Instant Pot Homemade Applesauce

This Homemade Applesauce recipe is made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker with just 4 simple ingredients and is ready in less than 15 minutes. It makes a great snack, side dish, or healthy dessert!

When it’s apple season, we make lots of things with apples. Other reader favorites include Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Poppy Seed Dressing, Homemade Apple Fritters, and Apple Pie Ice Cream.

Applesauce is such a fantastic food. It’s sweet, tart, soft, chunky and just hits all of the right notes while still giving you a filling and healthy snack. While you can obviously buy applesauce from the store, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that you can also have homemade applesauce in as little as 15 minutes thanks to your Instant Pot.

This Instant Pot applesauce recipe is so basic and simple that anybody could do it, even if it’s their first time using a pressure cooker. Homemade applesauce is always better than store-bought because it gives you control over the flavors, the amount of added ingredients, and it just tastes great when it’s warm and fresh!

This homemade applesauce recipe can be made with or without sugar. I always taste first and then add it only if I think it’s necessary, but I really don’t care for applesauce that is overly sweetened. Often when I use apple juice as my liquid I find that no extra sugar is needed, but it can also depend on the types of apples you use. You can add even double the amount of sugar in the recipe below if you really like sweet applesauce. 

I use applesauce for baking recipes like morning glory muffins or German apple cake, so it’s nice to keep it unsweetened.

What are the best apples for applesauce?

Homemade applesauce is all about your preferences. If you prefer sweeter applesauce, Fuji, Gala or Honeycrisp apples are good choices. If you like your applesauce less sweet and maybe a bit tart, Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples can be exactly what you’re looking for.

Personally, I like to mix and match apples to find a perfect blend of textures and flavors! In this batch of applesauce, I used Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp apples, which is pretty much my go-to combination.

All of these apples work well for applesauce though:

• Fuji
• Gala
• Honeycrisp
• Envy
• Granny Smith
• Pink Lady
• McIntosh
• Golden Delicious
• Jonathan
• Cortland
• Pippin

How to make homemade applesauce in the instant pot

1. Peel and quarter the apples, making sure to remove the seeds and the cores. Some people skip peeling and cook the apples with the peels on, then fish them out with a fork before mashing. But we like eating the peels as a snack while the applesauce is cooking so I always peel our apples first. 
2. Add apple juice (or your preferred liquid) to the instant pot along with the apples and toss to combine. I won’t make an extra trip to the store for apple juice since water works fine, but if I have it on hand, that’s what I use.
3. Secure the lid of the pressure cooker in place and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
4. Allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 5 minutes, then cover the steam valve with a towel and do a controlled quick release.
5. After that, mash the apples using a potato masher for chunkier applesauce or place them in a blender for creamier applesauce. Make sure that the blender lid is set askew so that the steam can vent.
6. Taste and add cinnamon and sugar as needed. Then serve warm or cold! 

Can this homemade applesauce recipe be made in the slow cooker?

If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry – you’re not out of luck! You can make this recipe in your slow cooker instead! Just follow the instructions below except cook in a crock pot on LOW for 6-8 hours. It takes longer, but the applesauce is equally delicious and the recipe is just as hands-off!

Can you freeze homemade applesauce?

Yes, you can! While this instant pot apple sauce tastes great warm, don’t feel like you need to eat an entire batch at once, or even right away. You can safely store your apple sauce in the freezer inside an airtight container for up to 2 months. Just thaw and eat when ready.

How long does homemade applesauce last?

While store-bought applesauce might feel like it can last a few weeks in an opened jar in the fridge, homemade applesauce doesn’t have preservatives to keep it fresh. So it’s best to eat within 7 to 10 days, as long as you keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge for maximum freshness.

Ways to Enjoy Your Homemade Applesauce

Obviously we like applesauce all on it’s own, but it’s so good in so many other ways! Consider trying some of the following if you haven’t already!

• Pour some homemade applesauce over a scoop of ice cream (it’s so good – almost like an apple crisp but without the work)
• Use it to top pancakes
• Stir some into your oatmeal
• Serve with pan-fried pork chops
• Scoop it with graham crackers like a dip (honestly, my favorite way of eating it)

More Apple Recipes for Apple Lovers

• Slow Cooker Applesauce Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
• German Apple Cake with Streusel Topping [Apfelkuchen mit Streusel]
• Easy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
• Creamy Apple Cider Chicken Skillet
• Classic Apple Cider Donuts
• German Apple Pancakes with Cider Syrup
• Glazed Apple Fritter Yeast Bread
• Apfelstrudel Recipe (German Apple Strudel)
• Gourmet Homemade Caramel Apples
• Glazed Apple Pie Cookies