Applesauce was one of the very first recipes I ever posted on this site. Juicebox Applesauce, to be exact. It’s a recipe that I’ve cooked dozens of times, that made its way into my first cookbook, and that I’ve adapted using pears in my recipe for pearsauce. My method is similar to the one I grew up eating: unfussy, peels on, a glug of maple syrup for sweetness. I never thought I’d stray from my standard approach, but here we are with Instant Pot Applesauce.
Why Make Instant Pot Applesauce?
Making applesauce is so easy and so superior to what you’ll find at the market that it seems wrong to buy it (though I sometimes do). And though I’m sure I’ll continue to make applesauce using my old school method, it’s hard to argue with the speed and ease of the Instant Pot. There’s no need to watch the pot and it requires just seven minutes of cooking time (plus the time to heat things up, of course).
Season your Sauce
In this recipe, I spice the pot with fresh ginger and ground cinnamon. If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, you can leave it out or sub in ground ginger instead. As for sweetness, I love the flavor that a tablespoon or two of maple syrup adds to the pot, but it’s purely optional. Sometimes apples are so naturally sweet, it’s not needed.
The Power of the Peels in Instant Pot Applesauce
You leave the peels on in this applesauce recipe. That makes it much quicker to make, but also healthier. Indeed, leaving the peels on adds about 13 grams of fiber to the recipe. The Instant Pot does an excellent job of breaking the apples down into a tender sauce, peels and all. Not to worry, though, if you like a truly creamy sauce. Just run it through the blender or food processor to eliminate any trace of a peel.
If you like Instant Pot Applesauce, check out:
Peanut Butter Granola Apple Stacks
Crockpot Applesauce on Real Mom Nutrition
If you don’t own an Instat Pot and are wondering if it’s worth buying, I wrote a review here
Instant Pot Applesauce
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 pounds apples (about 10 medium apples)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger, optional (substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger if you don't have fresh)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
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Cut the apples off the cores and cut into slices that are roughly 1 inch wide. An apple slicer/corer will make quick work of this.
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Put the sliced apples, water, cinnamon, and ginger into the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Close the steamer vent. Set the Instant Pot to 7 minutes on Manual High Pressure. Once done, immediately release the steam from the pot (use caution, since that team is hot). Remove the lid and stir.
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When the sauce has cooled a bit, taste and add maple sauce as needed for sweetness. If your peels didn’t soften enough for your liking, or for a smoother sauce, transfer to a food processor or blender and run until creamy.
