We have been so pleased with the instant pot crabapple butter our sweet little crabapples produced last month that we decided to make another batch. After picking, washing, and coring over 10 gallons of crapples I think we are finished for the season, but before I hand over the remaining apple harvest to our backyard critters I want to add the recipe here.
Perhaps you have a crabapple tree weighed down by a huge harvest of fresh apples, too. Maybe, like me, you see all of those little apples and just can’t bear to let all of that fruit go to waste without at least giving some attempt to preserve a few of them.
I have to admit that the worst part of making this recipe is the preparation. The picking, cutting, and coring part of this recipe is very time consuming, but with a lot of perseverance and maybe a little help it’s really not so bad.
To make the process a little easier and enjoyable:
- Come prepared with a good, sharp pairing knife.
- Make sure to do this on a day you have extra time.
How to make Instant Pot Crabapple Butter
To make the Apple Butter you will want to pick approximately 5 gallons of Crabapples. Once these are washed, cored, and inspected (throw out the rotten ones) this should leave you with approximately 16 cups. (Ours filled the bowl of my instant pot, which holds approximately this much.) You can leave the skins on; once they are cooked the skins blend well and add a beautiful rich color to the apple butter.
Cook in the instant pot for 2-3 hours. If you like your apple butter chunky two hours should be fine. Add more time if you would like it to be smooth.
Since I am new to canning I followed these instructions which taught me how to do the water bath properly. If you need guidance this post will definitely come in handy.
Instant Pot Crabapple Butter
Ingredients
- 16 Cups Crabapples (washed and cored)
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 3 Cups Water
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
Preparing Your Crabapples
-
Pick approximately 5 gallons of crabapples.
-
Wash and inspect the apples. (Discard any that are rotten)
-
Core the apples. (You can leave the skin on.)
Cook the Crabapples
-
Add approximately 16 cups of prepared apples into the pressure cooker.
-
Add sugar, water, and cinnamon to the prepared apples. Be sure to stir before closing.
-
Following the instructions on your pressure cooker: secure the lid and cook on low pressure for 2 hours.
Prepare the Apple Butter
-
After the instant pot has finished carefully allow the steam to release from the cooker.
-
Using either a blender or an immersion blender blend the apples until they are smooth and all clumps are removed. They should have a thick, pasty consistency.
-
Add Allspice and Nutmeg. Stir well. You can add more cinnamon or sugar at this point if you would like.
-
Divide apple butter into pint sized Ball Jars. It will yield somewhere between 4-5 pints.
-
Process in a hot waterbath for 10 minutes.
-
Enjoy!
You can enjoy your apple butter on buttermilk biscuits, whole wheat toast, or even on a PB & Butter sandwich. We have enjoyed it all of those ways this month. But, this was a big batch and a tablespoon here are there will keep forever, so I’ve found a few other ways to try our newfound favorite.
- Turkey Cheddar Apple Butter Panini
- Cinnamon Rolls with Apple Butter Filling
- Apple Butter and Sage Pork Chops
If your liked this autumn inspired apple treat be sure to check out our favorite Skillet Apple Pie or this delicious Warm Apple Fritter Bread.
**Please note: as an Amazon Associate I earn for qualifying purchases.**
Leave a Reply