Making applesauce in an instant pot is easier than you think–and it’s so good!

two glass cups filled with homemade Instant Pot applesauce, with spoons and apples in the foreground and background

Instant pot applesauce is made with two ingredients and no added sugar in about 30 minutes from start to finish.

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Homemade applesauce is so good you will never want to buy it at the store again.

I make homemade applesauce regularly, and I still can’t get over how yummy it tastes and how foolproof this recipe is. Just “dump and start,” and flavorful applesauce is only a few minutes away.

Plus, making Instant Pot apple sauce with no added sugar is a great way to get more fruit into your diet!

Love apples? You’ll love these apple recipes:

aerial view of two glass bowls of pressure cooker applesauce, topped with cinnamon, on a blue and white checked towel

Why Homemade Applesauce is the Best

If you’ve never had homemade apple sauce, you may not realize that store-bought applesauce isn’t nearly as good as homemade.

Once you make it at home and realize how easy it is, I’m betting you will never want to buy store-bought again!

Applesauce from the store is often loaded with sugar or preservatives. If you can find sugar-free applesauce, it can sometimes lean a bit sour in flavor.

With homemade applesauce, you can use any variety of apples, combining your favorites for a taste tailored to what you love.

Dump everything in the pressure cooker, and when you come back a few minutes later–voila! Flavorful applesauce.

And if you also happen to have some pears on hand, you can try my homemade apple pear sauce recipe, too!

How to Make Pressure Cooker Applesauce

It’s really easy to make applesauce with no added sugar that everyone will love. You only need two ingredients!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Apples
Apple juice or water

two glass bowls filled with Instant Pot applesauce, with apples and a jar of applesauce in the background.

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Peel and slice. First, you’ll need to peel and slice the apples. You can do this by hand or use an apple peeler, corer, slicer.

Dump the ingredients. Next, you’ll dump the apples into the insert of your pressure cooker and add the juice or water.

sliced, peeled, and cored apples in the insert pot of the Instant Pot for making applesauce

Seal and set. Then, you’ll seal the instant pot and set at high pressure for 15 minutes, followed by a natural release. The apples will break down quite a bit during cooking.

Mash and serve. Last, you’ll open the pressure cooker and use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash or puree the apple to the desired consistency.

an immersion blender pureeing the apples into applesauce in the Instant Pot

Notes and Adaptations:

Add Cinnamon – This applesauce is luscious and flavorful as is, but you can stir in 1/2 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon for added flavor if you’d like.
You can use any variety of apple in this applesauce. I like to use a a few different kinds of apples, for a more complex flavor. Often I will buy marked-down apples that are bruised and use those, too!
Don’t leave out the liquid! The addition of juice or water is essential to keep the apples from burning. You only need to add 1/2 cup because the apples will release their own liquid during cooking.
Serve warm (It’s SO good warm!) or cold. Store it in a sealed container in the fridge for 7-10 days.

a close-up view of a glass bowl of homemade Instant Pot applesauce

Recommended Equipment:

Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model) or other electric pressure cooker
Immersion blender
Johnny Apple Peeler to peel, slice, and core the apples

Yield: Approx. 6 cups

Easy Instant Pot Applesauce

Name: Easy Instant Pot Applesauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 6 lbs apples, peeled, cored, and sliced; 1/2 cup apple juice (or water)

It's easy to make homemade applesauce quickly, thanks to the pressure cooker!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

6 lbs apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup apple juice (or water)

Instructions

Add the prepared apples to the insert pot of the Instant Pot. Pour the apple juice (or water) over the apples.
Close the lid and set the vent to the sealed position. Using the Manual/Pressure Cook button, select a cook time of 15 minutes at high pressure.
After the cook time is complete, allow a natural release of pressure. Once the pressure has released and the valve has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
Use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash or puree the apples to the desired consistency.

Notes

You can use any variety of apple in this applesauce. I like to use a variety of apples. Often I will buy marked-down apples that are bruised and use those, too!
I use this handy device to peel, core, and slice my apples all at once. It is an absolute LIFESAVER and I highly recommend using one!
Yes, you really do only need 1/2 cup of liquid! That's because the apples release quite a bit of liquid during cooking.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 61Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 3gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.