I dusted off the blog a few days ago with my first post since May, and now it’s time for a new recipe! This one is so easy (the main goal for all of my recipes!), so yummy, and a true fall essential.
I feel kind of embarrassed admitting this, but I think I’ve made homemade applesauce only once in my 34 years…before the Fall of 2020 that is. (Kind of like roasting chicken, it still intimidates the heck out of me). Soon after Finn was born, I made a list of things I was no longer going to make homemade until he was older and I had the time, capacity, and desire. That list included hummus, elderberry syrup, granola and a couple other things. I have slowly started making some of this stuff again, but always give myself a permission slip to buy from a store. Pre-kids I thought I’d never give them sugar, or even store bought crackers, oh how motherhood forces us to change for the better ;)!!
So, we ended up with an abundance of apples like many of us do this time of year. I realized the store bought kind was just eh, and I wanted to try an Instant Pot Version. And to my great surprise, using an Instant Pot to make applesauce is about as easy as it gets…and the kids are devouring it. This recipe is SO SO good!
We make something in our house called “loaded apple sauce.” I heat the apple sauce on the stove, and always add butter or ghee. It tastes like apple pie this way, and I am always looking for an easy way to get healthy fats into my kiddos! The other ingredients (if any) depend on my mood, but may include: coconut flakes, collagen peptides for a little protein (I like this brand), ground chia or flax seeds, and maybe a couple additional spices. They love it, especially on these chilly mornings.
I wanted to call this 5 minute Instant Pot applesauce as I’ve seen on other websites, but it’s just not true! Peeling and coring apples takes a long time (WAY less if you use one of these tools), so even though the cook time in the IP is 5 minutes, it definitely takes longer than 5. But its worth it!
Instant Pot Apple Sauce
Equipment
- Apple corer - I like this one
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples - that’s about 8 medium to large apples
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 lemon - juiced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom - If you don’t have cardamom, get some!! But in the mean time use 2 tsp cinnamon total, and I’d definitely add the ground ginger!
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger - optional
- pinch of sea salt
- unrefined sugar to taste - optional, I skip this step but you can sweeten if desired
Instructions
- Peel and core all of the apples. This is the part where the peeler/corer tool comes in super handy! Cut into smallish pieces if you’re not using the tool.
- Add all ingredients to the instant pot and stir.
- Put lid on, and move the nob on the lid of the IP to SEAL.
- Press the ‘Manual’ button and set for 5 minutes.
- Let the IP naturally release. This means don’t release the seal, let it happen on its own (which usually takes about 15 minutes).
- Open IP, stir well, enjoy right away or store in glass containers.
- This will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 7 days – but it never lasts that long in our house!
Notes
- Using an apple peeler and corer is the ONLY way to go! Peeling and coring apples takes a long time without this. I was super reluctant to add another tool to our kitchen, but my husband insisted and it really is the best.
- You can make applesauce with any type of apple, but best are: MacIntosh, Jonathan, Cortland or Macoun.
- I have doubled this recipe and it just barely fit in the Instant Pot (below the maximum line) but it worked great. I love doubling anything I can in the kitchen!
- If your apple sauce seems to have too much liquid, turn on the saute feature on low on your Instant Pot. Let it simmer and reduce for 5-10 minutes until it’s at the desired consistency.
