Can it get any easier than no-peel Instant Pot applesauce? Pick your favorite blend of sweet and tart apples, add a little bit of this and that, and you're 5 minutes of pressure cook time away from perfectly cooked and warmly spiced applesauce - no sugar needed.
Now if I were to start this post with a classic food blogger trope, I'd write you a long intro about how my love of applesauce began when I was a kid, how it was a tireless presence in my lunchbox, how I have countless wonderful memories of eating applesauce with my family...
But let's get real. For one, I probably roll my eyes at that over-the-top schmaltz just as much as you do. And two? It's just applesauce. Does it really need a story justifying why you make it? It's a tasty, versatile, and healthy snack recipe, made even easier in the Instant Pot.
Good enough for me!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You don't need to peel the apples. Saving on prep time is always a win, and apple peels in particular are rich in fiber and other nutrients. This no-peel applesauce will be deeper in color and only slightly chunky as a result.
- You control the consistency. Blend it up totally smooth or leave it chunky - it's your call.
- You don't need to add sweetener...but you can if you want to. Choosing the right mix of apples provides a bright, bold fruit flavor and balanced sweetness that doesn't need sugar.
- You can save some for later. Applesauce freezes really well for your future snacking needs.
Choosing Apples for Applesauce
There's a lot of wiggle room here for you to mix-and-match varieties depending on what's available. Three pounds of apples are used in this Instant Pot applesauce recipe and I generally use 2-3 different varieties. The biggest takeaway? Pick a blend of sweeter and tarter apples.
Since certain apple varieties can be pricey depending on where you live and buy groceries, shop around within the sweet/tart buckets to find sales and pick apples that fit your sweetness preferences. Every time I make Instant Pot applesauce I use a different mix of apples depending upon what's on sale. My favorites are Honeycrisp and Pink Lady.
Sweeter Apple Varieties
- Fuji
- Jonagold
- Gala
- Ambrosia
- Honeycrisp
- Golden Delicious
Tarter Apple Varieties
- Pink Lady
- McIntosh
- Granny Smith
- Jazz
- Braeburn
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Quarter and core apples, then add to the Instant Pot with water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Cook apples for 5 minutes on manual high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
3. Blend the apples until the consistency is as smooth as you'd like it. The easiest way to do this is with an immersion blender, or you can carefully transfer everything to a stand blender if you want smooth applesauce.
Important: Release Pressure Naturally
The Instant Pot manual says to use extreme caution when pressure cooking foods that can be frothy, in which it specifically calls out applesauce. Reason being is that hot splatter-y applesauce can spray up through the pressure release system.
This is why I specify a natural pressure release (NPR). If you're impatient, after 15 minutes of natural pressure release, you may try carefully (using oven mitts, covering the vent with a dish towel, etc.) quick pressure releasing the remaining pressure.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Optional Sweetener - If you prefer sweetened applesauce, you can add your favorite sweetener before cooking, or you can stir in liquid sweetener (such as maple syrup or honey) afterwards after taking a taste. Do this while the applesauce is still warm to help it efficiently blend in.
- Shop Smart - It bears repeating: Apples are expensive, so let the supermarket sales dictate which varieties you purchase. As long as you mix sweet and tart, you'll have delicious no-peel applesauce.
- Serving Suggestions - This Instant Pot applesauce recipe yields approximately 40 ounces in total. Besides snacking on by itself, applesauce is delicious served alongside pork dishes and in baking recipes (such as apple cinnamon baked oatmeal).
Recipe FAQs
One of the Instant Pot tenets when it comes to the six-quart Instant Pot is to not add less than one cup of liquid when pressure cooking. Using a half-cup of water is fine for this size Instant Pot here because the apples release liquid as they cook. There will be enough steam produced for everything to pressure cook properly.
Yes! Once cooled I portion out one cup of applesauce into quart-sized bags, seal after getting as much air out of the bag as I can, and then press them into a flat, even layer. That way they take up less space in the freezer. While you can definitely use larger bags for freezing applesauce, I prefer smaller ones so they're easy to grab out to thaw for a snack or for using in recipes.
More Sweet Apple Recipes
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No-Peel Instant Pot Applesauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples blend of sweet/tart varieties (see note)
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (up to 1 teaspoon - see note)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cut each apple into quarters, then remove and discard the cores and seeds.
- Place quartered apples in the Instant Pot, then pour in the water. Add lemon juice, cinnamon, and kosher salt and give everything a little stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure release valve is set to "Sealing". Press the "Manual" button (or "Pressure Cook" on newer models), then using the "+" or "-" buttons, adjust the time to 5 minutes of high pressure cooking.
- Let the pressure release naturally, then switch the pressure release valve to "venting" before opening the lid.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the apples until your desired consistency. Focus on areas of the peels if you'd like to leave a chunkier texture, or alternatively you can transfer the apples to a blender if you'd prefer it all smooth. The applesauce will thicken up more as it cools. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or once cooled, freeze in portions for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Apples: 3 pounds = 8-9 medium apples. Mix and match sweet and tart apple varieties from these buckets depending upon your tastes and what's on sale. For naturally sweet applesauce, go with half to two-thirds sweet apples, with the rest tart. I really like a mix of Honeycrisp (sweet) and Pink Lady (tart) apples if just choosing 2, or Fuji (sweet), Golden Delicious (mid), and McIntosh (tart) if mixing 3.
- Sweeter: Honeycrisp, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Gala, Ambrosia
- Tarter: Pink Lady, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Jazz, Braeburn
- Cinnamon: Increase the amount used to 1 teaspoon if you like a bold cinnamon applesauce flavor.
- Optional Sweetener: You can add some of your preferred sweetener before cooking if you like, or you can stir in a liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey, afterwards.
- Use the natural pressure release - This prevents hot applesauce from splatting out of the valve mechanism. The Instant Pot manual specifically warns against quick pressure release for applesauce.
- Inactive Time - Inactive time takes into account 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and 20 minutes for a natural pressure release.
- Yield - This recipe yields about 2 ½ pounds (4 ½ cups) of applesauce in total.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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