Instant Pot Apple Butter
Instant Pot Apple Butter is easy to make and richly spiced with brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom for an essential fall treat.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples any variety (Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, or any mix work well)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Core and slice each apple into large chunks or slices. You can remove or leave the peels on, it’s up to you. (I leave the peels on and still find it blends very smooth.)
- Add apples to the Instant Pot, then pour water, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and cardamom on top. Stir briefly, then close and seal the lid. Cook on manual/high pressure for 20 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. If you’re not in a hurry, you can let it release naturally all the way.
- Open the lid and let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes prior to blending. (This is just for safety to prevent any super hot splatter.)
- Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked apples until very smooth. (You can also transfer the apples out into a traditional blender or food processor; if using this method be extra sure they cool down a little bit first.)
- To thicken the apple butter, turn the Instant Pot to its low sauté function and cook for about 30 minutes. Leave the lid covering the pot about halfway to reduce splatter while letting steam escape, and stir frequently to prevent scalding on the bottom. (Be sure to use the “low” sauté function here, which you can access by pushing the sauté button several times until the “low” button lights up. The medium or high sauté functions cause a lot of splatter!) The mixture should become concentrated into a consistency you could spread over toast. You can adjust just by cooking it for a longer or shorter amount of time.
- Taste the apple butter, then stir in lemon juice to taste. (I use about 1 teaspoon per batch, but others prefer more or none — up to you!) Store in tightly-sealed containers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Notes
- Yield: This makes a generous amount of apple butter -- between 3 and 4 cups for me. Enjoy what you can and gift the rest to friends and neighbors!