• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A Full Living

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Winter
  • Recipes
  • Portfolio
  • About Us
  • Work Together
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Winter
    • Recipes
    • Portfolio
    • About Us
    • Work Together
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
  • ×

    A Full Living » Blog » Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments

    Published: Aug 30, 2022 by Briana · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Peel Recipe)

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    instant pot apple butter

    This Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe produces richly spiced, sweet, smooth apple butter, with no peeling required! Shorten the cooking process by using your pressure cooker or Instant Pot. You'll love the fall flavors of this delicious homemade apple butter.

    pieces of toast topped with freshly made apple butter, surrounded by fresh apples, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star niase, and maple syrup.

    Each year, we love going apple picking and making a batch of apple butter. In our opinion, there are few things better than peak season apples! This recipe brings the best of the season and wraps it all up into a versatile spiced, sweet, and bright bite.

    Looking for more delicious apple recipes? Be sure to try this homemade unsweetened apple sauce, this sugar free apple crisp, these healthy apple cinnamon muffins, these savory pork sausage stuffed apples, and our sugar free apple cider!

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why we love this recipe
    • 🍎Ingredients
    • ✏️Ingredient notes
    • 📖Instructions
    • ✨Tips & tricks
    • 🍎How to make apple pie spice
    • ✨Serving suggestions
    • ✏️Substitutions
    • 💭Frequently asked questions
    • ⏲Equipment
    • 🥣Storage
    • 🌟Leave a review!
    • 📖 Recipe

    ❤️Why we love this recipe

    • Delicious fall flavor - Fall is our absolute favorite time of year, and the apple flavor combined with warming spices is truly one of our favorites of the season.
    • Low added sugar - Many recipes on our site are made without much sugar. This recipe uses a 1:1 brown sugar replacement, along with some real maple syrup to make it naturally sweetened, and lower in sugar.
    • No need to peel - The apple peels add to the color and flavor of this yummy apple butter. The apple peels are also full of nutrients, so there's no need to waste time peeling.
    • Simple ingredients - You can find everything you need at nearly any grocery store if you don't already have them on hand. This recipe calls for kitchen staples only!

    🍎Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients used for this recipe. You can add or omit spices as you see fit. You can find full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.

    ingredients to make apple butter laid out on a table in small ceramic bowls with text overlaying to denote each ingredient.

    ✏️Ingredient notes

    • Apples - Use your favorite apples. We love using honey crisp.
    • Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed. Balances the flavor and sweetness.
    • Kosher salt - To balance the sweetness.
    • Warming spices - We use a mixture of a homemade apple pie spice (you can use store-bought) and cinnamon. We also use a little star anise, which is optional.
    • Maple syrup - For that lovely fall flavor. Feel free to use a sugar free version if you prefer.
    • Brown sugar or replacement - as mentioned, we used a 1:1 brown sugar replacement for this recipe, but you could use regular brown sugar if you prefer.
    • Water - A little water will be necessary to in your pressure cooker in order to use it safely while cooking the apples.
    • Vanilla extract - Technically optional, but when we stir it in at the end, it gives such a nice flavor.

    📖Instructions

    Step 1 - Cut up apples

    Cut apples into 8-10 pieces, discarding the core and seeds. Add to the Instant Pot.

    hands holding a large bowl of cut up apples.

    Step 2 - Add lemon juice, sweeteners & spices

    Squeeze in all of the lemon juice.

    hand squeezing a citrus squeezer over top of the instant pot full of apple slices.

    Add water, brown sugar or replacement, and maple syrup.

    apples and brown sugar in an instant pot.

    Add in kosher salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice.

    cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar in an instant pot with apples.

    Step 3 - Pressure cook

    Stir to combine, then add in the star anise (if using). Cover with lid, and set the Instant Pot to high pressure. Once sealed, cook on high pressure for 1 hour.

    hand using a wooden spoon to stir the apple and spice mixture in an instant pot.
    apple slices in an instant pot coated with sweetener and spices.

    Step 4 - Release pressure

    After 1 hour, allow to natural release for 10-15 minutes. Then, use a wooden spoon to release any of the remaining pressure.

    cooked apples with spices in an instant pot.

    Step 5 - Puree

    Remove the star anise and discard, then puree the apple mixture.

    pureed apple butter mixture in an instant pot.

    Step 6 - Reduce

    Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function over medium. Stir constantly to reduce the mixture, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot so nothing sticks.

    Cook to thicken the mixture until the desired consistency is reached. This should take roughly 40 minutes, then stir in the vanilla extract and remove from the heat.

    *Please be careful and move the mixture frequently, as it can pop and cause the hot liquid to burn you.

    stirring the apple butter in an instant pot as it thickens.

    Step 7 - Enjoy!

    Place in a mason jar and allow the apple butter to cool a bit before consuming. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!!

    mason jar of apple butter, with a spoon over top of the jar and fresh apples and whole spices surrounding the jar.

    ✨Tips & tricks

    • Sweeten & add spices to taste - Everyone's preferences vary a little, so make sure to add as much or as little of the spices and sweeteners as you wish.
    • Add more sweetener if your apples are more sour - If using something like granny smith apples, be sure to add a little more sweetener to compensate for the lack of naturally occurring sweetness that you might miss in a more sour apple.
    • Be careful! The apple butter gets hot, and it can be a bit tiresome to continue moving it around while cooking the mixture down, but it will help prevent it from popping and hurting you.

    🍎How to make apple pie spice

    The following mixture is how we make our apple pie spice at home. You can add or omit seasonings as you see fit.

    Homemade apple pie spice:
    5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
    1.5 teaspoons ground nutmeg
    1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
    1 teaspoon ground cardamom
    ½ teaspoon ground allspice
    ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

    ✨Serving suggestions

    • On this delicious sourdough french toast!
    • With your oatmeal.
    • On a yogurt and granola bowl.
    • Simply spread on a slice on toast.
    • Try it on a stack of these coconut flour pancakes.
    • With ice cream.
    • Try it alongside savory foods like pork chops, chicken, or turkey!

    ✏️Substitutions

    The ingredients are pretty straightforward, but here's a few simple swaps you can make.

    • Lemons - No lemons around? No problem. You can use apple cider vinegar in place of lemon juice, about 6 tablespoons. This will also contribute to the apple flavor.
    • Sweeteners of choice - You can use virtually any sweetener you prefer, including honey, regular sugar, coconut sugar, and more. Sweeten to taste!
    • Use all maple syrup - If you'd like, feel free to use all maple syrup to sweeten the apple butter if you prefer.

    💭Frequently asked questions

    What is apple butter?


    So as you may have guessed, apple butter is not made with actual butter. The butter in the name probably comes from the delicious flavorful spread that spreads easily like butter.

    It's also used in a similar way to butter on toast. This recipe is naturally 100% vegan, so no dairy involved!

    What kind of apples do I use?

    We'd recommend using your favorite type of apple. We like using sweet apples, but you can use a mix of apples. Some of our favorite apple varieties to use are honey crisp apples, pink lady, or gala apples.

    We've also used different types of apples to create a more complex flavor, including using granny smith apples alongside honey crisp, etc.

    🛒Shop this recipe

    Need low-carb baking supplies ? We've linked our favorites right here in our Amazon Store! You don't pay anything extra if you shop using our link, but we get a small percentage of the sale. 

    A Full Living is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate program, an affiliate advertising program designed to promote a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking products to amazon.com. We only share products we use and love.

    ⏲Equipment

    Luckily, this recipe is pretty standard and you really don't need much to make it.

    • We love this cordless immersion blender for pureeing the apples! A food processor or regular blender can be used as well.
    • This is the Instant Pot we use. You can use any electric pressure cooker of your choosing, but you will need to transfer the pureed mixture to the stove to reduce further.
    • Splatter guard. This can help you from getting those steaming hot splatters of apple butter on your skin as it reduces if you have to walk away from it for a few moments.
    • A kitchen scale is now crucial to us to save dishes & get the most accurate results every time when working on our recipes!
    3 pieces of toast with apple butter, small chamomile flowers, cinnamon sticks and fresh apples nearby.

    🥣Storage

    Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. We usually store in a mason jar.

    To freeze, allow the mixture to come to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 year. We don't recommend freezing the apple butter in glass, as glass can expand as it freezes, causing it to burst. Use plastic instead.

    🌟Leave a review!

    Make sure to leave a 5-star review below! This helps other readers find our recipes via Google, and encourages them to try them. Also be sure to leave a comment with your experience!

    Take a photo and share with us by tagging us on Instagram or follow along on Pinterest for more ideas!

    📖 Recipe

    instant pot apple butter

    Instant Pot Apple Butter

    Make the best condiment of fall in a fraction of the time of other methods. This warmly spiced apple butter is bursting with fall flavor and is easy to make.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
    Servings: 16 servings
    Author: Briana

    Ingredients

    • 6 medium honeycrisp apples, cored and chopped (about 2 pounds)
    • 144 grams brown sugar replacement (¾ cup, could sub 1:1 for regular brown sugar)
    • 6 tablespoons lemon juice (juice from 3 lemons)
    • 2 ounces pure maple syrup
    • 2 ounces water (½ cup)
    • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Add apples, sweetener, maple syrup, lemon juice, water, salt, and spices to the instant pot along with any whole dried spices to the Instant Pot. Cover the mixture with the lid, set the pot to "seal" and allow it to come to high pressure. Pressure cook on high for 1 hour, then allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes.
    • Use a spoon to get any additional pressure out of the instant pot. Remove any whole spices and discard. Use an immersion blender or blender to puree the mixture, then set the Instant Pot to the sauté setting over medium.
    • Move mixture continuously to prevent sticking, burning, or popping. Be careful, the mixture will be hot. Cook until the mixture reduces to reach the desired consistency. This will take roughly 30-40 minutes, then stir in the vanilla extract.
    • Allow to cool before enjoying. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The apple butter can be frozen for up to 1 year.

    Notes

    • Sweeten to taste. Any sweetener you prefer can be used here. 
    • Add spices according to your preference.
    • Apple cider vinegar can be substituted for lemon juice. 
    • Be careful when reducing the apple puree, keep the mixture moving to avoid sticking, burning, and bubbles exploding, and spraying hot apple butter on you. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 50kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 91mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 39IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.1mg

    These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.

    Did you love it?If you made this recipe, make sure to show us on Instagram at @AFullLiving or tag #AFullLiving! We love to see what you guys are making!
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: American
    « Grinder Sandwich (Viral TikTok Spicy Italian Sub)
    Chicken Pomodoro »

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Briana and Chamere in Norway Opera House

    Hi, We're A Full Living! Bringing wholesome recipes, treats, & drinks for all occasions!

    More about us→

    Winter Recipes

    • Steak and Seafood Skillet with Parmesan Cream Sauce
    • Beef Bourguignon Pressure Cooker Recipe
    • Chicken and Butternut Squash Recipe with Parmesan Sauce
    • Keto Mushroom Sauce Recipe
    • KFC Famous Bowl Recipe
    • Jalapeño Popper Chicken Skillet Recipe

    Trending Recipes

    • Cowboy Butter Dipping Sauce
    • How To Blanch and Peel Pearl Onions
    • How To Cook Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef with Gravy
    • Air Fryer Short Ribs
    • Lavender Gin Cocktail (Gin Fizz)
    • Sugar Free Apple Cider (Low Carb)
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About us

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Work With Us
    • Portfolio

    As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This website earns income from ads.

    Copyright © 2023 A Full Living