Instant pot applesauce with cinnamon, pumpkin spice and nutmeg to make a no sugar spiced applesauce perfect for fall & Thanksgiving holidays and for Christmas.
You can easily skip the spices to make a plain applesauce and it is still delicious with no sugar added in it!
I made this instant pot applesauce without lemon juice, lime juice or sugar or any sweetener but you may add little lemon juice if you want it slightly tangy or add sugar or brown sugar if you wish to sweeten it further.
The combination of apples and pumpkin spice is perfect for fall season and Thanksgiving dinners as well!
This instant pot applesauce is homemade from scratch and I used Fuji apples to make this applesauce because that was what I had at home.
You can use any of your favorite apples like pink lady, gala, honey crisp, granny smith or any kind of apples you like or you can use a mix of different varieties of apples which will make the applesauce taste even more delicious.
This homemade instant pot applesauce is free or refined sugar and any other sweetener and the only sweetness come from the apples.
If your apples are tart, you may also add sugar or brown sugar if you desire to sweeten it up a bit more!
The pumpkin spice already contains allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and clove as well, however I added cinnamon and nutmeg separately as well for the extra flavor.
You can adjust the flavors as you like and you may skip the nutmeg if you just want to add the pumpkin spice which have them both.
However, I recommend adding the additional cinnamon for this applesauce as the cinnamon flavor in apples is so lovely and perfect for the fall time!
I also added bay leaves and cinnamon sticks while cooking the applesauce (and removed from the pot once the cooking is done), which makes the applesauce even more flavorful and fragrant as well!
When I was making this applesauce with all these spices and flavors in the instant pot, it was so fragrant and refreshing as well!
So here is how you can make this easy and delicious homemade instant pot applesauce from scratch following this easy instant pot applesauce no sugar recipe.
How To Make Instant Pot Applesauce With Cinnamon & Spices?
We use the following ingredients to make spiced applesauce in the instant pot.
As I mentioned earlier, if you do not want to add the spices you can just skip the spices to make plain applesauce.
Ingredients to make instant pot applesauce
6 apples (I used fuji apples)
½ cup water
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves optional
¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg powder optional
⅛ teaspoon pumpkin spice powder
Steps To Follow (The Process)
Prepare the apples by washing, peeling and coring the apples and then slice the appes in wedges or similar.
Add the sliced apples to the instant pot.
Add the water, cinnamon stick and bay leaves also to the instant pot (if you wish to add sugar or brown sugar you can also add that and stir well).
Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook for seven minutes in high pressure. Wait for a natural pressure release afterwards.
Once the cooking is done and the pressure is all released naturally, open the pot very carefully (the contents will be really hot now).
You can remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick from the instant pot using tongs.
Gently mash the contents in the instant pot using a potato masher.
The apples will easily break down at this time as they are very soft now.
Add all the spice powders (you may adjust the spices based on your preference) – cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin spice powder, mix well and simmer for another one minute, also stir and mash as needed.
You may also use an immersion blender if you want a very smooth consistency for the applesauce (if using a blender, allow the contents to cool down first).
Once the applesauce is cooled enough, transfer the prepared applesauce to clean and dry glass jars.
I stored this aplesauce in refrigerator for about one week.
This is a small batch applesauce and its not meant for caning but you can easily store in the refrigerator (in clean jars) for a couple of weeks easily.
Do you need to peel the apples to make the applesauce?
In this instant pot applesauce recipe, we peel the apples before we core and slice them.
This is because it helps with having a smooth consistency and has a better texture even when we do not blend the applesauce (we just mash the contents using a potato masher).
However, sometimes you do not want to remove the peels of the apples because of its nutrients and also its a bit more work.
If you do not want to peel the apples, it is ok you can still make the applesauce the same way, but make sure to run the applesauce through a blender (once its cooled enough) so the applesauce will have a smooth texture!
So in brief, it is really not necessary to peel the apples if you wish to keep the skins on (it is just a personal preference) but process the prepared applesauce (once cooled) through a blender for the best, smooth texture.
Can You Add Sugar To This Unsweetened Instant Pot Applesauce?
Yes, you can add sugar to this applesauce if you wish!
This applesauce is naturally sweetened from the apples but if you wish to sweeten it further, you can always add sugar or brown sugar to add more sweetness.
I suggest brown sugar for the best flavor if you want to add a sweetner. You can add it along with the apples before cooking, just make sure to stir the sugar well with the apples.
What Kind Of Apples Is Best For Making Applesauce?
I have always used a variety of apples to make homemade applesauce.
Mostly just using apples and water and sometimes using spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to add more flavor.
In this applesauce recipe, I used Fuji apples which is really good to make applesauce.
The fuji apples were sweet and they really helped my applesauce to be naturally sweet even without any additional sugar.
I have also used other kind of apples like pink lady apples, golden delicious apples, gala, honeycrisp etc.
However, I think you can use pretty much any kind of apples that you have or you like to make applesauce.
The flavor will greatly depend of the kind of apples that you choose to make applesauce and some varieties will take a little longer to cook.
If you choose apples like fuji or golden delicious or any other sweet and soft variety of apples, the applesauce will be mostly naturally sweet and it will be easy to cook with too.
If you use tart apples, the applesauce may be a little tart or tangy in taste but its still delicious in my opinion.
You can also use a variety of apples to make applesauce! Make sure to use good quality, fresh apples to make the best applesauce.
Spices To Make Spiced Applesauce
In this applesauce recipe, I have used spices like cinnamon powder, nutmeg and also pumpkin spice to add flavor to the applesauce.
Also I have used cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to add even more fragrance and flavor.
However, keep in mind that they are really not necessary ingredients to make applesauce.
You just need water and apples to make plain applesauce, which is very delicious as well.
Adding spices like cinnamon and nutmeg take the flavors of the unsweetened applesauce to the next level, but as I told they are not very necessary but they really add more flavor to the applesauce.
If you have never tried adding spices to the applesauce, maybe you can try adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg and see how you like it!
What Do You Serve Applesauce With?
Applesauce is really good as a snack on its own and you can use it as a topping for cereals, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles etc or as a side dish with your lunch or dinner.
Applesauce is even good choice to mix with puddings, yogurt, ice creams etc and its a healthy choice when you compare it with other sweetened artificial syrups.
More over applesauce is a great substitute for eggs in baking and you can use applesauce as an ingredient in many cake recipes, muffin recipes, pancake recipes, cookie recipes etc to make homemade baked good or treats.
How Long Can You Keep This Homemade Applesauce?
This homemade instant pot applesauce is not meant for canning as this is a small batch of applesauce made in the instant pot.
As I mentioned early, you can store this applesauce in dry and clean glass jars or containers and store in the refrigerator for about a week.
I have successfully stored this in the refrigerator for a maximum of two weeks.
More Instant Pot Fruit Recipes:
instant pot strawberry honey jam
Instant Pot Fruit Butter Recipes:
instant pot spiced peach butter
instant pot strawberry apple butter
You can also try this easy 2 ingredient applesauce on stove top from my blog if you like!
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