This Instant Pot Applesauce is the perfect way to use up apples if you bought too many – plus, it’ll make your house smell amazing!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter – or a butter substitute of your choice.
- Apples – any apples will work but the best varieties for apple sauce are sweeter ones like Golden Delicious, Macintosh or Honey Crisp.
- Lemon juice – fresh lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch. You could also substitute for apple cider vinegar or apple juice.
- Cinnamon – nutmeg, allspice or ginger and cloves would be the best substitutes here.
How to make applesauce in the Instant Pot
- Peel and dice the apples.
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Mash up the apples.
- Serve and enjoy!
The best apples for applesauce
You can use any type of apple for applesauce, which is perfect if you have any specific apple preferences. I find that the best apples to use for applesauce are sweeter varieties like Golden Delicious, Macintosh, Honey Crisp and Gala. Golden Delicious apples are softer, which makes them easier to break down in the sauce. Both Gala and Macintosh have a crisp texture, but a sweeter taste, which results in delicious flavour!
Frequently Asked Questions
Applesauce is super easy to make – you actually only need four ingredients! This applesauce is made of butter, apples, lemon juice and cinnamon. You’ll also need some water to pressure cook the apples in.
On average, it can take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to make homemade applesauce on the stovetop. This is to allow for the apples to soften enough to create a sauce consistency. With an Instant Pot, it only takes about 5 minutes of pressure cooking to make a delicious applesauce! It’s important to note that the Instant Pot does take about 5 to 10 minutes to warm up to the temperature needed to pressure cook, but even then, it still takes less time to make it in your Instant Pot!
The acidity in lemon juice helps to limit the oxidization in apple sauce. If you don’t have any lemon juice on hand, you could also try using apple cider vinegar or apple juice, although it may slightly alter the flavour.
Storing the applesauce
Once the applesauce has cooled down, you can store it in the fridge for up to 10 days in mason jars or airtight glass containers. The applesauce is great to have on hand for an easy snack, breakfast or as a healthy substitute in baking. If you’re looking to store your applesauce for longer, try freezing or canning it.
Can you freeze applesauce?
You sure can! Homemade applesauce can be frozen for up to 12 months in a mason jar, freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. If you’re planning on freezing your applesauce, I suggest leaving out the cinnamon, as it will alter the flavour of the spices once frozen. When you’re ready to enjoy your applesauce, let it defrost at room temperature. Stir in your spices and enjoy!
More sweet Instant Pot recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store the leftovers.
- Use this tool to easily blend your apples right in the Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Applesauce {Quick + Easy}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup water
- 6 apples, cored, peeled and diced any type will work, though I prefer a sweeter variety such as golden delicious or honeycrisp
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot in the order in which they are listed.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- Let the Instant Pot do a natural pressure release. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Mash apples roughly with a potato masher, then you are ready to serve and enjoy!
