This Instant Pot Apple Butter is thick, warmly spiced, and effortlessly cozy—simply toss everything in (no peeling required!) and let the pressure cooker do the work. It’s perfect for spreading on toast, swirling into oatmeal, or gifting in jars during apple season. Easy to make, endlessly versatile, and full of fall flavor in every spoonful.
This recipe was originally published on September 1, 2021. It was updated with new recipe information on September 2, 2025.
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Table of Contents
This Instant Pot Apple Butter is my modern take on the cozy, spiced applesauce my mom made every fall. We always called it applesauce growing up, but looking back, it was probably more like apple butter—thick, sweet, and deeply comforting. She'd simmer it on the stovetop or microwave it until our whole house smelled like cinnamon and cloves.
This version stays true to hers in flavor, but I’ve tweaked the seasoning slightly and adapted it to the pressure cooker for less hands-on time and more consistency.
Not only is this apple butter in the Instant Pot a nod to my childhood favorite, but it’s the perfect way to kick off fall baking season—or just make a chilly Tuesday morning feel extra special. No peeling, barely any chopping, and no babysitting the stove. Just set it, blend it, simmer it down, and enjoy that thick, spoonable fall magic.
For another delicious pressure cooker fall favorite, check out my Instant Pot Applesauce.
Why You'll Swoon Over This Apple Butter 😍
- Quick and easy with no peeling. Thanks to the pressure cooker, this apple butter recipe Instant Pot edition takes just a few minutes of prep—no apple peeling or standing over a stove required.
- Deep, warm fall flavor. A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves infuses each spoonful with cozy, spiced sweetness.
- Perfect for gifting or meal prep. This recipe makes a generous batch that stores well, making it ideal for holidays, hostess gifts, or stocking your fall fridge.
- Customizable sweetness. Use a mix of white and brown sugar to adjust the molasses flavor to your taste.
What Is Apple Butter?
Despite its name, there’s no actual butter in apple butter. It’s a thick, rich fruit spread made by slowly cooking apples with sweetener and spices until they caramelize, concentrating their sweetness and flavors. Think of it as applesauce’s bolder, sweeter, and smoother cousin!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Apples: A blend of sweet and tart apples works best—try Fuji, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, or whatever's in season. No peeling needed!
- Granulated sugar: Balances tart apples and creates that signature sweetness.
- Light brown sugar: Adds molasses depth and a slight caramel note. For the best results, pack it firmly to measure.
- Ground cinnamon: Saigon cinnamon (Costco often carries it!) offers bold, sweet heat, but regular cinnamon works well too.
- Ground nutmeg & cloves: For cozy, warming spice. Always use spices with a good expiration date for the best flavor.
- Apple juice: Helps everything cook evenly, boosts the apple flavor, and prevents the burn warning. You can also use water or apple cider.
- Salt: Just ⅛ teaspoon enhances and balances the sweetness.
How to Make Apple Butter in the Instant Pot
Step 1: In a large bowl, toss apples with white and brown sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and apple juice until well coated.
Step 2: Transfer the apples to the Instant Pot, lock the lid, seal the vent, and cook on High Pressure for 60 minutes.
Let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then quick release the rest.
Step 3: Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth or your desired consistency.
Step 5: Turn on the Instant Pot's sauté function to LOW and cook for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. It should mound on a spoon without running.
Recipe Variations
Add your own flair by trying any combination of the following swaps or mix-ins:
- Add vanilla. Stir in a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract before simmering for extra warmth and depth—like a cozy hug in a jar.
- Make it tangy. Add a splash of lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. It’s subtle, but it really enhances the sweetness.
- Spicy twist. If you love a little kick, try adding a dash of ground ginger or even a pinch of cayenne. A tiny bit goes a long way!
- Extra sweet. Add a few more tablespoons of brown sugar or even a drizzle of maple syrup during the sauté step for an extra hit of sweetness. I like to do this when gifting it—it feels more decadent!
Chelsea's Recipe Pro-Tips
- No peeling needed. Apple skins break down fully during cooking and blending—no texture issues here! (And honestly, it's such a time saver.)
- Mix apple varieties. For the best flavor, I always use a combination of apples to balance sweetness and tartness. It’s worth the little bit of extra shopping.
- Use a stand blender if needed. No immersion blender? No problem. Just blend the butter in batches and vent the lid so the steam can escape safely.
- Blend to your preferred texture. I like mine super smooth, but if you love a little texture, feel free to leave it slightly chunky.
- Stir often during sautéing. This keeps the butter from scorching on the bottom—learned that one the hard way!
- Thickness check. You’ll know it’s ready when the apple butter mounds on a spoon but doesn’t look dry or stiff.
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: Store apple butter in glass jars or other airtight containers in the fridge for 2–3 weeks.
- Freezing: Once cooled to room temperature, the apple butter can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the stovetop over low heat, stirring it frequently, until warm.
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot apple butter is the fall MVP of spreads—It’s versatile, fun, and one of those things you’ll keep finding new ways to use. For a dreamy breakfast, spread it on buttered toast or warm biscuits, and a spoonful stirred into oatmeal or overnight oats adds instant cozy vibes to your morning.
Feeling snacky? I love dipping pretzel thins or graham crackers into it—sweet, salty, and totally addictive. And for something a little different, serve it alongside a fall cheese board or even use it as a glaze for pork chops.
FAQs
Yes, but only if your Instant Pot has enough capacity. You should never fill it more than two-thirds full when pressure cooking, especially with thick mixtures like apple butter. If you're making a double batch, you don’t need to adjust the cook time—the Instant Pot will naturally take longer to come to pressure, which balances things out.
Yes! You can cut back on the sugar if you prefer a less sweet apple butter. Just keep in mind that it may not be quite as thick or shelf-stable if you're planning to can it.
You can if you’d like, but it’s totally optional. The skins break down completely during cooking and blending, so I usually skip it—it saves time and you won’t even notice they're there.
Absolutely, but I personally go the freezer route! If you’d like to can it, I recommend following these canning instructions from Simply Canning. Just prepare the apple butter in the Instant Pot, then follow her step-by-step process for safe canning.
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More Cozy Apple Recipes
- Apple Cranberry Sauce
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Air Fryer Baked Apples
- Healthy Apple Crisp
- Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Gluten-Free Apple Cake
If you liked and made this Instant Pot Apple Butter Recipe, don't forget to rate it and let me know how you liked it in the comments. I always love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Apple Butter (No Peeling!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. mixed apples Fuji, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Cosmic, Cripps, etc. or about 8-10 apples; scrubbed, cored, and cut into quarters (they don't need to be peeled)
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup apple juice or apple cider
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of the Instant Pot, combine the apple quarters, white sugar, brown sugar, spices, salt, and apple juice. Gently stir or fold together until the apples are evenly covered in the spice mixture. If using a mixing bowl, pour the apples into the bowl of the pressure cooker.
- Lock the Instant Pot pressure cooking lid on and seal the pressure vent. Cook the apples on high pressure for 1 hour.
- Release the pressure naturally for 15 minutes. Quick-release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the Instant Pot lid. Blend the apples with an immersion blender until smooth or carefully transfer them to a stand blender and blend with lid vent removed. If using the blender, return the apples to the Instant Pot.
- Turn on the sauté setting to low and cook the blended apples for 30-40 minutes, stirring every few minutes, or until the liquid has reduced and the apple butter is thick enough to mound on a spoon but isn't dry or pasty.
- Serve the apple butter warm or cool to room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerating: Store apple butter in glass jars or other airtight containers in the fridge for 2–3 weeks.
- Freezing: Once cooled to room temperature, the apple butter can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge or on the stovetop over low heat, stirring it frequently, until warm.
- No peeling needed. Apple skins break down fully during cooking and blending—no texture issues here! (And honestly, it's such a time saver.)
- Mix apple varieties. For the best flavor, I always use a combination of apples to balance sweetness and tartness. It’s worth the little bit of extra shopping.
- Use a stand blender if needed. No immersion blender? No problem. Just blend the butter in batches and vent the lid so the steam can escape safely.
- Blend to your preferred texture. I like mine super smooth, but if you love a little texture, feel free to leave it slightly chunky.
- Stir often during sautéing. This keeps the butter from scorching on the bottom—learned that one the hard way!
- Thickness check. You’ll know it’s ready when the apple butter mounds on a spoon but doesn’t look dry or stiff.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I am going to give it a whirl once my apples are ready. I did make a batch with apples from my first tree but instead did it in a slow cooker rather than an Insta pot. I then took the apple butter and use it as a base for apple butter barbeque sauce. It was amazing! I managed to can/process 18 jars… 250 mL each. No issues with canning. I plan on making more.
Hi Tania,
Oh, wow! That BBQ sauce sounds delicious! Impressive job with the canning. 🙂 Enjoy the recipe!
Best,
Chelsea
This recipe is easy and delicious! I had two issues unrelated to the recipe. First, I used apples from my yard that left small "fibers" even after blending with my hand blender for some time. A run through a fine sieve solved that. Second, even on low, my Instant Pot was way too hot and splattered my counters, cupboards, and floor. I moved the pot to the stove and reduced on low. Problem solved.
Great problem solving, Sharon! So glad you liked the recipe! If you have a moment, do you mind leaving a 5-star review on the recipe? It really helps me and the site. 🙂 Thanks so much and have a great week!
Chelsea
Made a double batch today, was my husband's 1st taste of apple butter & he's hooked!
Both of our trees struggling w/ our Phoenix, AZ record days over 110⁰ temps, so we have to harvest the apples as quickly as possible. This recipe was a lifesaver, since it was almost no prep & far less heat in the kitchen w/ use of my Ninja Foodi. It's way too hot to stew my standard method recipe for the time required. Even in our outdoor kitchen, I'd need to be out in the extreme heat WAY too long! We both have carpal tunnel & arthritis, so ∅ peel & minimal knife work was a Godsend! We tasted it (still warm)over vanilla ice cream, Yummy 😋!
I'm using a low sugar, lower spice version to make fruit leather for our 9 grandchildren & all 4 families will get jars of the today's batch. My 96yr MIL can't wait to get her jar tomorrow morning before church!
Thank you so very much!!
Hi, Susan!
Oh, I am so glad to hear that you liked the recipe! Gotta love that no peeling life! Take care and thanks so much for sharing your experience,
Chelsea
I've made apple butter for years but this was the first time I ever tried using an Instant Pot. I adjusted the spices to match my original recipe and, not having an immersion blender and not wanting to hassle with a stand up one, I used my trusty old Foley food mill. Came out great in a much shorter time. And since I'm in my mid 70's time is a precious commodity.
It's so easy and love getting the extra fiber from keeping the peel!
Hi, Cathleen! I agree-- I always love a good win-win situation! I am so glad to hear you liked the recipe. Thanks for reviewing and sharing!
All the best,
Chelsea
I picked all of my Pink Lady apples in one fell swoop because our squirrels not only pick off quite a lot, they ruin what they don't carry away. So I found this recipe. Love it! Very spicy, very tasty and so easy to make in my Instapot. Even better was not having to peel the apples as many were small and would take too way much time and effort. Plus I have read that apple peels are healthy! All around winner!
Hi Mary Ann,
Yey! So glad to hear it was a success, and way to go beating the squirrels!
Thanks for reviewing and sharing!
Chelsea
Delicious and soooo easy!!
thank you, Penny! So glad to hear you liked it, perfect for this time of year!
Best,
Chelsea
Go to recipe for me... Friends and coworkers love it and I actually am able to sell enough of each batch that it pays for itself!
I was really happy to find an apple butter recipe for my Instant Pot Duo. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the amount of apple juice to add, since 1/2 cup is slightly less than 1/3 of the amount of liquid mandated in the user manual (375ml = 1.6 cup). So I added just a little bit more apple juice - between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup - and it was fine, but then it took 2 1/2 hours to sauté it all down to apple butter consistency (I had also added the juice of 2 lemons when I took the lid off). Anyway, maybe it could be good to clarify that 1/2 cup liquid is okay, since presumably the apples release enough liquid early on in the cooking so that building pressure is not a problem (I should have trusted you!). Anyway, I'm so glad that it's possible to make apple butter this way! Thank you for a great recipe!