Fall winds are beginning to sing and it’s time to break out the cozy sweaters, warm spices, and apple butter!
Apple picking anyone? It’s the perfect time to head out to a local orchard and stock up. While produce can be tricky in droves, especially anyone hoping to avoid food waste, apple butter is a great way to savor their deliciousness for months to come! Not to mention, a fun surprise to throw into any care packages you might be sending to loved ones.
All that being said-- it takes time to process produce. Sometimes, a whole weekend goes to the project, and we don’t always have that kind of time. Enter in-- the instant pot.
The Instant pot is seriously my favorite kitchen appliance. For anyone who loves home-cooked meals while trying to juggle work and a social life, it is a must-have appliance. Here’s a recipe for No Peel Instant Pot Apple Butter that can be made and packaged in less than thirty minutes.
No Peel Instant Pot Apple Butter
Ingredients
Apple Butter
- 3 lbs apples
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 squeezed orange
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp spice blend (below) or pumpkin spice blend
Spice Blend
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 6 whole cardamom pods
Directions
Step 1: Make the Spice Blend (Optional)
For this blend, I used mostly whole ingredients and used about half-1 teaspoon of each spice. You can play around with the ratios depending on which flavors you would like to accent.Begin by grating some fresh ginger. Then, place the cardamom pods in the mortar and pestle and gently break them open, taking out the little seeds. Remove the pod shells and leave the seeds. Add the fresh grated ginger, cloves, and all spice, and grind them down to a medium-fine consistency. Once you are happy with the texture, add the ground cinnamon and mix them all together.
Step 2: Cut the Apples
Since this is a no peel recipe, go ahead and cut your apples into eighths. The instant pot will cook them down well, we just want to help the process along a bit.Step 3: Ready the Instant Pot
Place all the ingredients into the Instant Pot and set the manual timer for 15 minutes. Make sure the steam valve is closed.Step 4: Vent the steam
Once the timer goes off, turn the knob and allow the steam to vent naturally.Step 5: Blend Ingredients
Once the steam has fully vented, place all of the contents into a high powered blender. Blend for about one minute until desired consistency if reached. Since the peels have been left on, you can achieve a thicker consistency if you would like, or puree it smooth.Step 6: Enjoy & Package
Grab your jars and fill!
Supplies
- Instant Pot
- High powered blender
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Mortar and pestle
Recipe Notes
- The homemade spice blend is totally optional. If you have pumpkin pie or apple pie spice blend at home, you can easily use those and have some delicious apple butter in no time.
- If you don’t have whole ingredients for the spice blend, you can substitute pre-ground spices, and use slightly less. Taste the blend before using it.
- If you plan to can your apple butter, you can simply boil the mason jar lids and place on top, and I’ve found they normally get a good seal, so long as the jars are sterilized and the contents and lids are hot. You can use the water bath canning method as well.
- You can wait to add the fresh-squeezed orange until after the apples and other ingredients cook before you blend for stronger citrus notes
- If you don’t have a high powered blend or food processor, you can peel the apples and use a potato masher.
