Instant Pot Apple Butter

What is Apple Butter?

Despite the name, it doesn’t contain any butter. 🙂

I’ve always been a big fan of homemade apple treats – warm cinnamon apples, hot of the oven apple pies…I’m drooling just pondering about these spiced autumn deliciousness. 😛

And Apple Butter is an awesome way to use up all your apples and preserve your apple harvest. So simple to make, yet so versatile for later use.

Apple Butter is simply a highly concentrated apple sauce – caramelized, brown, medium thick, sweet & tart, and spreadable.

The name “butter” actually came about because of the soft and spreadable consistency.

Oh so good on toast, pancakes, waffles, biscuits, yogurt, ice-cream…yum!!

Instant Pot Apple Butter is Great for

• Spread: spread on toast, pastries, pancakes, waffles, peanut butter sandwiches, biscuits, cornbread…
• Flavoring: add or mix in yogurt, oatmeal, ice-cream, marinade…
• Side dish, Condiment: pair with pork loin or pork chops, cheeses, dips…
• Filling: add into baked goods i.e. pie fillings, muffins…

Applesauce vs. Apple Butter

How to tell the differences between Apple Sauce and Apple Butter?

Apple Sauce Characteristics

• Color: lighter golden brown
• Consistency: soft saucy puree
• Taste: pureed cooked apples
• Cooking: quick and easy to make

Applesauce Recipe: Instant Pot Applesauce

Apple Butter Characteristics

• Color: darker caramel brown
• Consistency: spreadable, medium thick
• Taste: highly concentrated applesauce
• Cooking: longer cooking time (when compared to making applesauce) to cook down the apple puree
• Others: longer shelf life

 Instant Pot Apple Butter Testing

We’ve tested reducing the Instant Pot Applesauce into Instant Pot Apple Butter with 2 methods using the Saute function and Slow Cook function.

Saute Method

Using Saute Less to simmer and reduce the applesauce into apple butter is more hands-on (it’ll require monitoring).

However, this method gives you the flexibility to stop right at your desired consistency. Keep in mind that the apple butter will thicken up even more once chilled in the refrigerator.

*Note: this is great for those who enjoy the consistency between applesauce and apple butter.

*Pro Tip: it’ll be handy to use a splatter guard to cover the Instant Pot and silicone mitts if you wish to stir the applesauce.

Slow Cook Method

Using Slow Cook More to reduce the applesauce into apple butter will take longer. However, it’s hands-off and there were barely any splattering.

So choose the method you prefer to achieve your desired yummy Apple Butter! 😀

Instant Pot Apple Butter Step-by-Step Cooking Guide

Ingredients for Instant Pot Apple Butter

• 5 pounds (2335g) your favorite apples (we used Organic Gala Apples), quartered & cored (peeled or unpeeled)
• 2 (9g) cinnamon stick
• ¼ cup (63ml) water
• ½ teaspoon whole allspice, freshly ground
• ½ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
• Optional: ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Optional: sweetener to taste (Brown Sugar, honey, Maple Syrup, or Molasses)

Pressure Cook Apples

Place ⅛ tsp fine sea salt, ½ tsp allspice, ½ (1g) teaspoon nutmeg, 2 (9g) cinnamon sticks, ¼ cup (60 ml) water and 5 lbs (2.34 kg) quartered apples in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Close the lid and pressure cook at

• Pressure Cooking Method: High Pressure for 5 minutes, then 20 minutes Natural Release (turn off the heat and Natural Release for 20 minutes)

Then, turn the venting knob to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.

Open the lid carefully.

Blend & Sweeten Applesauce

Remove the two cinnamon sticks.

Then, blend the applesauce mixture into desired consistency with an immersion blender.

Taste the applesauce mixture and add in fancy molasses or other sweeteners for more sweetness (for reference, we added ¼ cup (63ml) fancy molasses). Please adjust accordingly.

*Pro Tip 1: the color will darken more towards dark brown if you add in brown sugar or molasses.

*Pro Tip 2: Ensure to taste test and add the sweetener according to your preferences. You can omit sweeteners if your apples are sweet enough.

Make Instant Pot Apple Butter

There are 2 methods on how to thicken the apple butter. Choose your desired method below.

Method #1 (Saute Less):

Use Saute Less function (Instant Pot: Press Cancel and Click sauté button once and click on adjust button twice to get to the Saute Less Function) to thicken the applesauce mixture until desired consistency & color.

Cooking Time: Roughly 30 minutes – 1 ½ hour.

Stir occasionally.

*Pro Tip: The hot applesauce mixture will splatter, so use a splatter guard, be very careful, and wear a silicone mitt.

Method #2 (Slow Cook More):

Use the Slow Cook More function with the lid off (Instant Pot: Press Cancel and Click Slow Cook button once and click on adjust button to get to the Slow Cook More Function) to thicken the applesauce mixture until desired consistency & color.

Cooking Time: Roughly 4 – 8 hours.

*Pro Tip: The apple butter will thicken up even more once chilled in the refrigerator.

Enjoy your delicious Instant Pot Apple Butter!! 🙂

Cooking Tips for Instant Pot Apple Butter

1. To Peel or not to Peel?

Peeling is completely optional. You can simply blend and puree the apple skins with the applesauce to increase the fiber and micronutrient content.

2. Make Easy Apple Turnovers

Use your Instant Pot Applesauce or Instant Pot Apple Butter to make these 3-ingredient apple turnovers.

So easy So good!!

Tools for Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Immersion Hand Blender
• Splatter Guard
• Silicone Mitt

Other Instant Pot Apples Recipe

Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal