Artificial Food Coloring Free Instant Pot Applesauce
Store-bought applesauce seems innocent enough, but many commercial brands sneak in artificial dyes or color-enhancing additives to make the product look more appealing on the shelf. This homemade version skips all of that entirely — every ingredient is something you can actually recognize, from fresh apples and lemon juice to warm cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting in just five minutes of pressure cooking, breaking the apples down into something beautifully soft and fragrant without any fuss. You get to choose your texture, too: go rustic and chunky with a potato masher, or blend it silky smooth with an immersion blender — either way, it's genuinely delicious. A small amount of sugar or brown sugar is optional, because depending on your apples, you may not need it at all. It stores well in the fridge and thickens up perfectly as it cools, making it great for snacking, spooning over oatmeal, or packing into lunchboxes with total confidence about what's inside.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 3 lbs apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
- ¼ cup apple juice or water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1–2 tbsp sugar or brown sugar, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the apple chunks, apple juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon to the Instant Pot insert. Stir briefly to combine.
- 2
Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
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