Instant Pot Apple Butter

Errrhhhmerrrgerrrddddd IT’S HERE!!! September, with breezy weather, colorful leaves, pumpkin spice & everything nice. Yeah, I just went there, lol you know you love it too. What better way to welcome autumn than with a giant dose of apple butter?! Better yet, instant pot apple butter, that’s done in like 30 minutes instead of 10 hours!

Apple Sauce vs. Apple Butter

There’s a few differences between apple sauce and apple butter. Apple sauce generally has a thinner consistency, resulting in a quicker cooking time. Apple butter requires longer cooking time so the consistency can thicken. This normally takes 8-10 hours in a slow cooker, but thank goodness for pressure cookers, it now only takes about 30 minutes! Apple butter also has a longer shelf life, you can refrigerate it for a couple weeks & freeze it for longer. Flavor-wise, apple butter caramelizes as it’s cooking, making it fairly sweet. I added 1/2 cup brown sugar to 5 lbs. of apples & honestly it would be good even without the added sugar. Most people also generally add fall spices so, unlike apple sauce, apple butter has the warm and cozy cinnamon spice to it.

What To Use Apple Butter For?

It’s honestly so versatile, you can use it as a jam on toast or a charcuterie board, a topping on desserts or even in recipes. I have at least three recipes this fall using apple butter so stay tuned for apple pop tarts, apple cinnamon rolls & apple butter pie. Just make sure the consistency is right for whatever you are using it for. For instance, making sure it’s thick enough to use in cinnamon rolls, you don’t want it all to leak out.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe. It’s super simple & can be used in so many ways so it’s definitely worth making a batch & stocking up for the season! If you decide to make instant pot apple butter, I’d love to get in on the fun so make sure to tag me @baranbakery on Instagram. As always,

Apple Butter

Ingredients

5 lbs. gala apples, cored & sliced

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla

Preparation:15 min - Cooking:30 min - Ready in:1 h

Instructions

Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, in the bowl of an instant pot.Mix until well combined.Close lid & make sure it's sealed. Cook on manual for 20 minutes (will take longer to heat up).Once 20 minutes is up, release the pressure & remove lid.Use an emulsion blender to blend until smooth or use a food process but only blend a little at a time.*Use as desired! Apple butter will thicken as it cools.

Notes

*using a food processor with something hot creates pressure & explode out of the processor (I broke one like this before).

This recipe is re-posted from Baran Bakery one of our favorite Baking Bloggers!