Apple butter always feels quintessentially fall to me. Traditionally, it’s cooked low and slow until the sugar in the apples caramelizes and turns the sauce a deep brown hue. And as it cooks, it makes your entire house smell amazing. Because I love a shortcut, I make mine in a pressure cooker. It yields the same delicious product (and smell!), in a much shorter amount of time. It’s an incredibly painless process, so if you’re low on patience, this is for you. Oh, and if you’re vegan or gluten free, it’s also for you.
Let’s walk through the process
So once again, this process is quite simple (and forgiving). The first step is to wash and roughly chop your apples. Don’t worry about peeling them, as you won’t even notice the skin when it’s done. Then add them to the bowl of your pressure cooker along with some brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and water. Set the pressure cooker to 15 minutes of high pressure and go do something else. Once it’s done, let that pressure naturally release for about 15 minutes and then transfer it all to a blender. I love my Vitamix, but any blender will do. Blend until smooth, and then transfer to a jar or two (or any airtight container you’d like). Let it cool to room temperature, pop the lid on, and put it in the fridge! Easy peasy, just how I like it.
What kind of pressure cooker should you use?
I’m a big fan of both the Ninja Foodi and the Instant pot. I currently use the Ninja Foodi because I wanted a device that could air fry in addition to pressure cooking and at the time, Instant Pot didn’t include that feature. I’ve used the Instant Pot in the past, though, and it’s also excellent! Nowadays, the Instant Pot can also air fry, so in my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either brand.
Full disclosure, I’ve never used an old school pressure cooker, so if that’s what you have you may have to make some adjustments. I can’t tell you what they are, though.
Note: The above links are affiliate links. That means that if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission at no cost to you. Don’t worry, though, I’ve used all of these brands before and think they’re awesome.
How can you use apple butter?
Apple butter is a versatile thing. The most obvious way to use it is on toast. But while that’s undeniably a good idea, there’s a lot more you can do with it than just that. It’d be delightful on a charcuterie board with some cheese (it goes great with aged gouda and cheddar). It’s also lovely in baked goods or ice cream. Plus, I’ll be posting at least one recipe that uses this apple butter soon, so stay tuned for that!
Instant Pot Cinnamon and Cardamom Apple Butter
Ingredients
- 3 lb Apples (Roughly chopped)
- 6 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Cardamom
- 1/4 cup Water
Instructions
- Add the roughly chopped apples, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and water to the bowl of your pressure cooker.
- Give it a quick mix, then close the lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for another 15 minutes before removing the lid.
- Transfer into to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour blended apple butter into jars or airtight glass containers. Let cool to room temperature before adding a lid transferring to the fridge, where it'll be good for a few weeks.
Did I not tell you this recipe was delightfully easy? Well, I wasn’t lying. If you make it, let me know in the comments or on Instagram. I always love hearing from you.
And if you’re looking for more autumn recipes, make sure to check out my chai spiced butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli or my dreamy miso caramel apple pie.
