Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Sugar)

Homemade Apple Butter is smooth, naturally sweet and totally addictive. The best part: this instant pot apple butter is super easy to make and is ready in less than 1 hour.

Jump To:
🧈 Why is it called apple butter?
🤷‍♀️ Do I need to peel the apples?
🍎 Which apple should I use?
📋 Ingredients and substitutions
🔪 How to make it from scratch
🥫 Storing and freezing
🥞 How to use apple butter

🧈 Why is it called apple butter?

Despite the name, apple butter doesn’t contain any butter on it. It’s called butter purely because of its smooth, buttery texture. But the recipe is vegan, having only apples, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon and water as ingredients.

If you’re wondering what does apple butter tastes like, it is like a very concentrated baked apple with a hint of cinnamon. It is sweet and rich, with just the right amount of tartness.

The difference between the two is that applesauce is quicker to make: pressure cook the apples, blend it and there you have it. If you want to make apple butter, you’ll need to cook the pureed apples. Apple butter also has a richer taste and deeper color.

🤷‍♀️ Do I need to peel the apples?

Leaving the apples unpeeled can make a less smooth apple butter. If you don’t mind the texture, go for it! Not peeling your apples can also deepen the final color of this recipe.

I prefer to peel my apples, but let me give you a tip if you opt to use them unpeeled.

Apple skin has fiber, vitamin A and C and quercetin, a flavonoid that can help to reduce inflammation, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Unfortunately, apples are also a high pesticide fruit.

If you’re not buying organic apples to make this recipe and are choosing to keep the peel on, I would recommend washing them really well. Make a solution with baking soda and water, and leave the fruits immersed for up to 15 minutes. Use ½ teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of water.

🍎 Which apple should I use?

Every type of apple is suitable for making apple butter.

Softer varieties will cook down faster, but as we’re using Instant Pot, I haven’t seen a significant difference between soft and crispy apples for this recipe.

I like to use sweet apples for making this recipe. I’ve made it with Ambrosia, Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp, and they’re all turned out great.

Adjust sweetness by choosing between sweet and tart varieties, or making it using a mix of different types. This recipe doesn’t have any added sugar, so if you want it sweeter, do it so by going with sweet apples only.

📋 Ingredients and substitutions

Apples. As said above, use any type of apple, or mix two or more of your favorite types.

Cinnamon. To me, the combo apple and cinnamon is pure perfection. Allergic to cinnamon or just don’t like it? You can omit it completely, or substitute for ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg. If you like, add ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves.

Water. You’ll need a bit of water for the pressure cooker to work properly.

Lemon. Lemon juice brings out the apple flavor and gives a tangy, delicious taste. You can use lime juice instead. Don’t substitute for apple cider.

🔪 How to make it from scratch

This apple butter is super fast to make: less than 30 minutes you can get

1. Pressure Cook Apples. Prepare the apples: peel (if choosing to do so), core, and slice them. Add all ingredients to pressure cooker, close the lid and set HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes, then 4 minutes of Natural Release. Do a Quick Release, and when done open the lid carefully.

2. Blend. Using an immersion blender, blend the apple mixture into desired consistency. If you prove it, it might taste blend and not sweet enough, but trust me: it gets better after the next step.

3. Sauté or Slow Cook. Now, you’ll thicken the applesauce until it gets caramel brown and with the desired consistency. For this last step, I’m giving you 3 options:

• Using the SAUTE function, set it to MORE, and then 15 minutes. The apple mixture will splatter A LOT, so be careful. Use a splatter guard if you have one, and wear mittens while stirring it. You need to stir frequently when using this method.
• You can do it in a lower temperature by using SAUTE, and the adjusting to LESS, and then 35 minutes. It will splatter less, but I still recommend using a splatter guard if you’ve got one, and mittens. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
• Final option, you can use the SLOW COOK function, if your pressure cook has it. Select SLOW COOK, then set to MORE, and 2 hours. Check how thick is the apple butter after that time, and if needed, slow cook it for another hour.

I like my apple butter not as thick as it’s easier to mix to my morning porridge. The one shown in most of the photos plus the video is made with sautéing on high (more) for only 10 minutes.

If you like yours extra thick, follow the times on the directions. You'll get an apple butter with a deeper color and a thicker consistency, like the one below.

Note: Pressure Cooker might vary in temperature between brands, and different apples release more or less liquid. That said, you might need more time than the ones suggested above. Those times were defined using an Instant Pot Dual Nova, using Ambrosia and Honey Crisp apples.

🥫 Storing and freezing

After cooled, refrigerate your apple butter. That’s specially important because this recipe doesn’t have any added sugar on it, so it will spoil quickly if left with no refrigeration. It’s good for up to 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge.

You can freeze apple butter. Use a freezer-safe container. Remember to leave about an inch of room at the top of the containers or jars. You can use glass mason jars as long as yours are freezer safe. It’s good for about 4 to 6 months.

Before using frozen apple butter, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

🥞 How to use apple butter

Just like with this blackberry jam, there are so many possibilities for using apple butter:

• Spread it on toast (try this brioche for a delicious fall toast!), biscuits or scones;
• Stir in Greek yogurt;
• Use it instead of applesauce to make a delicious apple bread (if doing so, add 2 tablespoons of water to the apple bread recipe);
• Top your waffles, pancakes and French toast with it;
• Use on savory dishes such as roast pork or turkey sandwiches;
• Or just grab a spoon and dig in!