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 chai spiced apple butter recipe comes from a new cookbook, Stock the Crock, by Phyllis Good. She’s also the author of the best selling cookbook series, Fix-It and Forget-It. Her publisher sent me a free copy of the book to review, and I was not compensated in any other way. Rather than making it in a slow cooker, I adapted the Chai Spiced Apple Butter recipe to be made in a multicooker, and I want you to know why.
Electric Pressure Cookers vs. Slow Cookers
For the past 15 or so years, a slow cooker has helped me prepare meals easily. I own [amazon_textlink asin=’B00EZI26GO’ text=’this Hamilton Beach slow cooker’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’chebecskit-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9622efc0-c27a-11e7-9977-0782c242fd22′]. 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 [amazon_textlink asin=’B06Y1MP2PY’ text=’Instant Pot’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’chebecskit-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b84b3fec-c279-11e7-8ba7-67e261578ce2′] and the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00ULHPTN0′ text=’Fagor Lux’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’chebecskit-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d40814d6-c279-11e7-bd85-8f04b8dfa6d9′]. 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.
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!
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. The other thing you should consider adding to that list is the [amazon_textlink asin=’0848753143′ text=’Stock the Crock cookbook’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’chebecskit-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c2abb76a-c282-11e7-825e-57144385be21′]!
According to the New York Times, the author’s Fix-It and Forget-It books have sold more copies in the US than the combined works of popular Food Network hosts Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentis, and Jamie Oliver. That’s pretty amazing!
In Stock the Crock (Oxmoor House, September 2017, $21.99), she compiles 100 delicious, tried-and-true recipes. PLUS, 200 easy-to-follow variations for any dietary preferences (gluten-free, paleo, vegan, etc.). In addition to the Chai Spiced Apple Butter, I want to make her Cheesy Mushroom Risotto, Easy Lasagna with Beef, and Pecan Squares.
I like to give pros and cons when I perform cookbook reviews, but in all honesty, I can’t find anything negative about the book!
[amazon_link asins=’0848753143′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’chebecskit-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’be3f6e7d-c28b-11e7-82b4-854305b9c9c5′]- The soft covered cookbook is well bound and reasonably priced.
- There are gorgeous photos of every single recipe in the book… all 100 of them!
- For easier browsing, each category section has its own color code.
- There’s room in the side margin for you to write notes; Phyllis even encourages it.
- There are great slow cooking “hacks” in the book. Things like how to cook more than one recipe at the same time.
- A really fun read is on page 21, where Phyllis gives non-cooking uses for slow cookers. I would never have thought to use a slow cooker as a steam bath. If you do any crafting, a designated slow cooker is perfect for melting wax to make candles. Or rather than using a washing machine, use one to dye fabrics. Such smart ideas!
- There’s even information on converting the recipes for an Instant Pot, which of course, I am excited about!
If you want to keep up with Phyllis on social media, check out her account on Facebook, or learn more about the book on her site, stockthecrock.com.
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:
- apple butter pie bars, from Crazy for Crust.
- apple butter cinnamon rolls, from BruCrew Life.
- baked apple butter ham and cheese sandwiches, from Nutmeg Nanny.
- slow cooker apple butter yeast rolls, from A Spicy Perspective.
- 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
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.
- *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
Barbara Schieving says
It looks scrumptious! So quick and easy too.