This ultra satisfying Homemade Applesauce is easy to cook in the Instant Pot. You can make it smooth or chunky, tart or sweet – either way, it’ll be divine!
Easy Instant Pot Applesauce Recipe
I’ve never been too fond of making applesauce on the stove. But I’m a huge fan of the stuff. Can you relate to this dilemma? Well, you no longer have to deal with that pesky Dutch oven recipe! The Instant Pot is about to become your best friend.
This is a super simple, hands-off recipe that can be built upon with ease. I’ve included instructions for unsweetened applesauce, but you can totally sweeten it up if you’d like! You also have the option of making it smooth or chunky. The choice is yours!
No matter how you like your applesauce, you’re bound to love this cooking method. It produces perfect results every time!
What You’ll Need
Not many ingredients are needed to make a good applesauce. Here’s what you’ll need! Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for specific amounts.
- Honey Crisp Apples: Core 4 apples and cut them into cubes.
- Granny Smith Apples: Cored and cubed.
- Water
- Fresh Lemon Juice: This helps preserve the apples’ color and also enhances flavor.
Shop This Recipe
How to Make Instant Pot Applesauce
Once the Instant Pot softens up your apples, the rest is up to you. You just have to blend or mash them depending on which consistency you’re aiming for!
Add Ingredients to Instant Pot: Add the cubed apples, water and lemon juice to the inner pot of your Instant Pot. Use a spoon to stir, making sure the lemon juice is coating all the apples. Cover and seal the Instant Pot.
Pressure Cook: Set your Instant Pot to the pressure cooker setting on HIGH for 5 minutes.
Release Pressure: After 5 minutes, let the steam naturally release for 20 minutes. Then, press the pressure valve to release the rest of the steam.
Form Sauce: If you like your applesauce chunky, smash up the apples with a potato masher. If you like it smooth, pulse it in an immersion blender, a food processor or a high-speed blender until smooth.
Tips for Success
You’re almost ready to cook up some awesome Instant Pot applesauce. Here are my top tips and tricks for this recipe!
- Use the Right Apples: Take caution before you substitute the Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples for another variety. Some kinds of apples don’t handle heat very well. Safer substitutions include McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Gala and Fuji.
- Don’t Use Bottled Lemon Juice: The best applesauce has the freshest, most authentic flavor. In order to pull that off, I strongly suggest using freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Can You Overcook Applesauce? You certainly can, and it diminishes the flavor. That’s another reason why I love this recipe – as long as you follow the directions for the 5-minute pressure cook, you can forget about the risk of overcooking your apples. Phew!
- Sweeten it Up: If you’d like to sweeten your Instant Pot applesauce, you can do so by mixing in cinnamon, honey, maple syrup or sugar to taste.
Serving Suggestions
Whether you want to serve your applesauce by itself as a snack, incorporate it into something else or pair it with other dishes, I’ve got plenty of ideas to get your creativity flowing!
- Spoon it over Vanilla Ice Cream
- Layer it into a Parfait
- Add it to Baked Goods for Extra Moistness
- Put it on Toast
- Serve it with Pork Chops
- Swirl it into Oatmeal
- Top it with Nuts or Dried Fruits
You can also use applesauce in many baking recipes as a partial replacement for oil. So for example, if a quick bread recipe called for 1 cup of oil you could use 1/2 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup of oil instead. This is an easy way to make baked goods healthier without sacrificing anything!
How to Store Leftovers
Applesauce was invented to be stored long-term! So it’s super easy to do. Simply keep it in a resealable jar or airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 2 months.
Can You Freeze Homemade Applesauce?
You sure can. Place your Instant Pot applesauce in a freezer-safe container or storage bag, leaving some extra room for it to expand as it freezes. Use it within 6 months, thawing it out in the fridge before enjoying.
Print
Unsweetened Instant Pot Applesauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Description
This ultra refreshing Homemade Applesauce is easy to cook in the Instant Pot. You can make it smooth or chunky, tart or sweet – either way, it’ll be divine!
Ingredients
- 4 honey crisp apples, cored and cubed (about 1.5 lbs)
- 4 granny smith apples, cored and cubed (about 1.5 lbs)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1–2 tablespoons of lemon juice
Instructions
- To an instant pot, add cubed apples, water and lemon juice. Using a spoon and stir to make sure lemon juice is coating all the apples.
- Cover instant pot and seal.
- Set to pressure cooker setting on HIGH for 5 minutes.
- Once done, let applesauce naturally release for 20 minutes. Then press the pressure valve to release the rest of the steam.
- If you like your applesauce chunky, smash up the apples with a potato masher. If you like it smooth, you could use an immersion blender or blend in a food processor or blender until smooth.
Notes
Makes 4 cups of applesauce.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Pressure cookers are a godsend on busy weeknights. And so are these easy recipes!
DON’T MISS A RECIPE ->
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM
