No peel Instant Pot Apple Butter is a super simple, easy to follow recipe. It is the perfect way to use all the apples you pick at the orchard or any time you want a healthy spread for your toast. Ready in less than 30 minutes, you will find that it is the perfect companion for your favorite waffles, bagels, muffins, and pancakes.
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This recipe was originally published in November 2015 and has been updated with instructions for instant pot and new pictures.
Jump to:
- What is apple butter?
- What you’ll need
- How to make apple butter at home
- What time of year is best to make apple butter?
- Which apples are best for apple butter?
- How to buy apples
- How to store
- Can you freeze apple butter?
- What's the difference between homemade apple butter and applesauce?
- Love easy spreads?
- Let us know what you think
- Easy Homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter
What is apple butter?
Apple butter is a rich, creamy sauce or butter made of cooked apples. The term butter is used to describe the texture. There is no actual butter in this recipe!
In order to get a creamy texture, you need to either slow cook the apples or use your pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot. These tools help ensure the apples break down and create the perfect texture.
Our homemade apple butter goes well with a piece of homemade walnut & raisin toast, muffins, or bagels. You can also spread it on your favorite bread or even as a topping on your favorite baked desserts.

What you’ll need
When you make apple butter at home, you definitely need a lot of apples! Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients you’ll want to have on hand:
- Apples - You can use your favorite variety, but softer ones, like McIntosh or Golden Delicious work best.
- Water - You could also use apple juice.
- Dash of vanilla extract
- Spices - You’ll need cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.
- Fresh lemon juice
You may want to have the following kitchen tools and gadgets on hand when you make the apple butter. They will definitely make your life easier:
- Apple Slicer – This is worth every penny you spend on it! It will make your life so much easier!
- Immersion Blender – This will allow you to get the soft texture and creamy consistency.
- Instant Pot – We used our 6-quart Instant Pot.
How to make apple butter at home
- First, wash and slice the apples with an apple slicer or sharp knife.
- Next, add the apple slices, spices, lemon juice, and water (or apple juice) to the inner pot of your Instant Pot.
- Carefully put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the vent to sealing. And then pressure cook it for 15 minutes on high.
- When done, turn the valve to do a quick release of pressure.
- Carefully remove the lid and puree the cooked apples and spices with an immersion blender. Alternatively, you can pour the contents into a high power blender and blend it with that instead. This can get messy!
- Either way, make sure to blend it till everything is smooth and lump-free.
- Next, press the SAUTE button. You’ll need to cover with a glass lid and stir frequently. The process will take about 10 to 20 minutes to thicken the butter. Use caution as you mix the apple butter! It will splutter and splash some!
- Keep boiling the mixture until the desired consistency is achieved. To test for doneness, use a spoon to draw a line through the apple butter on the bottom of the pot. If the line holds for 5 seconds merging back together, it's ready!
- After the apple butter reaches the desired consistency, turn off the saute mode and let it cool.
- Using a spoon, carefully transfer it into jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or you can also freeze it in freezer jars or bags. Finally, you could can it.

What time of year is best to make apple butter?
Really any time of year is a good time to make it thanks to apples being available year round in most grocery stores.
But for the best flavor, we recommend picking fresh apples from the tree, a local farm stand, or your grocery store from around September to November if you live in the United States. That’s when the apples are guaranteed to be fresh and delicious!
Apple picking is definitely a popular activity during the fall. Whether it’s with family, friends or your significant other, it's easy to spend a full day at the orchard.

Which apples are best for apple butter?
Soft apples, like McIntosh/ Golden Delicious, work best to make homemade apple butter. This is because they break down faster than harder apples when you cook them.
If you really like harder apples, like Granny Smiths, you could use them. But you will likely need to increase the cook time to get the right consistency.
How to buy apples
When you pick out your apples, whether at the store or orchid, you should look for firm feeling apples. You should not see or feel any soft areas, bruises, dents, wrinkles, or cuts in the apple.
How to store
You can store apple butter several different ways, including freezing it. If you plan to use it quickly, you can place it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
You could also can the apple butter. To do this, you would need canning jars. Though they vary some, you generally place the jar in boiling water for several minutes until the jar seals. But you should follow the instructions that came with your canning jars for what they recommend or need.

Can you freeze apple butter?
Yes! You can freeze apple butter for up to 6 months. To do this, place the cooled butter in a freezer safe container, leaving a small amount of room at the top of the container.
To use, allow the apple butter to thaw in the fridge overnight.
What's the difference between homemade apple butter and applesauce?
Both applesauce and apple butter are made by cooking apples with water and spices until softened. They are then both turned into a sauce like consistency with a blender or other device.
The main difference is that apple butter is cooked for a longer time so that it reduces it to a creamy, glossy butter-like spread.
You can also preserve apple butter for a longer duration than applesauce.

Love easy spreads?
Do you love easy spreads for your toast, bagels, and other baked goods? Then you should definitely check out our 3 ingredient homemade Strawberry jam and homemade pineapple jam.
Let us know what you think
After you make this delicious apple butter, let us know how it went! When you make them, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!

Easy Homemade Instant Pot Apple Butter
If you love Apples, Delicious & Sugar Free Instant Pot Homemade Apple Butter Recipe is one you should certainly make this fall. This recipe is the epitome of fall to me and it couldn't get easier, made in the instant pot or slow cooker. This Instant Pot applesauce / apple butter recipe has no added sugar and can be made in under 30 minutes! You have an amazing spread for waffles, bagels, muffins, pancakes. So skip the store-bought stuff and make your own sweet, tart butter in just a few easy steps. Check out the video recipe.
Ingredients
- Apples - 4 pounds (12 -15 apples)
- Water or apple juice - 1/2 cup
- Dash of vanilla extract - 1 tbsp
- Cinnamon - 1 tbsp
- Allspice - 1/4 teaspoon
- Nutmeg - 1/8 tsp
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Wash and slice apples with a apple slicer .
- Add apple slices ,spices ,lemon juice and water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set vent to sealing, pressure cook it for 15 minutes.
- When done , quick release the pressure.
- Remove the lid and puree the cooked apples and spices with an immersion blender .
- Blend it till everything is smooth and lump-free.
- Press the SAUTE button.
- Place a glass cover and keep stirring the apple butter frequently ,it will take for 10- 20minutes until it thickens.
- Be careful with this step, as the mixture is HOT and splashes up.
- Keep boiling until the desired consistency is achieved. Use the spoon to draw a line through the apple butter on the bottom of the pot if the line holds for 5 seconds before the apple butter merges back together, it's finished cooking.
- After the apple butter reaches the desired consistency , let it cool.
- Transfer it into jars and store in the fridge for a week, or you can also freeze it in freezer jars or can it
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About Soniya
Hello, I am Soniya, the cofounder of The Belly Rules The Mind. Originally from Mumbai, India, I am settled in Virginia US with my husband.
I am a mother of 2 energetic boys, referred to as R2 (15-year-old) and R3 (10-year-old) on the blog. In case you are wondering who is R1, well that is my husband.
My hubby and I were born in Mumbai, India, where we were spoiled by the wealth of food choices available to us. We could enjoy everything from yummy street food to multi-cuisine restaurants and we became very picky about what we like and what we don't. Read more
Emily
Saturday 19th of November 2022
Wow, very tasty! I used a mix of golden delicious and gala. Fantastic! You weren’t kidding about the splatters. Next time I make it I’ll be sure to have some rubber gloves and long sleeves on. :-P Thank you for the delicious recipe!
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Becky P
Monday 7th of November 2022
This was super easy, just took some well worth time. My husband is diabetic, and he LOVES apple butter so I decided to try it. I initially made it per your recipe and it was great, but he wanted it a little sweeter so I added a little monk fruit golden once it was cooked down to the consistency I liked. It was the perfect consistency, and flavor for him. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
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