Making apple pie filling has never been this easy (or tasty). With your Instant Pot, you can make wonderful Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling in minutes and have dessert ready in an hour.
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Made with fresh, crisp apples, warm spices, and a touch of sweetness, it captures the essence of a classic apple pie. Whether you want to fill pies and tarts, or simply enjoy it over ice cream, pancakes, or oatmeal, this apple pie filling is a convenient and delicious option.
The Instant Pot allows you to whip up a batch of this apple pie filling in no time, preserving the fruit's natural texture and flavor. The results are tender, lightly caramelized apples bathed in a rich, cinnamon-spiced sauce.
As an added bonus, you'll get a warm and comforting aroma that fills your kitchen as it cooks, making this filling a delightful treat for the senses.
For more apple recipes be sure to try our Apple Pie Bites, Applesauce Custard Pie, and Apple Cider Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy to make. Get perfectly cooked apples with less work than you'd expect, thanks to your Instant Pot! And if you like this recipe be sure to try our Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust.
- It's versatile. Use homemade apple pie filling for your favorite turnovers, over ice cream, in a pie crust, and so much more.
- It's easy to use in a pie. In fact, down below, in the recipe card, I have included the steps needed to make this into a one crust pie with a nice crumble topping. Yum!
🛒 Ingredients
Apples- Use your favorite baking variety of apples. I like to use Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Jonagold, and Fuji, but feel free to use your favorites or make a combination of them for added flavor depth.
Lemon Juice- This is what helps the apples and filling to stay fresh tasting.
Sugars- You will need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for this recipe.
Water- You'll need some water for the base of the filling as this is what becomes the gel-like consistency holding the apples together as they cook.
Cornstarch- We use cornstarch as our pie filling thickener. (By using cornstarch instead of flour, we can keep the filling gluten free.)
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Buy apples in season or bulk: Apples are cheapest in the fall, and bulk bags significantly lower the cost per pound.
Mix apple varieties: Combining sweeter and tarter apples helps balance flavor without adding more sugar.
Make once, use many ways: This filling works for pies, crisps, turnovers, pancakes, oatmeal, and yogurt, stretching one batch across multiple meals.
🥄 Instructions for Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling
Step 1: Peel your apples (Image 1), then core, slice and chop them. I like to cut into quarters, remove the core, and then slice each quarter into quarters. (Image 2).
Step 2: Toss your apples in a bowl with lemon juice and set aside. (Image 3).
Step 3: Set your Instant Pot to Saute Mode and melt the butter. (Image 4).
Step 4: Add the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. (Image 5). Whisk together and pour in the water. (Image 6).
Step 5: Add in the apple pieces. (Image 7). Stir evenly to coat.
Step 6: Close the lid of the Instant Pot, seal the valve and set it to High Pressure for 0 minutes. (Image 8). The apples will cook as it comes up to pressure.
Step 7: When the pressure has been reached and the timer goes off, do a Quick Pressure Release to remove the pressure.
Step 8: Open the lid of the Instant Pot (Image 9), and remove ½ cup to 1 cup of liquid from inside.
Step 9: Quickly stir the cornstarch into the liquid mixture. (Image 10).
Step 10: Stir the cornstarch slurry into the apple mixture (Image 11), and stir to combine. Continue stirring until thickened. (Image 12). Note: If your apple pie filling isn't thickening while on the "Keep Warm" setting, change it to "Saute" and stir constantly. It will thicken quickly as the temperature rises.
Step 11: Once thickened turn off the Instant Pot and your apple pie filling is ready to use as needed.
NOTE: Recipe Card includes steps for turning filling into a pie with a nice crumble topping, but you can also use this filling in our Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Apple slice size. The thickness of your apple slices affects the final texture. Thin slices create a softer, applesauce like filling, while thicker slices hold their shape better.
- Peeling preference. Peeling the apples is optional and comes down to personal preference.
- Canning not recommended. See the FAQ section and recipe card notes for why this recipe is not recommended for canning.
- This filling is incredibly versatile and works well in everything from Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust to Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store cooked Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
Make Ahead: This filling is ideal for making ahead. It can be frozen for up to 6 months and thawed in the refrigerator before using.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Use Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling as a pie or crisp filling, spoon over pancakes or waffles, swirl into oatmeal or yogurt, or serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an easy dessert.
- Instant Pot YogurtRecipe $3.76 / Serving $0.24
- Sugar Free PancakesRecipe $0.95 / Serving $0.08
- (Copycat) Denny's Pancake RecipeRecipe $1.78 / Serving $0.15
- Dairy Free WafflesRecipe $1.59 / Serving $0.32
❓ Recipe FAQs
This cooked apple pie filling is great for the freezer or fridge. To store it in the fridge, place it in an airtight container for up to a week. For the freezer, store in the same manner but for up to 6 months. Thaw before use.
As someone who enjoys canning foods SAFELY, I must say that this recipe is NOT safe for water bath canning as it contains cornstarch. Cornstarch is no longer approved in any canning recipe because of its density which may cause proper heating issues and result in unsafe results.
There are a lot of unsafe canning recipes still out there on the internet, and recipes claiming to be safe, that aren't. For tested and approved canning recipes, check out the National Center for Home Preservation.
Alternatives to cornstarch include all purpose flour and even tapioca pearls. While tapioca pearls are great for freezing apple pie filling for later, I personally prefer flour or cornstarch when I plan on using the filling right then and there. You will need twice as much flour or replace cornstarch 1:1 for tapioca.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Instant Pot Chicken SpaghettiRecipe $10.38 / Serving $1.74
- Instant Pot Hot DogsRecipe $1.48 / Serving $0.19
- Instant Pot Tater Tot CasseroleRecipe $11.04 / Serving $1.84
- Instant Pot Beef Back RibsRecipe $15.34 / Serving $3.83
🐝 If you tried this Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups apples, peeled and sliced - ($6.16)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - ($0.11)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - ($0.25)
- ½ cup brown sugar - ($0.22)
- ½ cup granulated sugar - ($0.18)
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon - ($0.16)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg - ($0.04)
- 1 pinch ground cloves - ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- 2 cups water - ($0.00)
- ¼ cup cornstarch - ($0.16)
Instructions
- Prepare the apples. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss the slices with the lemon juice in a large bowl and set aside.
- Start the base. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Whisk together, then pour in the water.
- Add the apples. Stir the apples into the mixture until evenly coated.
- Pressure cook. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 0 minutes. The apples will cook as the pot comes up to pressure.
- Prepare the apples. Peel, core, and slice the apples. Toss the slices with the lemon juice in a large bowl and set aside.
- Start the base. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté and melt the butter. Add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Whisk together, then pour in the water.
- Add the apples. Stir the apples into the mixture until evenly coated.
- Pressure cook. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 0 minutes. The apples will cook as the pot comes up to pressure.
- Quick release carefully. Perform a quick pressure release when the timer ends. Release slowly, as some apples may produce extra liquid.
- Make the slurry. Leave the Instant Pot on Keep Warm. Carefully remove ½ to 1 cup of the hot liquid and whisk it with the cornstarch until smooth.
- Thicken the filling. Stir the cornstarch slurry back into the apples and stir continuously until thickened. If needed, switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté and stir constantly until the filling thickens.
- Finish. Turn off the Instant Pot once thickened. Use immediately in a pre-baked crust or allow to cool for later use.
- Perform a quick pressure release when the timer ends. Release slowly, as some apples may produce extra liquid.
- Make the slurry. Leave the Instant Pot on Keep Warm. Carefully remove ½ to 1 cup of the hot liquid and whisk it with the cornstarch until smooth.
- Thicken the filling. Stir the cornstarch slurry back into the apples and stir continuously until thickened. If needed, switch the Instant Pot back to Sauté and stir constantly until the filling thickens.
- Finish. Turn off the Instant Pot once thickened. Use immediately in a pre-baked crust or allow to cool for later use.
Notes
- Apple texture. Thinner slices create a softer, applesauce-like filling, while thicker slices stay more intact and fork-tender. Peeling is optional based on preference.
- Storage. Store apple pie filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw before using.
- Canning safety. This recipe is not suitable for water bath canning due to the use of cornstarch. Use tested canning recipes for safe preservation.
Nutritional Information
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