This Instant Pot Applesauce recipe is made using only 2 main ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes preparation time to make a big batch of Applesauce at home. Using a pressure cooker ( Instant Pot ) makes it a hands off quick process resulting into creamy , thick and store bought consistency of Applesauce. Moreover this homemade Applesauce does not require peeling apples or add any extra sugar .
Many childhood memories are attached with Applesauce , isn’t it? We all grew up eating it as one of our first baby food. I still enjoy Applesauce as a snack or whenever I crave for something sweet but do not want to indulge in calorie laden desserts. What I do is just reach out for a jar in my fridge and scoop some out to satisfy my sweet buds .Homemade Applesauce is always a good idea because you can make it as per your preference . I like my Applesauce unsweetened and with a dash of cinnamon . How about you??? Even though this recipe doesn’t use any sugar , the sweetness from the apples is good enough to make a tasty sweet Applesauce .
And the entire house smells so good when you make Applesauce at home 🙂
So what is Applesauce ?
A lot of people get intimidated by the word ” Sauce” . They think it is a long complicated process. Applesauce is nothing but cooked pureed apples. It is the easiest sauce ever and the healthiest one too. My mom used to steam apples in a stove-top pressure cooker , puree it and feed me when I was a baby . Honestly I never knew that it is called as Applesauce until I moved to the United States.
Best apples for applesauce ?
The sweetness of Applesauce highly depends on the type of apples used. If you like your applesauce to be sweet without any tartness then use Golden delicious apples , Fuji , Red Granny Smith , Gala apples . If you like Applesauce a bit tart then add in a McIntosh , Cortland , Green Granny Smith , Honey Crisps apples or Jonathan variety . I like a combination of both sweet and tart apples. So I use 80:20 ratio sweet and tart apples.
Do not get overwhelmed by the variety of apples you see in the store. Don’t think a lot. Just make this easy applesauce at home and I promise you won’t regret. Let me put it this way , use the apples that you enjoy eating everyday. If you like it raw then you will love it when it turns into applesauce.
Peel or not to peel apples for Applesauce?
I use organic apples and do not find the need to peel apples to make applesauce. Think about it – if you can eat a raw apple with skin what is the need to peel it when making it into a sauce ?? It saves me lot of time when I want to make a big batch of Applesauce. Moreover the skin of apples have so much nutrition which can be lost if peeled.
Sweetened Applesauce vs Unsweetened Applesauce
As the name goes Sweetened Applesauce is loaded with extra sugar which in my opinion is not needed. Use sweeter variety of apples to make Applesauce and there will be no need of any extra sugar. If you use store-bought Applesauce then always check the nutrition label or look for Organic Unsweetened variety of Applesauce . This is very important you if regularly feed Applesauce to your baby or toddlers .
How to make Chunky applesauce ?
Smooth and creamy applesauce requires no peeling of the skin. However if you want Applesauce to be chunky then I suggest you peel the skin .
Applesauce for babies
Applesauce is one of the best snacks that you can make at home for babies without any hassle. You will save a lot of $$. The best part of making homemade Applesauce for babies and toddlers is that you have control over all the ingredients used in the recipe. All you have to do is use sweet Organic Apples and water . Yes just two ingredients. Lemon juice, cinnamon or other flavoring is completely optional. I do not recommend adding salt in baby Applesauce.
Other ideas and combinations of Applesauce-
How to make Apple Pear Sauce?
Simple swap half of the apples with pears . My baby loves this combination of apples and pear sauce as a snack .
How to make Apple Cranberry sauce?
Fresh sweet variety Apples and fresh cranberries together makes a great sweet and tart sauce for dessert toppings. I like 60:40 ratio i.e apple : cranberries. You can add some brown sugar, lemon or orange zest , ground some ginger or clove to intensify the taste of Apple cranberry sauce. Makes a perfect sauce to top off your savory or sweet recipes for Thanksgiving or Christmas !
Storage guide for homemade applesauce-
Shelf life of Applesauce in the freezer is about 2 months. Freeze applesauce in freezer safe bags or containers in one time use portion size. After thawing the Applesauce will last in the fridge for 2 days .I like to freeze Applesauce for my baby in ice cube trays filling each cavity with 2 tablespoon Applesauce. Once frozen I place the cubes in a ziplock bag and place it in the freezer. This takes less time to thaw a cube and less wastage if my baby isn’t in a mood to eat it after thawing.
Ideas to use Applesauce-
Applesauce is delicious on it’s own . It is a great healthy snack for kids as well as adults .
Some snacking ideas using unsweetened applesauce that I like-
– Eat it straight out of the jar.
– Top it over your morning cereal or oatmeal.
– Mix in with yogurt and add some fruits and museli or granola.
Recipes using Applesauce-
Applesauce makes an excellent replacement for eggs in baking. So if you are vegan or have egg allergy simply swap eggs that are called for in cakes, brownies or cookies with equivalent unsweetened applesauce. Applesauce results into really moist and soft cakes too.
Applesauce makes a great healthy salad dressing too . I use it all the time . (Recipe coming soon)
My healthy vegan chocolate brownie recipe uses Applesauce .
You can even make drinks out of apple sauce like my Apple Pie Mocktail .
Recipes for above given in recipe notes.
Vegan egg substitute using Applesauce –
1 egg = ¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
Canning Applesauce
One of the best things of making Applesauce at home is that you can pressure can it to enjoy for a long time. This is the right season when apples are in abundance and really cheap. Some of you might be lucky to have apple trees in your backyard. Canning Homemade applesauce will save you so much money if you are a big time applesauce eater or use applesauce in variety of recipes. You can double triple or increase this recipe to your liking for canning Applesauce .
How to make Applesauce in Instant Pot or any Pressure Cooker ?
Applesauce comes together with less than 10 minute of preparation time if you use an Instant Pot.
All you have to do is wash the apples , chop them without peeling. Discard the core . Throw it in the pot with some water and lemon juice.
It is said that lemon juice preserves the color but I have made without it several times for my baby.
Add cinnamon or any other flavoring , salt if desired . Close the lid and walk away. The Instant Pot pressure cooks the apples within minutes. After its cooked just blend it with an immersion blender or wait it to cool and then blend it in a Pot blender. No straining required. And viola Instant Pot applesauce is ready !
It just comes down to two main ingredients for Applesauce that are Apples and water.
Lemon juice is added to reduce color change and to cut the sweetness from Apples . ( So completely optional )
Using a pinch or salt or Cinnamon or spice mix or vanilla or cardamom just takes the applesauce to entire new level taste wise. Again not everyone likes it this way so flavoring is completely optional too.
Instant Pot Applesauce Recipe –
I have used my 6 qt Instant Pot to make this Applesauce.
Instant Pot Applesauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb organic apples 6 appox , see notes
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice see notes
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon see notes
- Pinch of salt see notes
Instructions
- Wash apples thoroughly under cold water.
- Chop them roughly into 1” cubes with the skin on. Discard the core.
- Switch on the Instant Pot .
- To the inner pot add in all the ingredients mentioned above.
- Secure the lid with the black knob on sealing position.
- Press Manual HIGH 6 minutes .
- Once the Pot beeps let the pressure release naturally (NPR)
- It will take around 15 minutes for the pressure to come down .
- As the pin drops, open the pot carefully.
- Test the apples with back of a spoon , it should smash without resistance.
- At this point you may blend the Applesauce with an immersion blender or wait it to cool down and blend in a pot blender.
Notes
Nutrition
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Would the time be the same with less apples?
It will come to pressure quickly. So it may take lesser time overall.
I have made applesauce twice in my Instapot. My last batch involved chopping up 13 lbs (2 x 7 lb bags minus 5 apples to reach maximum level). Just apples and a cup of unsweetened apple juice. I love the applesauce. But it only made 6 1/4 cups. Applesauce is gold.
I completely understand Karen. Chopped apples take a lot of space in the pot. Once pured it reduces considerably. Applesauce is indeed precious 🙂