Homemade Apple Butter in just a little over an hour? Yes please! Thanks to the Instant Pot, apple butter has never been easier!
Last week my sister-in-law came over with her two boys and while our kids played, we worked at turning two bushels of apples into homemade applesauce. It was kind of a lot of work, but we’ve both done it quite often, so it went really well.
Once we got our workflow figured out, we worked together like a well-oiled machine and it ended up not taking us as long as we thought it would!
But we didn’t use all the apples for applesauce! I decided to save a few to make into another one of our favorite apple things. Apple butter!
And you all, I’m so excited to share this apple butter recipe with you! Not only is it incredibly delicious (as in you’ll want to eat it straight off the spoon) it is also ridiculously easy to make.
Plus, it’s also much cheaper than if you go and buy it at the store, too!
In the past, I made this recipe in the slow cooker. But this year I decided to try my Instant Pot because I knew it would be faster and I was into getting it done quickly.
It worked like a charm! Just as good, but less time overall.
However, just in case you prefer using the slow cooker, I’m including directions for that method too. Because I know we all have different preferences and I want to make making homemade apple butter as easy as possible for you!
What is apple butter?
I’m guessing that some of you are wondering, “What in the world apple butter is anyway? ” And I understand. It’s not something that I really was very familiar with until I got married.
My husband spent part of his growing up years living on the orchard where his dad worked. As a result, he knows all about anything related to apples- including apple butter!
Basically, apple butter is a spread that is used as a jelly or jam. It’s delicious on toast or biscuits, in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, on pancakes and waffles, stirred into oatmeal or yogurt and it can be used in all sorts of recipes too, like these Apple Butter Snickerdoodles. It also makes a great gift too!
It’s kind of like applesauce, except that you simmer the apples until they are cooked down more, making it thicker and allowing the sugars in the apples to caramelize.
This caramelization gives the apple butter a delightfully intense flavor and it’s also what gives it the rich dark brown color.
How do you make apple butter?
This is the part I love. It’s so crazy simple!
All you do is peel, core and cut up your apples, then add them along with some spices, brown sugar, vanilla and water to your Instant Pot (or slow cooker) and let it cook away until the apples are soft. Finally, you puree it with an immersion blender (this is the one I have) or regular blender until it’s nice and smooth.
And just like that you are done and have lots of delicious homemade apple butter ready to be devoured!
What apples make the best homemade apple butter?
Really, you can use pretty much any apple, but in my opinion, you’ll get the best flavor by using a slightly tart variety.
My favorite apple for homemade apple butter and applesauce is Cortland. But I’ve also used Fuji, McIntosh and even Gala, although I don’t think the apple butter made with Gala was quite as tasty as the other varieties. It was still good though!
Other varieties that people like to use are Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn and Jonagold. You can totally experiment by combining different apples to suit your taste!
Can you freeze apple butter?
Yes, I actually freeze apple butter every year when I make it. While I love canning things (as is evidenced by all my canning tutorials), sometimes it’s just easier to freeze them instead. And since I have plenty of freezer space, that’s what I do.
I often freeze the apple butter in jelly jars, but these plastic containers work well too!
Super Easy Instant Pot Apple Butter
Super Easy Instant Pot Apple Butter
Equipment
- Instant Pot (6 qt or larger)
Ingredients
- 5.5 lb. apples (whole, unpeeled and uncored)
- 2 tbsp. vanilla
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- 4 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/3 c. water
Instructions
- Peel and core apples, then slice into fourths. If the apples are really big, cut them into sixths.
- Add apple slices and remaining ingredients to the insert of your Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set vent to sealing, then press the pressure cook button (or manual button on older models) and adjust the time to 15 minutes at high pressure.
- When timer is finished, let pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the dial to the VENT position and let remaining steam release. Remove lid.
- Blend apple mixture with stick blender or regular blender until smooth. Be very careful since it will be quite hot!
- If apple butter is still pretty runny, press the saute button on the Instant Pot, then press the minus button and adjust to “less”.
- Saute until thickened to desired consistency, making sure that you stir occasionally. You'll want to put the lid on for this since it tends to splatter a bit. Alternatively, you can use the slow cook setting instead and simmer that way, it will just take longer.
- Turn off Instant Pot and allow apple butter to cool.
- Spoon into jars and store in refrigerator for up to 1 week; or freeze for up to a year.
Notes
If you’d like to can your apple butter, it’s super easy to do!
Process jars of apple butter in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for half-pints and pints and 10 minutes for quarts.
You might also enjoy:
Shelly
I’m late to the party, but just found the recipe! 🙂 BEST EVER!! and I’ve been making apple butter for years! No need to peel apples, just core. Followed directions, except I used unfiltered apple juice in place of water. Did not need the second cooking, it was thick and rich! Made 6.5 wide mouth pints. I water bathed mine for 15 minutes. Only recipe I’ll use from now on. THANK YOU, Lydia!
ThriftyFrugalMom
So glad you loved it, Shelly! I’ve wondered if leaving the apples unpeeled would work, so that’s good to know. It’d be less work and healthier too to let them on. And I love your idea of using apple juice instead of water. I bet that gives it an even richer apple flavor! Thanks for those tips!
Carolyn
Many years ago I made apple butter and used apple juice. Worked great. I also use a food mill after cooking to get the peel off. Going to try again tomorrow and hope that my batch is as good as when I was 19 yrs old. Hehe.
Lydia Beiler
Yes, apple juice will definitely add a little extra flavor boost! I hope that your batch of apple butter meets your expectations. 🙂
Megan Gordon
Are the cloves supposed to be whole or ground? Or does it not matter? Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom
They are to be ground, Megan. I’ll update the recipe to make that clear!
Adele
Can this be canned?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes! According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation you should can half pints and pints for 5 minutes and quarts for 10 minutes. Obviously, if you are at high altitude, you’ll need to adjust those times accordingly.
Beth
5 min canning, water bath or pressure canner?
ThriftyFrugalMom
It’s water bath.
Rachel Eppling
Can you pressure can it?
Lydia Beiler
I’m sure you can! I just don’t know at what pressure and for how long. I’m sure a bit of Googling could probably help you figure that out though.
Mary Pepin
When does the brown sugar get added?
ThriftyFrugalMom
Ah, thanks for pointing that out, Mary! I hadn’t realized the directions were so unclear. Everything gets added right away with the apples before pressure cooking. I’m going to update the directions now to make that clear!
Rodney Karnes
Is the amount of water 1/3 cup correct, every time I did this is says BURN on the Instant pot. I had to add more water to get it to work.
Lydia Beiler
Yes, for most Instant Pots, 1/3 c. water should work just fine. But here’s a caveat- if you have an Instant Pot that is sensitive and gives the BURN message frequently, then you’ll probably need to add more water.
My first Instant Pot I had absolutely no issues making it with just 1/3 c. water. That Instant Pot died while still under warranty and the brand sent me another one of the same model, just updated a bit. Suddenly recipes that I had made often in the past give me the dreaded BURN message. I haven’t made this apple butter in it yet, but if I did, I wouldn’t be surprised that I would get the BURN message. With some trial and error I’ve learned that with this particular Instant Pot that I need to double the amount of liquid in BURN prone recipes and then it’s fine, although sometimes the end result is a bit soupier and I need to simmer it down to thicken it up properly. I had done a bit of research and apparently there are quite a few of the 6 qt. models that were produced a couple of years ago that just run hot and cause people to get the BURN message. Some folks have reported it to the Instant Pot makers but it hasn’t seemed to be taken very seriously, which is why I just decided to just try to figure out how to work with it!
That was a rather long explanation! But I guess in short, yes, it should be enough liquid and many people have made it using just that amount. But it sounds like you have one of the models that is going to require you to use more. Hope that helps!
Georgia Witkowski
Can this be doubled? I’m thinking of teachers. … We have a few … MORE!!!
ThriftyFrugalMom
I like the way you think, Georgia. 🙂 Because this apple butter is such a great, unique gift and always well received.
As for doubling the recipe, if you want more than what 1 batch makes, you’re going to need to just make it multiple times. Here’s why. The amounts for this recipe actually fill the Instant Pot up to the fill line and if you tried to double it, you’d be overflowing the Instant Pot bowl. Thankfully, the recipe is fairly quick and easy, so doing it multiple times shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
Georgia Witkowski
THANK YOU FOR REPLYING! I’m SO glad I checked back:0) All the Wonder of the Season to You! TU I think this will be my go to. I am really happy with the Instapot.
Rebecca
I made apple butter for the first time in 2016 and we loved it! My husband already loved it to begin with but the homemade stuff he can eat straight out of the jar. I gave it as Christmas presents that year. I made it again last month and used Gala and I agree it isn’t as tasty as the other apples I used but it still came out delicious! I made 11 jars and preserved them for the pantry to eat on all next year. It is such a great, cheap jelly/butter!
Nicole Foshee
How do you preserve them to last longer?
ThriftyFrugalMom
I typically freeze it, but you could also can it. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation you should can half pints and pints for 5 minutes and quarts for 10 minutes. Obviously, if you are at high altitude, you’ll need to adjust those times accordingly. Hope that helps!
Amelia
Do I need to use all that sugar?
ThriftyFrugalMom
You are welcome to try less, but I can’t promise it will taste very good. A lot of it will depend on the variety of apples and of course your taste preference. When I tested the recipe I tried various amounts of sugar and 1 c. was what I felt like tasted the best.
cc
My family has made apple butter all my life and used the amount indicated in the recipe… I’ve always thought of apple butter as super sweet!
That is, until I began making it as an adult. I played around with the recipe and tried different kinds of sugar. After *so many* batches, I landed on the following variation & got the best results (with the most compliments and requests for more):
replace refined white sugar with turbinado/Sugar-In-the-Raw and use 1/3 of the sugar required in the recipe. this lets the natural sugars in the apple and the lovely apple flavor shine!
Note: if you remove the apple peels, the natural pectin has also been removed, so you’ll need a preservative if you choose to can the apple butter.
Best of luck!
Lydia Beiler
So neat that your family has been making apple butter so long! What a great tradition! And thanks for the tips that you shared too. I’m going to have to give the turbinado sugar a try this fall when I make more!