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:
Vicki
Wow! I gave away my Crockpot during a kitchen remodel and the only thing I was worried about being able to make was Apple Butter ?. Easy peasy and fast! Used a tart baking apple – Johnathan – with a little extra sugar. Cut the apples into large chunks after others reported issues with fibers. Used a stick blender and a little lemon juice at the end. Grab some apple cider for the liquid, so good!
Lydia Beiler
So glad that this recipe was able to save the day and help you still make apple butter without a Crockpot. Vicki! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know how much you loved it and also the tweaks you made. Those are always good and helpful to know!
Whitney Bagby
I’m sorry this might be a silly question but I’m new to making jelly and jams and things. Is it 5.5lbs of apples whole or cut up? Also are the cloves necessary? And what is your opinion on using the instant pot to can? I’m sorry! I’m asking a lot of questions!
Lydia Beiler
Not a silly question at all! I can totally understand these questions…we all have them at some point. The 5.5 lbs. apples is meant to be whole apples (a little more or less isn’t going to hurt anything!). As for the cloves, they help give the apple butter the flavor that makes it apple butter. TIf you choose to leave them out, the final result will just not be as flavorful and will just taste much more like thick applesauce. But I’m sure it will still be good! If you have more questions, I’m happy to try to help!
Sophia Deal
Quick question: what are the nutritional facts?
ThriftyFrugalMom
I’m not sure, Sophia. You can always use something like My Fitness Pal to figure that out though.
Danielle
Can I cut the recipe in half when using the instapot? Also do you have a type of apple that works best?This is my first time doing something like this.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, you can cut the recipe in half. But if you are making it in the Instant Pot, you will want to still use 1/3 c. water, since it will need that amount to have enough liquid to cook without scorching. As for the apple variety. You can use any kind of apple you want- each variety will make it taste just a little different. A few of my favorites are Cortland, Golden Delicious and Fuji. You can even mix varieties too. A lot of people like to do about half of a sweet apple variety and half of a more tart apple.
Julie
I made this today and it’s so delicious!! I added about a half cup more of brown sugar and cooked it down some more on saute.. Yummmmmm!! Definitely gonna make this again!
ThriftyFrugalMom
So glad you enjoyed it, Julie!
Brett Frafford-Olson
What are your thoughts on using honey? I have quite a bit and like the idea of it being a bit healthier. Thanks for your help!
ThriftyFrugalMom
It will definitely change the flavor but I think it would still be good. If you are doing it in the Instant Pot, I think I’d wait to add the honey until step 5 or 6, since there’s a chance that the honey could cause it to scorch more easily. If you do the slow cooker method though, I don’t think it would hurt to add it initially. You probably just should stir more frequently. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it worked!