This Instant Pot applesauce recipe is made with a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon. They’re cooked at high pressure and then mashed or puréed until you reach the consistency you like.

A photo of Instant Pot applesauce in a small wooden bowl with two cinnamon sticks in it. It sits on a round brown plate with a small silver spoon and cinnamon sticks. Next to the plate is a small scalloped white bowl of cinnamon and a small white scalloped bowl of white granulated sugar. They all sit on a dark wood table.

I grew up eating a lot of homemade applesauce and apple cider made with apples from my grandpa’s apple orchard that he planted himself.

We typically added a small amount of white sugar to make applesauce but left the cinnamon out so we could use it as a topping if we liked it.

Recently my husband and I went to a pumpkin patch that served their homemade applesauce sweetened with brown sugar and had cinnamon mixed in.

It was sweet and delicious. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was and wanted to make some at home. I’ve also made Instant Pot apple butter and this reminded me of that. This led to me recreating it in my Instant Pot.

An inside view of an Instant Pot with apple sauce inside. A wooden spoon is in focus with applesauce on it.

Apple Butter vs Applesauce

Both apple butter and applesauce are made from very similar ingredients, however, their texture is different.

They both can have apples, cinnamon, and sugar added.

Apple butter is cooked longer to allow the sugars to caramelize and the liquid to cook out, which makes it a thicker consistency for spreading.

Applesauce, on the other hand, is sometimes chunkier and sometimes puréed. I prefer it to be blended smooth like a purée.

Ingredients

Granny Smith Apples
Honeycrisp Apples
Water
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

Substitutes

A dark wood table with two wood bowls of Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp apples in the other one. There's a pile of cinnamon sticks next to the bowls of apples.

All different types of apples can be used for applesauce. My favorites are Honeycrisp with its sweet crispness and Granny Smiths with its tart flavor.

Fuji, Gala, and Golden Delicious. Red Delicious can be used, however, they tend to become mealy and lose a lot of their flavor. This can make the applesauce more bland and mushy.

How to Make Instant Pot Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Applesauce

A long rectangular shaped while and dark gray plastic cutting board with a long knife with a black handle, four whole apples with the peel off, and several slices of apples without the peel.

An overhead view of an Instant Pot with sliced apples inside.

Peel, core, and slice all apples into ¼ths.
Add water to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add apples to the pot and place the lid on top. Set the vent to seal.
Using the Manual setting, set the cook time to 6 minutes. Once it’s done cooking, natural release for 5 minutes then open the vent to release the remaining pressure.

An overhead view of an Instant Pot with cooked apples inside.

An overhead view of an Instant Pot with applesauce and a potato masher inside.

For this part, you can use a potato masher, a sieve, an immersion blender, or a food processor/blender to get the consistency you like.
Stir in cinnamon and 2 tablespoons brown sugar until blended. If you prefer a sweeter applesauce add 1-2 more tablespoons of brown sugar. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour to serve cold.

Storing Leftovers

Leftover applesauce can last 1-2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

You can also freeze it for 6-9 months. Let it completely cool before freezing. Store it in a freezer-safe container.

To thaw, place it in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in the microwave on a low heat setting.

A photo of Instant Pot applesauce in a small wooden bowl with two cinnamon sticks in it. It sits on a round brown plate with a small silver spoon pouring ground cinnamon on top of the applesauce. Next to the plate is a small scalloped white bowl of cinnamon and a small white scalloped bowl of white granulated sugar. They all sit on a dark wood table.

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