Name: Instant Pot Apple Butter
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 115 min
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

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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!

For even more delicious pressure cooker recipes, check out the Instant Pot Recipes page.

Three jars filled with apple butter on a wicker tray with cinnamon sticks, a fall napkin and apples in the background.

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

Be sure to check out the detailed printable recipe card below

Looking down on 4 jars filled with apple butter, three on a wicker tray and one in the upper left corner, surrounded by a fall leaf napkin an apple and cinnamon sticks.

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.

a honey crisp, gala, and fuji apple lined up on a wood cutting board with more apples in the background.

(yes that is a typo: Fuji not Fiji)

Top 10 Instant Pot Recipes Ebook optin graphic.

How to make Apple Butter in an Instant Pot:

Core and slice your apples into wedges.

an apple cut into wedges on a wood cutting board with a red, plastic wedge cutter and a whole apple in the background.

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.

apple wedges, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and allspice in a pressure cooker.

Secure the lid and cook on Manual/Pressure Cook at High pressure for 10 minutes.

instant pot set for 10 minutes on manual high pressure with arrows pointing to each illuminated button.

When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to release manually for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the lid.

looking down on cooked apple wedges and seasonings in a pressure cooker.

Remove the cinnamon sticks and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

cooked apples pureed with an immersion blender inside a pressure cooker.

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”.

instant pot with white arrows pointing to saute, less and adjust x2.

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.

metal splatter screen laying over the top of an open instant pot.

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.

apple butter on a wooden spoon after 30 minutes.

This is after 30 minutes.^^^

apple butter on a wooden spoon that has cooked down for 45 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 1.5 hours for a darker, 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.

Tools used to create this recipe

You can see the rest of my favorite kitchen tools and gadgets here in my Amazon Affiliate Page. I earn a small commission when you purchase through my links, at no cost to you, so I can keep bringing you more delicious recipes!

How do you use apple butter?

Spread on sandwiches – Turkey Apple Panini
Stir into your Instant Pot Steel Cut 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 base of this delicious Puff Pastry Apple Tart
Stir into Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Enjoy!!