The Easiest Instant Pot Apple Butter!

Fall is a favorite season for a lot of us. The cooler weather, the leaves in all of their beautiful colors, and apples! The sweet, crisp apple can be made into so many yummy treats and cooking them makes your home smell AMAZING!

I was given several pounds of apples recently and life has been so busy I had not been able to do anything with them. They were getting a little bit soft and I knew I needed to do something. My schedule is still pretty full so it needed to be something quick. Apple Butter!!

Apple Butter? What is it?

Apple butter is a highly concentrated form of apple sauce produced by long, slow cooking of apples with cider or water to a point where the sugar in the apples caramelizes, turning the apple butter a deep brown. The concentration of sugar gives apple butter a much longer shelf life as a preserve than apple sauce.

We love apple butter and it is so easy to make, especially if you have the Instant Pot. I did two batches which yielded 6 pints of butter and it took me about an hour and a half including prep and cooking time.

The recipe

I use this recipe which I have saved to my Pinterest for easy access.

One of the reasons why I love this recipe so much is because you don't even have to peel your apples. It saves so much time. I will run through the step-by-step with you, then post the actual recipe at the end. So if you already know the steps, just scroll to the bottom for the ingredients.

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Step 1 - Prep your Apples

Like I said before, the prep for this is so stinkin easy. You don't need to peel your apples, this is a no-peel recipe! Just cut down the sides of your apples, eliminating the center core. Then throw your apple pieces in the instant pot and the core goes in the trash. Or compost if you're that on the ball, I wish I was! I had about 10 pounds of apples so I did two batches since my pot would only hold about 5 lbs at a time.

Step 2 - Flavor it up!

After you have all your apples cut and in the pot you will add your water and spices. Another reason this recipe is so simple is because you don't have to add a bunch of spices, just pumpkin pie spice and a small amount of sugar. Stir it all up and put the lid on making sure the rubber seal is in place correctly.

Step 3 - Cook

You will be using your Instant Pot for this step. I use this one. Set your pressure cooker to "Pressure Cook" and the time for 15 minutes. Close your vent to seal and walk away. That's it! Easy, right!?!

Once your pot beeps and is done cooking you will do a 15 minute MANUAL release. This means that you will just leave everything to rest until your timer counts back up to 15 minutes. At that time you will turn your vent and let the rest of the pressure out, (aka Quick Release).

Step 4 - Blend it

Once the pressure is all out of your pot you can remove the lid and get your first peek at all the deliciousness. Add in your lemon juice and using an emulsion blender, blend everything in the pot until it is a smooth consistency.

I like my apple butter smooth and not very chunky. Some people do so this is where you can make it how you like it. I blend mine until there are no chunks left. Once blended you will switch your Instant Pot to Sauté.

Your butter will need to sauté for about 10-15 minutes. Stir often so it doesn't burn to the bottom of your pot. BE CAREFUL! Mine was popping like crazy and that stuff is HOT! I used a clear lid that fits my pot to keep it from popping all over my cupboards. Once the sauté is done you can scoop it into your clean jars or containers. These are cute!

Keep your apple butter refrigerated and it should be used within 10 days. I gave my extra jars away to family and friends but if you are keeping all of what you made and won't be using it within the 10 days you can freeze it until you use it. Two batches gave me about 6 pints of apple butter.

Apple butter is delicious! It is so smooth and just feels and tastes like fall. We use it on toast, bagels, pancakes, in oatmeal, pretty much anything we can put it on. This recipe is so quick and easy you can use up all your apples and have a delicious treat to share with your neighbors in less than an hour. The full recipe can be found on Si's Blog, My Bountiful Kitchen, and go check out all her other amazing posts while you are there. I hope you have the best fall season ever. Now go tell your family you love them ♥︎♥︎♥︎