Instant Pot Applesauce
This Instant Pot Applesauce recipe is hands-down the easiest way to turn fresh apples into a naturally sweet, silky homemade applesauce. No peeling. No stirring. Just 15 minutes of pressure-cooking and you will have the best homemade applesauce you've ever tasted.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples about 12 small apples or 9 medium apples
- ½-¾ cup apple juice see note
Instructions
- Wash the apples well. Remove the core from the apples and dice the apples into 2-inch chunks. There is no need to peel unless desired.
- Add the apples to the inner pot along with apple juice. For a 3 or 6-quart model, use ½ cup, For an 8-quart Instant Pot, use ¾ cup.
- Place the lid on the pressure cooker and be sure your vent knob is closed or your lid is sealed and locked.
- Hit manual or pressure cook and adjust the cooking time to 12 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes, 15 minutes is best, before releasing the remaining pressure.
- Using a spider strainer or slotted spoon, remove the pressure cooked apples from the inner pot, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot, and place them into a high-powered blender or food processor fitted with an s-blade.
- Place the lid on the blender, crack open the top to release steam, and blend until smooth, adding cooking liquid as needed to thin and smooth.
- Serve warm or allow to cool, then store the applesauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
Best Apples to Use:It is best to select soft flesh, sweet apples, like Gala, Golden Delicious, Fuji or McIntosh, that will break down easily and naturally sweeten the applesauce. For a balanced sweet-tart flavor, add a tart Granny smith apple or two--just don't go overboard or your applesauce will be overly tart.
Amount of Apples: Use just a few apples or pack in as many as your pot allows, filling the inner pot no more than ⅔ full. The cook time and liquid remains the same.
3-Quart Model: Use 2 pounds of apples, ½ cup apple juice, and keep the cooking time the same.
To Sweeten: Add 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey prior to pressure cooking.
Cinnamon: Feel free to add 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Storage: Cool, then store in airtight jars or containers up to 5 days. Or transfer to freezer-safe containers (leave room for expansion), and freeze up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reserved Cooking Liquid: Enjoy as a drink, use to sweeten oatmeal or make more applesauce. It will last in the fridge up to 5 days in an airtight container as well.
Note on Blending: If you find that your blender is not powerful enough to make a silky, smooth applesauce, you can opt to strain the applesauce over a fine-mesh strainer after pureeing the applesauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 152mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 5.5mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg
