Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Sugar Added)

This easy Instant Pot Apple Butter recipe makes a delicious treat brimming with fall flavors. It only contains fresh apples and spices with no added sugar, making it a Paleo and Whole30 compliant.

If you’ve just spent the weekend apple picking and need something to do with the eight bushels that you ended lugging home, look no further than this super fun Instant Pot recipe that requires only a few simple ingredients.

Aside from a great way to use up a surplus of apples, what’s also sweet about this recipe is that there is no need for peeling.

The pectin found in the peels acts as a thickening agent to help produce a thick, smooth apple butter with rich flavor.

What is Apple Butter?

The name might be deceiving, but apple butter doesn’t involve actual butter.

At its core (pun intended), it is really nothing more than highly concentrated apple sauce.

By simply cooking the bejesus out of a bunch of apples, you transform them into a dark, creamy, and flavorful spread that adds a little magic to anything it touches.

What to do with Apple Butter:

Nothing really beats the taste of homemade apple butter, and you can use it in a variety of ways:

• Spread it on your favorite Paleo pancakes.
• Slather it on some cassava flour tortillas and top with walnuts.
• Use it as a sauce for meat, particularly pork dishes.
• Add it to yogurt or chia pudding.

The Best Type of Apple to Use for Apple Butter

Firm cooking apple varieties generally make apple butter with the best flavor and consistency.

I’m talking varieties like Gala, Granny Smith, Braeburn and Honey Crisp (probably my favorite apples of all-time).

If you want to get crazy, you can also use a mix of apples. Experiment with combining sweet apples with tart apples to give the butter that unique apple flavor you’re looking for.

I also highly encourage the use of organic apples for this recipe.

Since we are leaving the apple peels on and reducing down a rather large quantity of apples, you are concentrating any pesticides found in the peels.

How To Make Instant Pot Apple Butter

Start by quartering about 5 pounds of apples and carving out the inner core and seeds.

Place the apples in a 6 quart Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.

Pour in 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and season with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, and a small pinch of sea salt.

Lock the lid and set the Instant Pot on high pressure for 10 minutes.

Once the timer goes off, hit “Cancel” on the the Instant Pot and allow the pressure to naturally release.

Open the lid and use an immersion blender to purée the apples, or working in batches, carefully transfer them to a regular blender and puree.

Select the Instant Pot’s sauté function and set it on “less” heat. Simmer the mixture for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often to prevent scorching the bottom of the pot.

Note: There will bound to be some splattering here, so I highly recommend using a splatter guard to avoid making a huge mess.

Once the apple butter has reached your desired consistency, turn the Instant Pot off, allow it to come to room temperature. The apple butter will continue to thicken as it cools.

Transfer the apple butter to a clean mason jar (or jars) and cover with a lid.

How to Store Apple Butter

• Refrigerator: Apple butter will keep perfectly fine in the refrigerator for at least a month.
• Freezer: Freeze apple butter for up to 6 months in and airtight container. Simply thaw it in the refrigerator when ready to use.
• Can It: Apple butter cans extremely well. Fill up some sterilized half-pint canning jars, then process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.

More Tasty Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Pressure Cooker Chicken Faux Pho
• Instant Pot Curried Goat

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