Easy, three ingredient Instant Pot Applesauce | You don’t even need to worry about peeling, just throw everything in the pot and set! Gluten Free + Vegan + Paleo + No Added Sugar
Instant Pot Applesauce or: How to Make Your House Smell Like Fall Magic in under 30 Minutes (See also my Instant Pot Apple Cider!)
Who needs potpourri or Bath & Body Works candles when you’ve got three pounds of apples and and an instant pot, yeah?
Let’s do it!
First things first:
What type of apples to use for homemade applesauce?
First I’ll start out by just saying whatever apples you like are good apples for making applesauce. Any apples will technically work so it’s mostly up to you and what you want.
That being said some apples are better suited for homemade applesauce than others. I also recommend using a variety of apples here so that you can get a better balance of sweet, tangy, tart and texture.
When it comes to baking pie you want an apple that holds together well when cooked. When it comes to making homemade applesauce you want the opposite – something soft that loses shape.
Ideal Apples for Applesauce:
- Cortland
- Fuji
- Golden Delicious
- Crispin
- McIntosh
- Gravenstein
- Braeburn
These are just a few different types to look for to get an idea of what to use. There are absolutely more types of apples than these listed here, these are just the more common/easier to find.
Peel or Unpeeled?
It’s up to you! I’m lazy and hate peeling apples so I just left them on. You can either
- Strain the peels out after the apples have broken down as pictured below (6,7,8) or
- Just blend the peels right along with the apples at the end.
Apple peels contain fibre, vitamins and nutrients. Once you’ve blend it all together you’re not going to notice a difference other than maybe a slightly darker colour to your sauce.
That being said, apples are typically exposed to high levels of pesticides. If that concerns you you may want to either peel the apples or choose organic when making this.
Instant Pot Applesauce Tips & Questions
- Spice it up. At the base of this recipe you only need three ingredients: water, apples and lemon juice. Feel free to add in some extra spices to really spruce this up. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon (or cinnamon stick if you have them on hand!). A few homemade spice mix to try:
- Use ugly apples. The apples are all going to become mush any way so there’s no need to use pretty ones. You may even be able to get fruit cheaper! Some grocery stores and farmers markets offer ugly or bruised fruit at a lower price since most people don’t want it. You’ll be doing your part helping to reduce food waste and ending up with homemade sauce. Win-win!
- Can I Slow Cook this? No worries if you don’t have an instant pot! You can make this in a slow cooker just the same. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and you’re good to go.
- Can I freeze this? Yes! This will keep in the freezer for about 2 months.
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST
Don’t forget to #asaucykitchen on instagram if you try this Instant Pot Applesauce! I love seeing what you make! You can also post your pictures to my facebook page!
Instant Pot Applesauce
Easy, three ingredient Instant Pot Applesauce| You don't even need to worry about peeling, just throw everything in the pot and set! Gluten Free + Vegan + Paleo + No Added Sugar
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples cores removed, (peeled or unpeeled)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
- Place the cored apples, water and lemon juice in the instant pot. Close/seal the pot and set on High Pressure for 4 minutes and start.
- When the 4 minutes are up switch to Cancel/Keep Warm and allow the pot to depressurize on its own for about 10 minutes. Then release the valve and let any additional steam escape before opening the pot.
- At this point you can stain out the peels if you don't want them or just blend them up along with the remaining apples with an immersion blender or in batches with a traditional blender.
- Let cool before transferring to different storage containers. This will keep for about 10 days stored in the fridge or about 2 months in the freezer.
Notes
- Spice it up. At the base of this recipe you only need three ingredients: water, apples and lemon juice. Feel free to add in some extra spices to really spruce this up. Sprinkle in a little cinnamon (or cinnamon stick if you have them on hand!) or apple pie spice blend for an added layer of flavour.
- Use ugly apples. The apples are all going to become mush any way so no need to look for the prettiest, shiniest apples. Some grocery stores and farmers markets will even offer ugly/bruised fruit at a lower price since most people don't want it. You'll be doing your part helping to reduce food waste and ending up with homemade sauce. Win-win!
- Can I Slow Cook this? No worries if you don't have an instant pot! You can make this in a slow cooker just the same. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and you're good to go.
- Can I freeze this? Yes! This will keep in the freezer for about 2 months.
Leave a Review!