Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Peel Recipe)

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.

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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.

For more tasty apple recipes to try, don't skip our homemade unsweetened apple sauce, this blueberry and apple crumble, or this apple crisp cheesecake!

❤️What We Love About 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.
• Customizable. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan friendly, no butter is actually included! You can also make it lower in carbs and sugar with a couple of simple swaps.
• 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.

• Apples. Use your favorite apples. We love using Honey Crisp apples for their sweet and tart flavor, and their soft peels.
• Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed. Balances the flavor and sweetness.
• Kosher salt. Also balances sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Warming spices. We use a mixture of 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.
• Water. A little water will be necessary 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.

You can find full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.

✏️Substitutions & Variations

The ingredients are pretty straightforward, but here are 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.
• Use all maple syrup. If you'd like, feel free to use all maple syrup to sweeten the apple butter if you prefer.
• Low sugar and low carb. Simply swap the brown sugar for a brown sugar replacement like Swerve brown (affiliate link), and swap the maple syrup for a sugar free maple syrup.
• Alternative sweeteners. You can use virtually any sweetener you prefer, including honey, regular white sugar, coconut sugar, and more. Sweeten to taste!

📖Instructions

Cut apples into 8-10 pieces, discarding the core and seeds. Add to the Instant Pot. (Image 1)

Squeeze in all of the lemon juice. (Image 2)

Add water, brown sugar, and maple syrup. (Image 3)

Add in kosher salt, cinnamon, and apple pie spice. (Image 4)

Stir to combine, then add in the star anise (if using). Cover with lid, and set the Instant Pot to high pressure. (Image 5)

Once sealed, cook on high pressure for 1 hour. (Image 6)

After 1 hour, allow to natural release for 10-15 minutes. Then, use a wooden spoon to release any of the remaining pressure. (Image 7)

Remove the star anise and discard, then puree the apple mixture. (Image 8)

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. (Image 9)

Place in a mason jar and allow the apple butter to cool a bit before consuming. The mixture will thicken as it cools. Enjoy on it's own with toast, or inside our hot apple buttered rum, or this stuffed apple pork roulade! (Image 10)

✨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 the mixture from popping and hurting you.

✨Serving suggestions

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