This Instant Pot Applesauce recipe is so incredibly easy to make. It's made with the apple skins on to keep it quick and simple with minimal preparation and hands-on work. Made in only 30 minutes and with no added sugar!
Table Of Contents
Homemade applesauce is so easy to make in your pressure cooker. All you need are your favorite fresh apples and a little bit of lemon juice to make the best applesauce. Without any added sugar or other preservatives, homemade applesauce is healthy and flavorful- and it beats the store bought brands! You can also make applesauce in your slow cooker, and it's just as delicious.
Applesauce is a great food to have on hand not just for snacking, but for adding to other recipes such as baked goods and breads. We use it make morning glory muffins, whole wheat carrot muffins, apple muffins and honey cinnamon walnut muffins. It's also perfect for making the best zucchini bread.
In addition to using apples to make applesauce, check out these recipes for making apple bread, apple butter in your slow cooker or pressure cooker and slow cooker mulled apple cider. We also love making homemade apple pie filling in our crockpot to make delicious pies and desserts.
Why This Recipe Works
Lemon juice acts as a natural preservative so the applesauce can last for 2-3 weeks.
It's freezer-friendly.
Pressure cooking releases just the right amount of sweetness from the apples that you don't need to add any sweetener to get the best tasting applesauce.
Ingredients
You need just 2 ingredients: fresh apples and lemon juice.
How To Make Applesauce In An Instant Pot
- Prepare the apples by coring, peeling (optional) and chopping into quarters.
- Place the chopped apples in the Instant Pot. Add water and lemon juice. Stir.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, set the vent to "Sealing," and select the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" function. Set the timer to cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.
- Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Mash, use an immersion blender or transfer the cooked apples to a regular blender to blend until smooth. Add more water in small amounts until applesauce has thinned to your liking if needed
- Allow the applesauce to cool before transferring it to clean, airtight jars or containers. Refrigerate for short-term use or freeze for longer storage.
Chef's Tips
The color of the applesauce depends on whether you peel the skins or leave them on. With the skins on, the final product will be golden brown like the pictures here. If the apples are peeled, it will be much lighter and look similar to store bought applesauce.
Make the applesauce as smooth or as chunky as you'd like when mashing or blending it.
How To Store
Once cooled, transfer to glass mason jars or other airtight containers. Seal the lid tightly and store in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. To store in the freezer, place in freezer-safe containers and freeze for 6-12 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to use.
Recipe FAQs
Granny Smith, Cortland, Johnathan, Rome and Golden Delicious are great for making applesauce.
3-4 cups of applesauce.
There is no need to peel the apples. The skins break down so much during the pressure cooking process that they are unrecognizable once the sauce is blended.
Recipe
Instant Pot Applesauce
Equipment
- pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples Granny Smith, Cortland, Johnathan, Rome, Golden Delicious
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the apples by coring, peeling (optional) and chopping into quarters.
- Place the chopped apples in the Instant Pot. Add water and lemon juice. Stir.
- Close the Instant Pot lid, set the vent to "Sealing," and select the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" function. Set the timer to cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.
- Once cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Mash, immersion blender or transfer the contents to a regular blender to blend until smooth. Add more water in small amounts until applesauce has thinned to your liking.
- Allow the applesauce to cool before transferring it to clean, airtight jars or containers. Refrigerate for short-term use or freeze for longer storage.
