This Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling is a classic, old-fashioned dessert that’s sure to please any crowd. It can be made in less than 10 minutes and tastes as good fresh from the oven or with some vanilla ice cream on top!
The comforting taste of an oven-baked pie is now at your fingertips! The Instant Pot makes it easy to make a filling that will coat every last bite. This is one of the easiest recipes to follow, just mix up the ingredients, throw it all together in an Instant Pot and viola—you’ve got yourself one delicious dessert.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Easy to Make!
- Great for Desserts!
- Can be made ahead!
- Can be stored for later!
Best Apples to Use for Apple Pie Filling
There are a variety of apples that work best in taste and texture in the filling. I personally like a combination of tart and sweet apples – Granny Smith and Honey Crisp tend to be my favorite. The following guide will help you choose which types of apples will give your pie a great filling with a lot of flavor!
- Granny Smith Apples – The best apples for pies are Granny Smith, followed by Fuji and then Honeycrisp. For additional taste try adding in a few McIntosh apples with the Grannies to sweeten up your filling. The mix of fruity and tart tastes with the Granny Smith is perfect for a tasty apple pie.
- Honeycrisp Apples – These apples are crisp and hold up well during cooking so you have a good mixture of fruit and crust when you bite into the pie.
- Braeburn Apples – sweet and tart, perfect for making apple pie.
- Fuji Apples – They’re perfect for Apple Pie since they have just the right level of tartness that goes well with the sweetness of sugar and cinnamon.
- Cortland Apples – They have just the right amount of tartness and sweetness, in addition to being extra firm in texture. This makes them perfect for pies because they won’t break down when cooked or mixed into other recipes!
- Idared Apples – Sweet, tangy and crispy – they’re ideal for apple pies.
- Golden Delicious Apples – The sweetness of this apple works perfectly with the spices in an apple pie recipe, yielding a beautifully crafted dessert.
- Rome Apples – Have a sweet, tart flavor perfect for holiday pies. They also have a consistent weight and shape to keep your recipes consistent every time.
- Northern Spy Apples – Has a tart flavor that accompanies the sweetness of sugar nicely.
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Use a mix of apple varieties. Your pie will have different textures and flavors, which is always nice in my opinion. I’ve used a variety of apple each time I make it. I’ve made it such as a mix of Mutsu (also known as Crispin) and Jonagold . They hold up well to cooking and have a nice tart flavor. I’ve also used Honeycrisp, but these apples are a bit too juicy so be sure to add the cornstarch to thicken it up.
- When you put your pie filling together, there isn’t a lot of margin for error. But, if you cook it up and something doesn’t taste quite right, don’t despair! Just add more of whatever spices or sweeteners you think that it needs and cook it down again until it tastes just right.
- I like using Honeycrisp apples, but any sweet apple will do.
- You can cook this on the stove, but it takes a good 40 minutes to thicken and you have to stir almost constantly. The Instant Pot version takes about 8 minutes total once everything gets going!
- Don’t forget to keep enough pie filling in the fridge for those midnight pie cravings.
Other Uses for Apple Pie Filling
Apple pie filling is not only tasty when used as a topping for apple pies; there are dozens of other delicious ways it can be used. Here are some suggestions for using apple pie filling that you may not have known about.
- Mix the filling with nuts and pack it into a crescent roll dough for an easy treat.
- Top homemade pancakes with it for breakfast.
- Scoop on top of ice cream, cheesecake or fresh baked bread.
Tools Needed
Apple Pie Filling Ingredients
2 pounds apples (about 5-7 apples)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup water
How to Make Apple Pie Filling in an Instant Pot
Peel, dice and core the apples using the tools to do so.
Place the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, corn starch, vanilla & water into the instant pot and mix together.
Close the instant pot and turn pressure valve to seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes.
Allow the steam to release naturally instead of quick release. Pour into a mason jar for storing.
How Long Does Homemade Apple Pie Filling Last?
About 3 days in your fridge when completely cooled and stored in an airtight container.
How Long Does Apple Pie Filling Last in the Freezer?
Apple pie filling can last about 2-3 months in the freezer. You’ll want to use a freezer bag and be sure to get the air out of the bag before sealing it for maximum freezer burn protection.
Once you are ready to use your frozen apple pie filling, remove it from your freezer and either heat according to instructions or allow it to thaw in your refrigerator overnight then heat as instructed by recipe.
Recipe
Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 2 pounds apples about 5-7 apples
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Peel, dice and core the apples using the tools to do so.
- Place the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, corn starch, vanilla & water into the instant pot and mix together.
- Close the instant pot and turn pressure valve to seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes.
- Allow the steam to release naturally instead of quick release. Pour into a mason jar for storing.
Notes
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Use a mix of apple varieties. Your pie will have different textures and flavors, which is always nice in my opinion. I've used a variety of apple each time I make it. I've made it such as a mix of Mutsu (also known as Crispin) and Jonagold . They hold up well to cooking and have a nice tart flavor. I've also used Honeycrisp, but these apples are a bit too juicy so be sure to add the cornstarch to thicken it up.
- When you put your pie filling together, there isn't a lot of margin for error. But, if you cook it up and something doesn't taste quite right, don't despair! Just add more of whatever spices or sweeteners you think that it needs and cook it down again until it tastes just right.
- I like using Honeycrisp apples, but any sweet apple will do.
- You can cook this on the stove, but it takes a good 40 minutes to thicken and you have to stir almost constantly. The Instant Pot version takes about 8 minutes total once everything gets going!
- Don't forget to keep enough pie filling in the fridge for those midnight pie cravings.
Other Uses for Apple Pie Filling
- Apple pie filling is not only tasty when used as a topping for apple pies; there are dozens of other delicious ways it can be used. Here are some suggestions for using apple pie filling that you may not have known about.
- Mix the filling with nuts and pack it into a crescent roll dough for an easy treat.
- Top homemade pancakes with it for breakfast.
- Scoop on top of ice cream, cheesecake or fresh baked bread.
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Sharlene Lane
Thank you for sharing.
Alison
You’re welcome!
Jack Lykins
Can this recipe be canned?
Alison
I would suggest following this method from National Center for Home Food Preservation: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/can_pie/apple_filling.html