This easy homemade applesauce is even tastier with the addition of super-sweet pears, and it’s totally fool-proof with the use of the ever-popular Instant Pot. It’s a perfect snack to make with your kids this fall.
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It’s fall! I’m not quite sure when we made the transition from summer to fall because I was lost in the haze of postpartum recovery and sleep-deprivation. I feel like I walked into the hospital in the heat of summer, and emerged from my house a month later in a totally different season.
Thankfully, we’ve made it through the first month with a newborn, and I’m starting to feel human again. Yay! I’m still sleep deprived, but my body isn’t constantly hurting in various and sundry ways, and I’m slowly finding a new groove of living life with three kids.
So…here we are in the midst of fall! As much as I don’t love winter, I really do love fall. Especially this year, after roasting all summer long with my big ol’ pregnant belly, I’ve been grateful for crisp mornings and harvest season.
Plus, now that I’m feeling more able to handle life, my oven has started calling to me, along with all the pumpkin and apple recipes exploding from the internet. A couple of weeks ago, we made our favorite pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and last week we experimented with a pumpkin spice bundt cake. Yum!
But, move over pumpkin…it’s time for apples to have a turn in the spotlight.
I’m starting small with my cooking endeavors (our family is still mostly living off of the freezer meals I stock-piled before baby was born), but I got inspired last week to make homemade applesauce.
I’ve made it previously in the slow cooker, but as a part of my commitment to learning how to use my Instant Pot (I have a thing about proving to my husband that these purchases he questions aren’t a complete waste of money), Little Brother and I whipped up a batch in the pressure cooker while his older brother was away at school. Good news…it worked beautifully!
Have you made applesauce from scratch before? It’s so ridiculously easy!
Side note: If you want a super quick way to peel your apples, this apple peeler is one of my favorite kitchen tools. My kids think it’s the coolest invention ever, and it really does cut down on the tedium of peeling and slicing a bowl full of apples.
My kids love applesauce, and there is nothing that can quite compare to the silky sweetness of a homemade batch. In this one, I used pears as well as apples because I love the depth of flavor the pears add. I also added a squeeze of lime to brighten up the flavor a bit. Alternatively, you could use lemon. Not strictly necessary, but I’m of the opinion that most things are made better with a squeeze of lime.
I also love that I can control exactly what goes into my own applesauce…no added sugar! I always thought it was silly that so much of the applesauce you can buy in the store has extra sugar added in. I mean, really…apples are already sweet, people! We don’t need to dump in extra sugar. I try to buy unsweetened applesauce when I can find it (it’s one of the ways I try to cut down on our sugar consumption), but this homemade applesauce is head-and-shoulders above the store-bought variety taste-wise. Seriously, you need to make this recipe. It’s too easy and delicious to ignore.
Ready to try it out?
Easy Homemade Pear Applesauce
This easy homemade applesauce is even tastier with the addition of super-sweet pears, and it’s totally fool-proof with the use of the ever-popular Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples and/or pears (*see note)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Core, peel, and slice your fruit (you can actually leave the peels on if you want some extra fiber…I usually do with pears especially because the skin is soft).
- Place fruit in Instant Pot, and then add all the other ingredients. Order doesn’t matter.
- Set your Instant Pot for 5 minutes on the manual setting. Walk away and play Kaboom! with your kids (or do whatever you want). Remember, the 5 minutes won’t start until your pot gets up to pressure, so the whole cooking process will likely take 20+ minutes.
- One the timer goes off, allow your Instant Pot to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest of the way if you are getting impatient.
- Blend and enjoy! Note: I love to use my immersion blender for this step because I can do it right in the pot. No extra dishes–hooray!
Notes
You can use any combination of apples and pears to get to the recommended 3 lbs. I usually do 4 or 5 of each (8-10 total). My favorite combination is to use half Honeycrisp apples and half Barlett pears. So delicious!
Also, if you don't have an Instant Pot, you can also make this in a slow cooker or on the stove top. Basically, you just want to cook the fruit until it’s super soft and then blend it up. Not rocket science.
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What are your favorite fall recipes?
Sounds so yummy!!
Ohhh I bet that is delish! I’ve been wanting to try the Instant Pot too!
I just got an instant pot a couple of weeks ago! I can’t wait to try this. My kiddos love applesauce. Thanks for sharing!
Hooray! Be bold and try it out. The Instant Pot isn’t nearly as scary as it seems when you first stare at all the buttons. 10 minutes of googling and you’ll be a pro. Good luck!
This sounds delicious! I feel like there are two types of fall people: the pumpkin people and the apple people 😉
I’m both, but probably more in the apple category. We went apple picking a couple years ago in New Hampshire and it’s still one of my fave fall memories!
First, congrats mama on baby #3! I agree on the added sugar thing in store-bought applesauce, so ridiculous, isn’t it? I have been hearing so many wonderful things about an instant pot so I am going to check into buying one now.
ps: Kudo’s to you for stockpiling freezer meals!
xo, Nicole
Thanks! Keep an eye out for the IP the next few months. Amazon had a great deal a week or so ago. I really do love mine. Good luck!
This looks really tasty! Is that Instant Pot as magical as everyone says it is?
It’s pretty snazzy. I’m generally a skeptic of bandwagon type items, but this one has a reason for the hype. It takes a bit of learning the basics and terminology, but it’s amazing how fast you can cook a roast, and it does a great job with other set and forget meals because it automatically switches to warm when it’s done cooking. That being said, you can still use a normal pot to make applesauce, too.
Okay, I totally MUST try this. I have an instant pot and I’m always looking for new recipes to try! My kids would LOVE this!
It’s nice and simple, but now my kids keep asking when we’re going to do it again! Enjoy!
You’ve inspired me to match a bath with your recipe this weekend!
I need an instant pot! My girls would love this.
This sounds so yummy! I love homemade applesauce, now I need to try it with pears.
Pears have a smoother texture, which I think is super yummy. Hope you like it!
I got the “burn” signal. I doubled the recipe. Am I doing something wrong?
I’ve never had the burn signal appear on mine, but my suggestion would be to add a little extra liquid and see if that helps. Instead of 1/4 cup, add 1/2 cup (or a whole cup if doubling). The extra liquid will make the sauce a little less thick, but I bet once you blend everything up you won’t even notice. Let me know if it works!
Does it freeze well? Thanks for the recipe! Love finding instant pot stuff that’s also no added sugar
Yes! I have frozen it in ice cube trays to use for baby food, but you can also freeze in any other freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.