Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter

This Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter is what fall dreams are made of! It's so easy to make and so much faster than making it in the slow cooker!

Hey guys! How are you?? Are you hanging on to every single wonder of fall with dear life like me (in hopes of getting you through the insanity going on all around us)?

I'm going to assume I'm not alone here and with that in mind, I'm here to bring you the epitome of fall -

HOMEMADE APPLE BUTTER !!

It's sweet, it's smooth, it's gorgeously glossy, and best of all it just smells and tastes like fall in a jar. Like YOU NEED THIS. Nay - YOU DESERVE THIS.

I also love that making apple butter in the Instant Pot is so much faster than making it in the slow-cooker, and truly just as delicious. Something that would normally take 8 hours (or even -and I am not making this up - as long as 20 hours!) takes only about an hour using the Instant Pot! 

Just one more reason I'm obsessed with that thing. 

In addition to that awesomeness, I made this recipe without any refined sugars and decreased the sweetener amount (I used pure maple syrup here, btw) by quite a bit, which I was able to do by using sweet apples instead of a mixture of sweet and tart. I promise it still tastes sweet and delicious. 🙂

Ok, let's get into some Q&A, and then I'll show you how freaking easy it is to make low-sugar Instant Pot apple butter!!

What IS apple butter?

Apple butter is basically pureed applesauce that you continue to cook down until it gets thick and glossy. It ends up with this delightfully creamy, buttery texture (though there's no butter actually in there!).

Is apple butter healthy?

This one is! This healthy apple butter recipe uses a handful of wholesome ingredients you can feel good about, it's low in added sweetener, refined-sugar free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, 21 Day Fix approved and Weight Watchers friendly! Counts for 21 Day Fix and WW are in the recipe card 🙂 

Can you make 21 Day Fix apple butter without sweetener?

Well you can, and I've tested it, but it tasted more applesauce-y to me, so I opted to add a bit of pure maple syrup and it was perfect.

Do you need to peel the apples to make apple butter?

Nope! I've tested it both ways and here's the difference that I've found... peeling makes a perfectly smooth, but slightly lighter in color butter, where leaving the peel on produces a darker butter, but (at least with my blender) does leave some very, very small bits of peel in the butter. Now, when you put it on toast, you can't tell AT ALL, but if you eat it with a spoon (guilty) you do notice it a little. Personally, I'd rather save myself the work, but it's up to you!

What kind of apples should you use to make low-sugar apple butter?

I like to use sweet apples so that I can use less added sweetener. I usually go with gala apples, but any sweet apple you like will work just fine.

Will Apple Butter thicken as it cools?

Yes! It actually thickens up quite a bit once it's refrigerated and cold.

How long does Instant Pot Apple Butter last in the refrigerator?

About 3 weeks!

Can this healthy apple butter be frozen?

Absolutely. It should last several months in the freezer. 

Can this low-sugar apple butter recipe be canned?

It can be canned using the water bath canning method. 🙂

What can you do with apple butter?

I've got thoughts, you guys. 

• Put it on a yum, fluffy biscuit.
• It's great on a piece of bread or toast (I actually love it on soft bread with a little bit of butter on it!)
• Stir it into some oatmeal.
• Shake it up with some bourbon, a little cider and maybe some lemon or orange juice (be sure to fine strain it into your glass!) for a perfectly fall-flavored cocktail.
• It's great on these pancakes or your favorite waffles - these gluten-free waffles from Confessions of a Fit Foodie are amazing!
• I think it would also be delish stirred into some Greek yogurt!

How to make Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter:

Put all of the ingredients into the Instant Pot (apples, spices, cider and maple syrup). 

Pressure cook for 15 minutes until you get this...

Blend until smooth - I used a stick blender for these photos (and you can if you like), but I actually prefer a regular blender for this.

Then cook on saute for about 30 minutes until it cooks down and thickens a bit (and you get this gloriousness). Remember - it'll thicken more when it gets cold in the fridge!

If you guys give this apple butter a try, please let me know what you think!! You can leave a comment below or tag me on Insta @thefoodieandthefix. Or if you’re in my private Facebook group, I’d love to see a photo of your creation in there! I hope you enjoy ♥

Don’t forget to save this Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter recipe to Pinterest! ⇓

Just FYI – this recipe has only been tested in the Instant Pot 6-quart duo (<- affiliate link) – If you have an 8 qt, you may need to add more liquid (though I doubt it with this particular recipe because the apples release quite a bit of liquid).

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📖 Recipe

Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter

Yield: 4 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Low-Sugar Instant Pot Apple Butter is delicious, full of fall flavor, easy to make and only takes about an hour!

Print

Ingredients

• 4 lbs sweet apples (I used gala apples, but use whatever you like!), cored (you can also peel the apples if you'd prefer a smoother texture*)
• 1 cup unsweetened apple cider (you could also use Simply Apple Juice)
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• 4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground allspice

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to your Instant Pot. Set your Instant Pot to pressure cook using the "manual" or "pressure cook" setting for 15 minutes.
2. Once cooking has completed, you can quickly release the pressure by turning the knob on your lid to "vent"
3. Once the pressure has fully released, open your lid and carefully put all of the contents into a blender and blend until smooth (you can also use a stick blender for this, but it tends to splatter a lot and it's HOT, so I prefer to put everything in the blender - it's also the best way to guarantee a smooth apple butter).
4. Pour the mixture back into your Instant Pot, press the saute button, then press the "adjust" button until "less" is lit up on your pot, then saute for 30 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. I usually throw a clean kitchen towel over the top of the pot (leaving a small bit open to vent), because it will splatter a bit. Note that the apple butter will thicken quite a bit after refrigeration, so it won't be as thick as apple butter would normally be at this point.
5. Pour into jars (I usually let them cool on the counter before putting the lids on to prevent condensation) and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

*Just wanted to note that if you peel the apples, your apple butter will be a bit lighter in color, though the longer you saute it, the darker it will get.

21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: ⅓ Purple, ½ sweetener teaspoon

Weight Watchers: Instant Pot Apple Butter

Recommended Products

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• 
  Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1 Multi-Use Pressure Cooker

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 Serving Size: 2 Tbs
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 42Total Fat: 0g