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This sweet Instant Pot Apple Butter is perfectly offset with deliciously warm Fall flavors from the different spices used. It’s a cinch to make in your Instant Pot and depending on the type of apple you use, you may not even need to add in any extra sweetener! Enjoy as a spread on toast, crackers, fruit, or just by the spoonful!
A couple of months ago I shared on my Instagram page that I was making a batch of apple butter in my Instant Pot. I had no idea how many people would want the recipe. I apologize that it took me so long to get it up on the site, but better late than never, right?!
Back in August, my sister and brother-in-law came out to live in CO for a month or two. They currently live in lower Alabama where my BIL is a master organic gardener (have questions about organic gardening and sustainable agriculture? He’s your guy!). Their property is filled with amazing fruits and veggies, all organically and sustainably grown. I’m always a tad jealous when they send me pictures of their latest harvest. LOL!
Well, thankfully they decided to share some of their harvest with us this summer when they came to visit. They brought us a huge bag of their dehydrated figs (which are SO delicious!) AND a giant tub of apples. More apples than I had seen in a long time. So I grabbed a bagful and brought them home to whip into an easy Instant Pot Apple Butter!
The Special Southern Cauley Apple
What made it even more special is that the variety of apples he grows is a true deep South apple called Cauley. This variety was first noted in 1860 (or maybe even earlier, depending on what history you read). It was thought to have been lost until 1919 when a man by the name of John Cauly found a healthy tree in his yard in Granada, Mississippi. From there, this historical variety was preserved and is still flourishing in the deep south today.
On a side note, if you are into the history of old Southern apples, I found this gem of a book on Google books called “Old Southern Apples: A Comprehensive History and Description of Varieties“. At the time I wrote this blog post, it looked to be free for reading on the computer. Page 58 is where I found info on the Cauley variety.
It was fun to learn a little about this history of this apple and make an Instant Pot Apple Butter recipe so delicious with an apple that was once thought lost to history!
About Instant Pot Apple Butter
These apples were pretty tart when we got them. They did get sweeter with age, but I honestly didn’t mind the tartness. I like tart, crunchy apples. My original goal with this Instant Pot Apple Butter was to make the butter with no added sweetener, although once I cooked the apples and tasted them I realized that I was going to have to add a little something to make it more palatable.
I decided to use my Instant Pot for this apple butter recipe, to keep it simple and clean-up easy. And, to keep it even more simple, I decided to use my favorite homemade pumpkin pie spice blend recipe instead of measuring out a bunch of individual spices. I had some pumpkin pie spice from last Fall that needed to be used up so it was the perfect opportunity.
The beautiful thing about apple butter is that you really can spice it up with whatever you like. Enjoy a lot of ginger (like me)? Add more. Want it less spicy? Add less! The sky is the limit when it comes to creating your own decadent apple butter at home.
You can use any variety of apple you like in this recipe. If you go with a sweeter apple, then you may not need to add any additional sweetener. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to suit your own tastes. I personally used a combo of erythritol and stevia since those work well for my body right now, but you could use any granulated or liquid sweetener of your choice.
This recipe is so flexible that it’s more of a guideline, rather than a set-in-stone recipe. I used A LOT of spice in here because I wanted a really deep, rich Fall spice flavor. Feel free to play around with whatever proportions suit your tastebuds. Experimenting is the best part of cooking! 🙂
New to the Instant Pot? I’ve Got You Covered!
The Instant Pot was so intimidating at first, but can I just say that it is now by far my favorite kitchen appliance? I may even love it more than my blender! I love that I can throw frozen chunks of meat (like pot roast) in it at the last minute and still have juicy, tender meat for dinner a couple of hours later.
For those of you who are new to the Instant Pot, then I have you covered in this video I did with my friend and former business partner, Orleatha Smith. If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, you can find them on Amazon here.
Delicious Obsessions Trusted Product Recommendations for Instant Pot Apple Butter
I am always asked about my favorite ingredients and what I use in my own kitchen. I have linked to the products from my affiliate partners that I personally use and recommend. And now, here are the special coupon offers that select affiliate partners are currently offering:
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Instant Pot Apple Butter :: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, Refined Sugar-Free
This sweet apple butter is perfectly offset with deliciously warm Fall flavors from the different spices used. It's a cinch to make in your Instant Pot and depending on the type of apple you use, you may not even need to add in any extra sweetener! Enjoy as a spread on toast, crackers, fruit, or just by the spoonful!
Ingredients
- Approx. 8 pounds of apples, washed and cored (your choice in variety - can also peel them if you prefer, but if the skins are in good shape I wouldn't bother. They'll blend up just fine)
- 3/4 - 1 cup of water or organic apple juice
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (use my homemade recipe linked above, or I also love this brand)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional -- I wanted an even deeper cinnamon flavor)
- 2 tsp ground ginger (optional -- I wanted a spicier ginger flavor)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- sweetener of your choice (optional - wait until after the apples have cooked to add - I used a combo of about 1/2 tsp liquid stevia and a couple tablespoons of erythritol)
Instructions
- Wash and core your apples and cut into quarters. You can leave the peels on, unless they are super ugly and beat up like mine were.
- Place apples in your Instant Pot, along with everything except the sweetener.
- Choose the Manual setting for 8 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally.
- Remove the lid and stir to combine. The apples should be falling apart and creamy at this point.
- Taste for sweetness and decide if you want to add your sweetener. If so, add at this time.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the apples until they get to a consistency you like. I love really smooth apple butter, but you can leave yours chunky if you like.
- If your apple butter is a bit too thin at this point, turn on the Saute feature and cook, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes or until the apple butter has reduced to the consistency you like.
- Portion into glass jars and let cool completely before transferring to the fridge. If you're going to freeze them, leave about 1" space at the top of your jar and leave the lid off. Freeze until solid and then add the lid.
- Will keep in the fridge for 7-10 days and in the freezer for up to a year.
Notes
This recipe should make approx. 2 quarts, give or take a little. Each serving size is calculated out as 1 tablespoon in the nutrition facts. But you can make a serving size as big or small as you like! 🙂
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 128 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 16Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered from Nutritionix and we often find their calculations to be slightly inaccurate based on the whole food ingredients we use on this site. Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on many factors. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible, but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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