Easy Instant Pot Applesauce (No Refined Sugar!)

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce (No Refined Sugar!)

If you’ve got a pile of apples and just a few minutes, this Instant Pot applesauce recipe is your new best friend. It’s fast, foolproof, and can be made with no added sugar—just pure, cozy, homemade goodness. In under 30 minutes, you’ll have warm, cinnamon-sweet homemade applesauce that tastes just like fall in a jar.

Looking for more ways to preserve a bountiful apple harvest? First, begin with my guide to storing apples, and then check out my canning apple pie filling tutorial, how to freeze dry apples, and try your hand at fermenting with sparkling apple cider or apple sauerkraut. 

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Quick Look at This Recipe

• ✅ Recipe Name: Easy Instant Pot Applesauce (No Refined Sugar!)





• ✅ Ready In: ~30 minutes





• ✅ Yield: 8 Servings





• ✅ Calories: 95





• ✅ Tools: Instant Pot and a sharp knife





• ✅ Freezer Friendly: Yes – transfer cooled applesauce into an airtight container, and freeze for up to a year.





• ✅ Why You’ll Love It: This fast and easy recipe helps you keep up with the demand for the various ways applesauce can be used as a staple dish and ingredient in your kitchen. 





• ✅ Tip: Don’t toss those peels! Use them for apple scrap vinegar, so nothing from your harvest goes to waste.

What Makes This Recipe Unique?

• Best of Both Worlds – Old-fashioned comfort food made quick and easy with a modern appliance. I use this wonderful tool to make Instant Pot bone broth, rich and creamy Instant Pot macaroni and cheese, fail-proof Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs, hearty Instant Pot oatmeal, and so much more!





• Time Saver – This is one of those staple recipes that helps you keep up with apple season instead of feeling buried under it. And once you taste that warm, spiced aroma filling your kitchen, you’ll see why I make batch after batch every fall.





• Family Approved – This recipe is easily adjusted for flavor and texture to fit a variety of tastes. I even skip the honey and use it in my homemade food for even the youngest in our household.

Key Ingredients

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, check out the recipe card below.

• Apples – Any variety of apple works great, and if you can mix sweet and tart varieties (such as honeycrisp, Fuji, and Granny Smith), even better!





• Lemon Juice – Optional, but enhances the tartness when all you have are sweet apple varieties on hand.





• Sweetener – We like to sweeten our applesauce with a bit of honey. Maple syrup, coconut sugar, or date sugar are also refined sugar-free options. 

Recipe Variations 

Looking to mix up the flavor? Try some of these ideas:

• Spiced Applesauce – Add in warming fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, or ginger before cooking.





• Fruit Blends – Try mixing apples with pears, peaches, or plums. 





• Extracts – After cooking, add in your favorite extract to enhance the flavor. Maple, almond, or homemade vanilla extract are all great choices.





• Baby Friendly – Skip the sweetener and blend until smooth.

How to Make Instant Pot Applesauce

Step 1: Wash the apples, then peel, core, and cut into slices. 

Step 2: Add the apples, water, and lemon juice to the Instant Pot. Don’t go over the max fill line.

Step 3: Lock the lid on the pot. Pressure cook 5 minutes on high. Once the cooking time is up, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to quick-release the remaining pressure. If liquid spurts through the vent, close it, and give it 5 more minutes to release naturally before venting. 

Step 4: Carefully open the lid away from you and set it aside. Mash the apples into applesauce with a potato masher, a wooden spoon, or an immersion blender. You can make it as smooth or chunky as you like!

Step 5: Add honey, if desired. Serve warm or chilled.

Storage Instructions

• Refrigerator: Store in a glass jar or an airtight container for up to 5 days.





• Freezer: Once cooled, transfer to freezer-safe jars or containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Freeze up to 1 year.

Ways to Use Homemade Applesauce

We love it straight from the jar, but here are a few more favorite ways:

• As a topping for sourdough pancakes or Instant Pot yogurt
  





• Swirled into Instant Pot oatmeal
  





• As a natural sweetener in baked oatmeal, nutritious pumpkin fruit leather, your favorite quick bread, or this zucchini cake recipe.
  





• Spoonful over homemade ice cream for an easy dessert

FAQs

How do you make applesauce without peeling or coring in an Instant Pot?

If you have a food mill, you can skip peeling and coring your apples. Just cut into chunks, and follow the directions in this tutorial. At step 4, use a food mill to remove the seeds and puree to a smooth consistency.

Can I leave the skin on apples for applesauce?

Yes! If your apples are organic and you don’t mind a little texture, just leave the skins on and blend well after cooking.

Can I can this Instant Pot applesauce?

Yes, but make sure you follow safe water bath canning guidelines. I walk through these important guidelines in my Abundant Pantry: Canning course.

The Homestead Kitchen

This recipe for Instant Pot applesauce was featured in issue No.49 of the Homestead Kitchen magazine. If you desire a life of self-reliance but find yourself scrolling through social media, watching the lives of others who are fulfilling YOUR dream, then this magazine was designed just for you.

Our goal as established homesteaders is to share all we have learned, both the good and bad, to support you and help you build the confidence you need to chase your homesteading dreams.

Enter the Homestead Kitchen magazine. This beautiful, well-designed magazine, curated with homesteading information like recipes, DIY instructions, tips and tricks, and easy-to-follow guides, will save you time and headaches on your homesteading journey. 

The response has been so great that this magazine is now available in print! So subscribe today to have your monthly copy delivered right to your mailbox.

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Storing Apples So They Stay Crisp





• Canning Apple Pie Filling





• How to Freeze Dry Apples





• Sparkling Apple Cider





• Apple Scrap Vinegar

Did you try this Instant Pot applesauce recipe? If so, please leave a star ⭐ rating and your comments in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see!

   

Print

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce

Warm, cozy, and made in minutes—this Instant Pot Applesauce is the easiest way to turn your apple harvest into something the whole family will love. With no added sugar and just three ingredients, it’s a quick, wholesome recipe that’s perfect for fall baking, breakfast, or stocking your freezer.

Course Dessert, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Servings

Calories 95kcal

Author Carolyn Thomas

Cost Varies

Equipment

• Instant Pot We use this Instant Pot, but any brand multi-cooker works great.
• sharp knife or apple peeler
• Immersion Blender or potato masher
• Measuring Utensils

Ingredients

• 8 Medium Apples
• 1/4 Cup Water
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice optional
• Honey optional to taste

Instructions

• Wash the apples, then peel, core, and cut into slices. 
• Add the apples, water, and lemon juice to the Instant Pot insert. (Don’t go over the max fill line.)
• Lock the lid on the pot, and pressure cook 5 minutes on high.
• Once the cooking time is up, let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then use the handle of a wooden spoon to quick-release the remaining pressure. If liquid spurts through the vent, close it, and give it 5 more minutes to release naturally before venting. 
• Carefully open the lid away from you and set it aside.
• Mash the apples into applesauce with a potato masher, a wooden spoon, or an immersion blender
• Add honey, if desired.
• Serve warm or chilled.

Notes

Storage Instructions:

• Refrigerator: Store in a glass jar or an airtight container for up to 5 days.


• Freezer: Once cooled, transfer to freezer-safe jars or containers, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top. Freeze up to 1 year.

 

Ways to Use Instant Pot Applesauce:

We love it straight from the jar, but here are a few more favorite ways:

• As a topping for sourdough pancakes or Instant Pot yogurt
  


• Swirled into Instant Pot oatmeal
  


• As a natural sweetener in baked oatmeal, nutritious pumpkin fruit leather, your favorite quick bread, or this zucchini cake recipe.
  


• Spoonful over homemade ice cream for an easy dessert

Nutrition

Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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