platter
- Spread on cheese crackers or biscuits
- Substitute apple butter for the compote in these Apple Compote and Brie Crustini
- Use as the sauce on pizza - I have an idea for this one 😉
- Stir into Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Enjoy!!
Instant Pot Apple Butter
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 5.5 pounds apples Fuji, Gala, Honey Crisp
- 2 cinnamon sticks or 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- .5 teaspoon allspice
- .5 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- .25 teaspoon fine sea salt
- .25 cup water
Instructions
- Place the apple wedges into the liner of your pressure cooker. Pour the water over the top, then sprinkle with allspice, nutmeg, sea salt, vanilla and add the cinnamon sticks.
- Secure the lid and cook on Manual/Pressure Cook at High pressure for 10 minutes.
- When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release manually for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste the mixture to determine if you need to add a sweetener or not.
- To thicken the apple butter press the Cancel button. Next you will press the Sauté button, then press the Adjust button TWICE for “Sauté Less”. If you only press the ADJUST button once, you will see the red light under the More setting and not under Less.
- Place a splatter screen or loose fitting lid over the top of the apple butter to keep it from splattering everywhere.
- Simmer and stir until mixture reaches your desired consistency. This can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes depending on how thick you like your apple butter. The longer you simmer, the thicker and darker your mixture will become. It will thicken even more once chilled as well, so keep that in mind.
- Let it cool then transfer into jars and store in the refrigerator for a week, or place in freezer containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- To sweeten: 1/4 cup of molasses, 3/4 cup brown sugar, or a combination of 1/2 cup granulated + 1/2 cup brown sugar. Maple syrup, honey, agave nectar to taste.
- Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon can be substituted for the cinnamon sticks. This will give you a darker color as well.
- Freshly ground nutmeg is amazing and adds a sweetness to the apple butter, but ground in a jar will work as well.
- Apple butter made with sweetener will thickener faster than the unsweetened version. That is part of the reason for the huge time difference.
- This recipe makes approximately 76 ounces (9.5 cups) of apple butter. Serving size is calculated at 2 Tablespoons. Nutrition calculations are just guidelines and not guaranteed to be accurate.
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