Dessert, snack, or breakfast? You decide!
Every year in the fall, we go apple picking. Everything about autumn makes me nostalgic for the time we spend at the orchard: the crispness in the air, the smell of the apples on the green grass, and the sound of the chirping birds (who, incidentally, are fighting us for those apples!). We always leave the orchard with more apples than we know what to do with. While we make pies, applesauce, jams, jellies, and cider, I like to prepare a few cinnamon apples for snacking. This process got much simpler when I got an electric pressure cooker because Instant Pot Cinnamon Apples couldn’t be easier to make!
Is it a dessert? A snack? Or maybe you could enjoy these Instant Pot Cinnamon Apples for breakfast? You decide! They’re delicious eaten on their own as a pick-me-up between meals, but they’re also incredible when served warm over ice cream (don’t worry, we know a great recipe for dairy-free ice cream). Honestly, the possibilities are endless!
What are The Best Apples to Use?
There are so many different kinds of apples out there, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. You might be wondering if the same apples you use for Grandma’s Applesauce Cake or our Instant Pot Applesauce would work well for this recipe. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular varieties of apples to see when they work best!
Gala and Jonagold apples are our absolute favorites for baking, and they’d work really well for this recipe, too. They hold their form well when they’re cooked, but they sort of melt in your mouth since they’re not naturally crisp. Sounds just about perfect! Their naturally mellow sweetness also helps because you won’t have to add much extra sweetener to make them taste great.
We also love Pink Lady apples, if you can find them. They’re not an ideal snacking apple, but the heat really brings out the apple’s honeyed, vanilla-forward flavors. And Golden Delicious are the classic pie apple, so if you’re going for that pie-like flavor, choose these apples!
Are There Any Apples We Shouldn’t Use?
When it comes down to it, any apple will work, but the different apples create different flavors and textures. Personally, I’m not a fan of Red Delicious because they tend to be mealy and don’t hold their form very well when baking. I also tend to avoid Granny Smith apples for this specific recipe, only because I like a super-sweet flavor in my Instant Pot Cinnamon Apples. But, if you’re looking for a tart balance, the sour notes in Granny’s would be perfect!
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide (I know, we’re giving you a lot of choices here!). We always love to hear from you in the comments, so let us know which apple you used for this recipe and how it turned out. There are so many regional varieties of apples these days, and it would be cool to hear about some new varieties!
Instant Pot Cinnamon Apples
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 apples medium, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the low saute setting. Melt the butter and stir in the apples. Cook, for about five minutes. Add the cinnamon and maple syrup and mix just to ensure all the apples are coated.
- Change the setting to Manual with low pressure. Add the water and place the lid on the pot making sure the vent is sealed. Set the timer for 4 minutes. Once the time is up, manually release the steam and remove the lid. The apples should be soft and have a tiny bit of crunch left. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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I have not invested in the instant pot yet. Can I make these in the crock pot?
Yes, you can make this in a crock pot. You will want to cook this on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Keep getting the dreaded “Burn” notice. I followed exactly ??
Try adding more liquid and reducing your cook time.
I LOVED this recipe so much that I couldn’t believe it was only one point! After cooking the apples, though, I noticed that I had a pretty good amount of sauce left in the pot. I grabbed two bananas and cut them in half and sliced them down the middle. I used the “saute” mode to cook them for about two minutes on either side. Talk about GOOD! Just not sure how many points I should count for them, since the sauce is used for both the apples and the bananas.
The sauce is the best part, great idea using the leftover!