Easy Instant Pot Applesauce

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce uses just 4 ingredients and no sugar. Make the BEST homemade applesauce with peeled or unpeeled apples in your pressure cooker!

Homemade applesauce is definitely one of the easiest Instant Pot recipes you can make. Just dump all of the ingredients into the pressure cooker, press start, and cook!

After only 4 minutes of cooking time, you've got delicious, homemade unsweetened applesauce! As a bonus, your home will smell truly amazing -- just like fall!

I used to always make homemade applesauce in the Crock-Pot, but it pressure cooker applesauce is so much faster! You can whip some up whenever you need to, and it's the best way to use up old apples.

My daughter got braces last week and was having one heck of a time eating -- poor baby! I was able to make applesauce in the Instant Pot in just a few minutes, and she was one happy camper!

Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce

We like unsweetened applesauce, so this recipe is made without sugar. The mix of apples I use naturally sweetens the applesauce.

You can always add some brown sugar or white sugar at the end if you want, but my picky kids love it just as it is, so that definitely tells me it's sweet enough. In fact, we think it has even more flavor the next day!

What Apples do you Use for Applesauce

Personally, I like to use a mix of tart and sweet apples to make unsweetened applesauce. I usually use a mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Gala, but you can use what you like best.

McIntosh, Fuji, Jonagold and Braeburn are fine, too. I wouldn't recommend using all Granny Smiths, though, since that would most likely be too tart!

How to Make Instant Pot Applesauce with Peeled or Unpeeled Apples

You can use peeled or unpeeled apples for homemade applesauce. I usually use unpeeled apples because it's quick and easy this way.

However, I peeled the apples this time because I wanted super smooth applesauce for my daughter. Think baby food!

Just, throw the peeled or unpeeled apples into the Instant Pot, and sprinkle the cinnamon and sea salt over the top. Then, add the water, and pressure cook the apples for 4 minutes.

You'll notice I only use ¼ cup of water here, which may seem like it won't work, but trust me, it does! Apples release a ton of liquid as they cook. If you like your applesauce thinner, use ½ cup of water.

Use Natural Release or Controlled Release with Applesauce

A word of caution here, so listen up, folks! You want to allow a natural full release or do a controlled quick release when you make Instant Pot applesauce. The apples get super foamy in the pressure cooker, and they will spray everywhere with a quick release!

You can mash the apples with a potato masher or fork if you like chunkier applesauce. But since I wanted the applesauce to be as smooth as possible, I used an immersion blender here.

How Long does Homemade Applesauce Last?

You can serve your homemade applesauce warm or refrigerate it for later. Homemade applesauce should last up to a week in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. We thought it tasted even better the next day!

Recipes that use applesauce

• Easy Applesauce Bars
• Apple Raisin Muffins
• Banana Applesauce Muffins

Instant Pot Applesauce Recipe

Recipe

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce

Published by Dee

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce uses just 4 ingredients and no sugar. Make the BEST homemade applesauce with peeled or unpeeled apples in your pressure cooker!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Share by Email

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

pressure time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 14 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 10

Calories 95 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 10 small apples peeled or unpeeled, cored and sliced
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon sea salt (optional)
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

 

• Add the apples to the Instant Pot
• Sprinkle cinnamon and sea salt over apples, and pour water around the sides 
• Cover, turn vent to sealing position, and hit PRESSURE COOK for 4 minutes
• Pot will take a few minutes to reach pressure, then cook for 4 minutes and beep when cooking is done
• Do a gradual quick release to avoid liquid spraying from Pot, or allow pot to release naturally. When pin drops, open lid, and use an immersion blender for smooth applesauce or stir or mash with fork for chunky applesauce

Notes

Applesauce was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

Due to the high water content of the apples, ¼ cup water is enough for pot to reach pressure. For thinner applesauce, use ½ cup water. 

You can use unpeeled apples or peeled apples.

Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

Nutrition

Calories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 195mgFiber: 4gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 98IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

Recipe was originally published in 2018 and updated for extra tips and clarity in 2019