Easy Instant Pot Apple Butter No Peeling Urban Farmie

This post contains helpful tips and tricks! If you’re in a rush, please use the “Jump to Recipe” above!

💭 Why you’ll love this recipe

Who doesn’t love a good apple butter recipe?

Great way to use up Fall apples. If you just went apple picking or just have a lot of fresh apples in your kitchen from your harvest that is going to go bad then you can put them to good use by making Instant Pot apple butter. It’s also a great gift for the holiday season! Super versatile addition to any Fall meal. Whether you’re serving up pancakes for breakfast or pork chops for dinner, apple butter is a delicious spread to add a touch of fall flavor. Basically, if you can think of it, you can probably do it with apple butter for some delicious fall flavors! Set it and forget it. This recipe has minimal active prep - basically you just slow cook the apples until you get butter. Doesn’t get easier than that!

📋 Ingredients and notes

To make instant pot apple butter, you’ll need: at least 3 pounds of apples, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, salt, vanilla extract, sweetener.

Notes and Variations

Adjusting sweetness of recipe: The level of sweetness depends on the type and natural sweetness of apples you decide to use. If you use a more tart variety, you can add brown sugar, coconut sugar or maple syrup to the Instant Pot as you’re cooking down your apples (but this is not necessary!) Peeling vs. not peeling apples: This comes down to a matter of preference! Since we end up using a blender at the end, the apple peels get blended in perfectly. That said, peeling your apples helps create a smooth apple butter. I mostly tend to leave them in because it’s easier and more nutritious! Type of apple: I used Granny Smith apples because I like my apple butter to be tart. The best apples are the ones that have the flavor you like, but you can use a blend of apples for a balanced flavor (Granny Smith, Fiji and Honeycrisp work really great together). The main difference is the level of sweetness.

📖 How to Make the Instant Pot Apple Butter

Set the Instant Pot to High-Pressure mode for 6 minutes.

I like to use an apple corer (makes slicing apples an easy task!) If you decide to peel the apples, this peeler is fantastic and an all-round great tool to have. Finally, you’ll need an immersion blender if you want to achieve a really smooth texture with your apple butter (this one is an inexpensive workhorse, or you can invest in this Vitamix one if you want something that’ll last forever!)

Add the apple pieces along with the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot, close the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Then allow a natural release of 20 minutes. Once completed, open the lid carefully and check the consistency of the cooked apples. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot. Turn it into apple butter by blending it with an immersion blender. You can also transfer the apple butter to a regular blender. ❗Safety Tip: If transferring while the apple butter is still hot, make sure to use a heat-safe blender container. Make sure the lid is slightly opened to avoid heat pressure building up inside the blender. You may like to add sugar or sweetener at this point. For slow cooking, turn the Instant Pot to “Slow Cook” and cook on high for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, with the lid propped on but not latched so the steam discharges. Alternatively, use a splatter guard! You can cook more, even up to 4 hours. The longer it cooks, the darker, thicker, and sweeter it gets! Once done, allow the apple butter to cool, remove the cinnamon stick, and place it in an airtight jar with a lid and store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

👩🏽‍🍳Tips for the Best Instant Pot Apple Butter

Making apple butter from scratch can seem daunting, but with a few simple ingredients and a little help from your Instant Pot, you’ll have a delicious batch ready in no time. Here are five tips to make sure your apple butter is perfect!

Use a mix of apples. This will give your apple butter a complex flavor that is sure to please everyone’s taste buds. For apple butter, you want to use apples that are tart and acidic, like Granny Smith apples. Stay away from sweet apples like Red Delicious, or your apple butter will be too sweet. Check out the differences between Fuji and Gala apples too!Don’t forget the spices. A little cinnamon and nutmeg go a long way in making your apple butter taste great. But feel free to experiment and add other warming spices (e.g., even spices like ginger or cloves can be used in moderation!) Cook it longer than you think you need to. Allow your apple butter to cook slowly for a long time. The longer you cook apple butter, the thicker and more flavorful it will be. Let it cool completely before storing it in jars. This will help prevent any spoilage that could occur if it’s not stored properly. Use a food processor or immersion blender. To smooth out the consistency of your apple butter before serving or storing it. This will give it a nice, smooth texture that is perfect for spreading on toast or stirring into oatmeal.

🍴 Serving and storage suggestions

Storing the apple butter in an airtight container (like these ones!) in your fridge will keep it fresh for 2-3 weeks. You can freeze it to make it last up to 3 months, as long as you store in a freezer-safe container. This is a great alternative to canning apple butter (which I’ll admit, I don’t really can stuff, but I have a massive freezer in my garage that I store a ton of food in) Make sure to leave a decent amount of space at the top of the jar; otherwise, it may break once the apple butter freezes. If you want to can your apple butter, check out this recipe for canning apple butter from my friend Sarah! Apple butter is great on toast, of course, but it’s also delicious in oatmeal, on pancakes, or even stirred into yogurt.