Put your Instant Pot to work and have homemade applesauce in no time! This Instant Pot Homemade Applesauce is easy as can be and produces the creamiest and tastiest applesauce with an incredibly short and wholesome ingredient list. Make it as a side dish for a quick weeknight dinner, to have on hand for snacking, or for little ones to enjoy!
Recipes like this one are really where your appliances shine. You do a bit of prep by removing the core and slicing or chopping the apples, and then your Instant Pot and blender do all the heavy lifting! No time spent over a hot stove, no mashing by hand. All you have to do is enjoy fresh, flavorful applesauce. Mmm! I love filling Reusable Food Pouches with homemade applesauce because it makes it so easy for my kiddos to enjoy a healthy snack mess-free.
Is Homemade Applesauce Better Than Store-Bought?
YES! Once you've tried both, I think you'll see there is no comparison. Homemade applesauce shines with pure apple flavor, and it's so thick and creamy. You can totally customize the sweetness and cinnamon levels to your liking, and I don't think I've ever seen a store-bought sweetened applesauce that is 100% free of refined sugar. You can also use your favorite type of seasonal apples, whether you pick them yourself or find them at the grocery store!
Using Imperfect Apples for Applesauce
This is the perfect way to use bruised, slightly mushy, or otherwise imperfect apples! I sometimes even keep apples that my kids haven't finished while snacking (sometimes even saved in a freezer bag!) and use that for applesauce. Since it gets cooked and blended down, it doesn't matter if they're a little browned or yucky-looking. Put those apples to use!
Apple Nutrition
Apples are full of powerful disease-fighting nutrients and health benefits! They keep you hydrated because of their high water content, they’re low in calories, fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and full of fiber and vitamin C. Vitamin C helps keep your gums and teeth healthy, so they keep the doctor and the dentist away! For more information check out this article that I wrote about the health benefits of apples in The Washington Post a couple years ago. Fun fact: the vast majority of an apple's nutrients are in their skin! I love that this recipe leaves the skin on without sacrificing that creamy, perfect applesauce texture.
Ingredients in Homemade Instant Pot Applesauce
This recipe has just four ingredients (and one of them is water!). You likely already have everything you need to make a fresh batch of applesauce today!
- Three pounds of apples, core and stems removed, sliced or chopped. I suggest leaving the skin on! You won't notice it in the applesauce and it keeps so much of the apple's nutrition.
- Filtered water
- Pitted Medjool dates - These are optional and just add a bit of sweetness!
- Ground cinnamon, also optional. You can adjust the amount of cinnamon you use to your personal preference!
How to Make Homemade Instant Pot Applesauce
- Start with a bit of apple preparation! Wash and cut three pounds of apples, removing the stems and cores but leaving the skins on.
- Add all ingredients to the bowl of your Instant Pot and cook it for 3 minutes on manual high pressure. Let the steam release until the valve naturally drops, then remove the lid. I've seen a lot of recipes that cook apples for much, much longer than this, but I actually found that the minimum cooking time produces the best and tastiest applesauce!
- Pour everything into a high-speed blender and bled until smooth, about 10 seconds. You can pulse it until it reaches your desired consistency if you like a chunkier applesauce!
Storing Applesauce
This Homemade Instant Pot Applesauce can be stored for up to a week in a Mason jar in the fridge. It tastes best once it's had a chance to cool and thicken up in the refrigerator for a bit!
More Apple Recipes
Vegan and Gluten-Free Apple Cake
Instant Pot Refined Sugar-Free Apple Butter
Creamy Vegan Cinnamon Vanilla Fruit Dip for Raw Apple Slices
Apple Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts, Dates, & Feta
Print
Easy Instant Pot Homemade Applesauce (refined sugar-free)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Easy Instant Pot Homemade Applesauce is the tastiest recipe with an incredibly short and wholesome ingredient list. Homemade applesauce is far superior to store-bought in every way. This one has a thick and creamy texture that makes it extra decadent. The apple flavor really shines through and you can customize the sweetness and cinnamon flavor to your liking.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples (cored, skin left on), halved (no need to slice or chop)
- ¼ cup filtered water
- optional: 1 tablespoon maple sugar or coconut sugar OR 2 pitted Medjool dates (for added sweetness)
- optinoal flavor enhancer: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place cored and halved apples and water directly in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add pitted dates and ground cinnamon if using. Close the lid and make sure the valve is on sealed.
- Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Press the OFF button and manually release the steam. Once the floating valve drops, remove the lid and allow the apples to slightly cool.
- Carefully transfer the apples and any liquids into a high speed blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy (about 10 seconds on high speed). Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator to thicken up overnight. You can enjoy immediately but it will be very hot and a bit thinner in consistency than if you wait for it to chill and thicken up in the refrigerator.
- Applesauce will stay fresh for up to one week as long as no used utensils are introduced to the jar.
Notes
* Any type of apple will work in this recipe. I like sweet red apples like Honeycrisp the best. Sometimes I like to mix in one or two Granny Smith apples for some tartness.
The flavors will change once the applesauce cools.
To make on the stovetop just add the cored and halved apples to a pot of boiling water and boil until fork tender (about 15 minutes). Then strain and add the cooked apples to your blender and blend. You can add cinnamon and sweetener to the blender if you plan to use.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
Keywords: Instant Pot Applesauce
Abby says
Made this this morning, OMG so good and so easy. I don’t have a instant pot so I cooked it on the stove top with approximately one and a half cups water covered for approximately 15 minutes and uncovered for the last few minutes. I couldn’t wait 24 hours to try it..I will be making more of this for sure!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Abby! So helpful to know it worked out for you with the stovetop method. Thank you so much for sharing so others can benefit from this too! I'm so glad you loved it! 🙂
Ashley says
So easy and simple, and insanely delicious!!! I thought I had a favorite applesauce recipe already, but this is now going to be my “go-to”. I literally can’t stop eating. Yum!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much!!!
Summer says
Amazing! Made it just as written and I love it so much. So excited to have the kiddos try it tomorrow after it cools in the fridge.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Summer! I'm so happy you love it! I hope your kids loved it today!
Hannah says
So smooth and incredibly naturally sweet - so easy to make in batches and freeze to have on hand!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Hannah! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one so much! Smart to freeze it to enjoy down the road! 🙂