Instant Pot Applesauce Recipe

You’re going to love the ease of making applesauce in your Instant Pot! Totally hands off, this Instant Pot applesauce turns out perfectly every time!

Don’t you love the smell of apples cooking? It ranks right up there with the smell of chocolate brownies or yeast bread baking in the oven. Delicious smells like that will bring everyone to your kitchen, checking out what delicious treat you’re cooking up.

Science has proven that the sense of smell is closely connected to memory, more than our other senses. Maybe that’s why warm applesauce brings such warm feelings.

My mom always canned applesauce in the fall. After bringing home a couple of bushels of apples from the orchard, we washed and cut the apples into quarters. We’d fill all our biggest pans and start cooking them, peels and all, on the stove. Oh, the smells of all those apples simmering!

After the apples softened, my mom carefully poured the cooked apples into a cone-shaped food mill and we pushed the apples through. The peelings and seeds would stay in the cone and the smooth warm applesauce would ooze out into a big bowl. My sister and I took turns twirling the wooden press to squeeze the applesauce through the tiny holes of the food mill. 

So delicious! Our family ate so much of it fresh but my mom canned the rest so we could enjoy homemade applesauce all year long. We especially loved it on pancakes with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. 

I’m excited for you to try this Instant Pot applesauce recipe. Hopefully the delicious scent of apples cooking into a delicious applesauce will make “smell” memories for your family!

About This Applesauce

Why cook applesauce in the Instant Pot? For me, convenience is the obvious reason. Peel and cut up a bunch of apples, put them into the pressure cooker with a little water or juice, turn it on, and forget about it for awhile. No watching to make sure the apples aren’t boiling over, trying to adjust the heat so the apples simmer just right, no stirring, no checking for doneness, no messy stove, and only one dishwasher safe pan to wash! It really doesn’t get much easier. 

Do you need to peel the apples first? If you use a food mill, like I described above, use unpeeled apples and process the cooked apple mixture with the food mill. The end result will be a smooth applesauce. You can also puree it with a stick blender (immersion blender), but it will change the texture of the applesauce.

For a chunkier applesauce, peel the apples first with a vegetable peeler or paring knife, cut and core them, and then cook them. This results in an applesauce with more texture and does not require a food mill. 

After the applesauce cools a bit, stir in a teaspoon or two of cinnamon. Yum! I didn’t add any sugar because it simply isn’t needed. Serve it warm, room temperature, or cold. 

Applesauce is a healthy and delicious dessert or snack: Whole30 compliant, vegan, non-dairy, gluten-free, non-fat, and low in calories. It’s so delicious, your family will love it!

If the only applesauce you’ve ever had is the kind you buy in the grocery store, you are in for a wonderful surprise. Store bought applesauce pales in comparison to homemade.  

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• Like I mentioned above, you can experiment with different varieties of apples. 
• Cinnamon and apples are an obvious pairing, but try adding different spices like nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom. Apple pie spice is a blend which works perfectly with applesauce.
• If you like your applesauce sweeter, add sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey. 
• With peel or without peel? Again, your preference. If you leave the peels, you might want to blend the applesauce with an immersion blender.
• For a variation, add other fruits to your sauce such as cranberries, blueberries, pears, or cherries. In the spring, try easy rhubarb sauce.
• Make a half batch. We tested this (multiple times) and it works best with approximately 3 pounds of apples and ¼ cup liquid (apple juice, apple cider, or water). Add cinnamon to taste.

Storage Tips

Applesauce can be stored in a covered bowl or plastic container for up to a week in the fridge. If you want to keep it longer, applesauce freezes well. We tested this applesauce quite a few times to get the timing right (the first time we did a quick release of the pressure and it resulted in an applesauce geyser coming out the valve of the Instant Pot!), so I have a freezer FULL of applesauce right now. Thaw it overnight in the fridge so it’s ready to eat the next day. 

More Apple Recipes

Apples are so delicious cooked or raw! Here are more apple recipes for you to try:

• Apple crisp with ginger (you’ll love the unique flavors of ginger and lemon zest in this apple crisp)
• Apple blueberry crisp
• Apple cinnamon muffins
• Cinnamon apple cranberry sauce (perfect for the holidays)
• Salad with apples and cucumber
• Green salad with broiled apples and pecans
• Apple crisp breakfast cookies