Best Ever “Apple Butter” in the Instant Pot

I just made the best “Apple Butter” that you could ever imagine with a surplus of apples which I have accumulated. The Apple Butter is thick and silky smooth, not too sweet and has just a nice hint of pumpkin pie spices. I used my Instant Pot to cook the apples and the entire recipe process was quick and easy. I didn’t even peel the apples. Success, and on the first batch. That’s always the best part of this creative process. Why the the fuss to make homemade apple butter? Homemade apple butter just tastes so much better than anything which you can purchase in a grocery store. There is no comparison. Plus, apples are healthy; this is a way to get fruit into our meals. There are no addiitives and less sugar in the homemade version. If you have a surplus of apples this autumn when apples are ripe and plentiful, consider making my “Apple Butter” recipe.

After the Apple Butter is made, how do you use it?

The apple butter quickly disappeared from our refrigerator, so I’m not worried about using all of it. I am finding lots of ways to add apple butter to our meals. For example, it is great as a topping on pancakes or biscuits rather than butter or syrup. Add to hot cereal at breakfast. The apple butter by itself just makes a tasty snack. So simple. For something more elaborate, I plan to make one of my ice cream bar recipes using “Apple Butter” mixed into ice cream and paired with gingersnaps.

My husband devoured the yogurt and apple butter parfait which I dished up.

We usually think of latkes and applesauce just at Hannukah. However, these little potato pancakes are really good any time of the year. They go well with my Apple Butter.

Apple Butter vs Applesauce

There isn’t alot of difference between apple butter and applesauce. Apple butter actually doesn’t contain any butter. It gets that name because it is silky and smooth. Apple butter tends to have more spices than applesauce and it is is just a bit thicker than applesauce. I achieved the thicker consistency by reducing the apple butter down on the stove after cooking the apples in the Instant Pot.

A small batch of Instant Pot “Apple Butter”

I keep my Instant Pot stored and “handy” on a kitchen counter since now I have now several good recipes to make using this appliance. The “Apple Butter” recipe works exceedingly well in the Instant Pot. Just set to the “Pressure” setting and the Instant Pot regulates the temperature and does the rest.

However, without an Instant Pot, it is still easy to make this recipe on the stove stop. Substitute a large, Dutch oven or heavy pot and cook over low heat. Watch carefully to make sure the apples don’t burn.

Recipe

Since this was my first attempt at making apple butter, I made a small batch and used only four apples (2-1/2 lb total weight). It is very easy to double the recipe for more apple butter. Here are the ingredients for this recipe — assorted apples, brown sugar, water, spices and a pinch of salt. I used a small amount of “pumpkin pie spices” — cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Don’t forget to add extra water — the Instant Pot won’t work without water. And, if cooked on the stove, the apples could easily burn without some extra water.

For the apples, I used two tart Granny Smith apples and two Pink Lady apples. Pink Lady is a crisp sweet-tart apple and is good for making sauces. Many other apples varieties intended for cooking can be substituted in this recipe. However, I had good luck with Granny Smith and Pink Lady apples and will probably stick to these varieties.

To make the apple butter, core and quarter the apples. No need to peel them. Add all the ingredients to the Instant Pot and cook on the “Pressure Setting” for 20 minutes. Then let the pressure naturally release for another 20 minutes. Or, cook on the stove top in a heavy saucepan over low heat until the apples become soft and mushy.

One of the characteristics of apple butter is that it is silky and smooth. I used my trusty vintage food mill to pulverize the apples. It worked great and mashed both the apple pulp and most of the peels through the seive. (The seeds are removed at the beginning of the process when the raw apples are quartered.) Alternately, you could use a food immersion blender to process the apples or a blender.

To thicken the apple butter, cook the sauce down on the stove on a slow simmer for about 15 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Store the apple butter in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Or, store in freezer. However, the apple butter won’t last long! The flavor, smooth texture and hint of pumpkin pie spices is so soothing and appealing.

This is a good way to use the fall harvest crop of fresh, ripe apples. Enjoy!