Instant Pot Applesauce (4 ways!)

You need just 3 ingredients to make Instant Pot Applesauce. Add peach, strawberry or blueberry for a fun flavour twist. It’s perfect as a healthy snack or dessert with no added sugar!

Isn’t it beautiful? I just love the colours of this Instant Pot Applesauce. Peaches, strawberries and blueberries give amazing natural colour to the sauce. Even better than the colour is the smell of your house while it’s pressure cooking. The air gets filled with apple cinnamon goodness!

You’ll love this Instant Pot Applesauce because it’s

• incredibly easy – just 5 minutes to core and slice the apples and dump everything in the Instant Pot (see the video for how easy it is).
• healthy – there’s no added sugar and using unpeeled apples adds more fibre to your day!
• cost effective – this recipe makes 4-6 cups (depending on whether you add the second fruit). Stock up on apples when they’re on sale or at the orchard!
• insanely good – I like to eat the apple cinnamon and peach flavours while they’re warm. It’s basically dessert.

INGREDIENTS

You need just 3 ingredients for basic apple cinnamon, plus one more if you’re flavouring with fruit! See the detailed recipe card below for exact amounts and instructions.

• Apples (feels silly to write this down, like, no kidding!) – see below for suggestions on which variety to use
• Water
• Cinnamon
• Optional fruit for flavour (peach, blueberry, strawberry)

HOW TO MAKE IT

First, core and slice your apples. Don’t peel them. Seriously, you really don’t need to spend all that extra time tediously peeling the apples. Once pressure cooked, the peels will be super soft and blend easily. Plus, you get the added benefit of more dietary fibre!

Next, add the sliced apples, water and cinnamon to the Instant Pot. Add the additional fruit, if you’re using it.

Pressure cook on Manual High pressure for 10 minutes. It will take 15-20 minutes to come to pressure. At the end of cooking time, allow pressure to release naturally (NPR). This will take 20 minutes or so.

Then, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce right in the Instant Pot. Or, if you want an extra smooth sauce you can carefully transfer the apple/fruit mixture to a high-speed blender.

Finally, transfer the applesauce to a storage container and cool it completely before chilling in the refrigerator. I like to use mason jars to store it if we’ll be eating it soon, otherwise I put it in a larger sealable container to freeze the whole batch. Note that the applesauce will thicken a bit as it chills.

WHAT VARIETY OF APPLE SHOULD I USE?

Choose a variety of apple that will result in your desired level of sweetness.

SWEETER APPLE VARIETIES

• Fuji
• Gala
• Ambrosia
• Honeycrisp
• Golden Delicious

TART APPLE VARIETIES

• Granny Smith
• Mcintosh
• Empire
• Courtland
• Envy

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Adjust the amount of fruit or water to achieve your desired texture. The basic apple cinnamon flavour, as written, results in a texture similar to applesauce you would buy at the store. If you’re adding a high water content fruit like blueberries and strawberries, I suggest adding a couple more apples to maintain the thicker texture. If you prefer a thinner applesauce, you could add a bit more water. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

2. Choose an apple variety that will result in your desired colour. I like to use Golden Delicious for the flavour, but also because it has a lighter skin so it results in a paler sauce. The colour of the added fruit really shines with a paler applesauce base.

3. Use a high-speed blender for an extra smooth texture. Though I find the immersion blender does a great job and it’s so much easier to clean than a traditional blender.

4. Be careful when blending the hot apples! Immersion blenders are notorious for unexpected splatter, so I suggest letting the cooked apples cool a bit before blending. Also be careful if you’re transferring the fruit to a high-speed blender while it’s hot.