Instant Pot Apple Butter (Slow Cooker Apple Butter)

Chai spiced apple butter is SO quick and easy to make in an Instant Pot multicooker or a slow cooker! This delicious homemade apple butter recipe has NO ADDED SUGAR! Can be served as a spread on toast or crackers, as a healthy dip for fruit or vegetables, a topping for meats, or even in desserts!

This Apple Butter is seriously SO EASY to whip together that it’s an absolute must to make during autumn. I adapted the Chai Spiced Apple Butter recipe to be made in a multicooker (instant pot), and we’ll go over why.

This delicious homemade apple butter recipe has NO ADDED SUGAR!

Can be served as a spread on toast or crackers, as a healthy dip for fruit or vegetables, a topping for meats, or even in desserts!

Electric Pressure Cookers vs. Slow Cookers

I bought the Fagor Lux multicooker during a Black Friday sale last year, and it has seriously changed the way I cook meals. A multicooker has a slow cooker setting, so it can be used to make traditional slow cooker recipes, but it also has settings for pressure cooking, browning meats, sauteing, making rice, steaming, and so much more.

Heck, you can even make homemade yogurt in a multicooker!

For the past 15 or so years, a slow cooker has helped me prepare meals easily.. It’s wonderful, and I use it occasionally, but it’s been somewhat replaced by an amazing kitchen appliance called a multicooker.

Have you have heard of them?

There are several different brands available, but the most common brands are the Instant Pot and the Fagor Lux. The Instant Pot is so popular that the name has become the generic term of sorts for multicookers in general, similar to tissues being called Kleenex.

If you have a slow cooker, you probably know that many slow cooker recipes with meat in them require the meat to be cooked on a stove top before it is slow cooked.

A multicooker has settings for browning and sauteing, so the entire recipe is made from start to finish in it.

This means less mess and less dishes to wash. Plus, some slow cooker recipes can actually be pressured cooked instead, meaning meals are ready to eat in minutes rather than hours. Faster, more efficient cooking for the big win!

Maybe now you can appreciate why I converted the chai spiced apple butter recipe to an Instant Pot recipe.

You all should seriously consider adding one to your Black Friday shopping list or your Christmas wish list.

So, with two bags of fresh apples on hand, making Chai Spiced Apple Butter was the first recipe I made.

As I mentioned earlier, beyond using it as a condiment, there are a lot of ways to use apple butter. I love these recipes:

• Chewy Apple Oatmeal Bars from VeggieBalance
• apple butter pie bars, from Crazy for Crust.
• apple butter cinnamon rolls, from BruCrew Life.
• pork chops with apple butter, from Family Food on the Table.

The Chai Spiced Apple Butter recipe shown below includes directions for a slow cooker or a multicooker.

Chai Spiced Apple Butter for Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

This delicious homemade condiment is creamy, naturally sweet, and infused with warm spices. Incredibly quick and easy to make using an electric pressure cooker in under an hour, but it can also be made in a traditional slow cooker.

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Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 3 pints

Calories: 566

Ingredients

• 5 pounds apples*, peeled, cored, and cut into 1⁄2-inch thick slices
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, optional

Additional Ingredient for Multicooker/Instant Pot

• 1/4 cup apple cider

Instructions

For Electric Multicooker/Instant Pot:

• Core the apples (leave the peels on, if desired) and cut into quarters.
• Add the apples and apple cider to the multicooker. Cover and cook for 20 minutes at high pressure, then allow pressure to release naturally. This should take about 10 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the contents of the cooker. If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer contents into a blender to puree them, then transfer the puree back to the multicooker.
• Add the spices and sugar (if using) to the pot.
• Press sauté and cook uncovered for 20-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple butter is thick enough that a wooden spoon will stand up in it. Note that if you did not add sugar, it will take longer for the apple butter to reduce and thicken.

For Slow Cooker:

• Place the apple slices into the slow cooker crock.
• In a small bowl, mix the vanilla extract, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, and salt together; Stir the spice mixture into the apples gently but thoroughly. Cover the crock, but vent the lid using a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon.
• Cook on low 7 to 8 hours, stirring once or twice if you are home. You want the apples to break down and thicken.

Notes

• *Phyllis used McIntosh apples. I used Granny Smith. I think any cooking apple (or a variety of several) would be wonderful.
• **Nutritional data shown is for one pint, not per serving.

Recipe Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chai Spiced Apple Butter for Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

Amount Per Serving

Calories 566 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Sodium 407mg18%

Potassium 926mg26%

Carbohydrates 146g49%

Fiber 19g79%

Sugar 116g129%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 410IU8%

Vitamin C 35.8mg43%

Calcium 94mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.