Instant Pot Apple Crisp is a delicious, easy to make Instant Pot dessert recipe. Tender apples with lots of sweet topping all cooked together in one pot. Pressure cooker apple crisp is an Instant Pot dump and start recipe that the whole family loves!
Instant Pot Apple Crisp
Apples are one of the best fruits to cook with. They can go into sweet or savory recipes. I am from Washington, where apples are a big deal. We grow so many varieties, I don't think I even know them all! We're lucky to have them year-round.
I have several recipes for Apple Crisp in my recipe box. I decided to borrow a little from a few of them and make my own version of Apple Crisp for the Instant Pot®. It may sound strange, but it is really very good!
How can apple crisp made in the pressure cooker get crisp?
Well, it doesn't get crisp like in the oven, it is a little firm. But if you place it under the broiler or air fryer lid for just a few minutes, it will crisp up on the outside, leaving delicious, sweet apple filling underneath!
Which Apples are Best for Instant Pot Apple Crisp?
- Granny Smith apples are really good for cooking because they have a firmer flesh and don't break down as fast as other varieties. They are tart so adding sugar and spices is important.
- I also use Gala, or another red variety because I like the flavor. You can use all one variety if you don't want to use two kinds of apples.
So the important question... Ice Cream or Whipped Cream?
Vanilla ice cream for me! Though whipped cream is an acceptable alternative topping if you are out of ice cream.
A few other notes about making Instant Pot Apple Crisp
- Use Old Fashioned oats if you can. They hold up better.
- Using brown sugar in the topping gives a richer flavor.
- You don't have to peel all of the apples. But do peel at least half of them (this helps you not get the burn error).
- Be sure to use nonstick cooking spray.
- This recipe fits best in a 6 qt or 8 qt pot. Decrease recipe by ⅓ for a 3 qt pot.
Instant Pot Baked Apples
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Instant Pot Apple Crisp is a delicious, easy to make Instant Pot dessert recipe. Tender apples with lots of sweet topping all cooked together in one pot.
- 7 medium Apples (about 9 cups chopped) (I use Granny Smith & Gala)
- Juice of ½ of a Small Lemon
- 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¼ cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ cup Apple Juice, or cider
- ½ cup Butter, softened
- ½ cup Flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 ¼ cups Old Fashioned Oats
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Spray the bottom of the pot with nonstick cooking spray.
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Wash, peel, and cut the apples into large chunks (about 1 ½"). Add them to the pot.
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Add the lemon juice and toss the apples in it.
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Sprinkle the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sugar over the apples. Toss together.
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Add the vanilla and apple juice. Stir.
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Add the butter, flour, salt, brown sugar, and oats to a mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter, or your hands to mix together until combined, and makes small clumps that hold together.
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Add the topping mixture to the pot, loosely, covering the apples. Don't stir.
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Place the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then press the +/- button or dial to select 1 minute. High pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
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When the cook time is finished, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to do a Quick Release of the pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, you can open the lid. Turn off the pot.
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At this point, use oven mitts to remove the inner pot to a heat safe surface. Let the apple crisp stand for a few minutes to cool a bit and thicken a little more. You can serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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If you want to crisp up the topping, dish servings into oven safe dishes and broil on 450° for a few minutes. Alternatively you can transfer the entire pot of apple crisp to a baking dish and broil for a few minutes to crisp up the topping. If you have an air fryer lid you can use that.
- Delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Crisp up the topping with an air fryer lid or transfer to a baking dish and broil a few minutes.
- The texture of the apples will depend on how large you cut them. Smaller chunks will make this closer to an applesauce consistency. Larger chunks won't cook as fast. If you like a firmer texture, use 0 minutes cook time.
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Cindy
I'm making this as we speak. Smells amazing. I am making this with 4 partially peeled and sliced red apples. I cheated a bit by using 2 Instant Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal packages. I did mix with butter & more brown sugar ( measured by eye here) added a little flour and Bisquick mix (also measured by eye) .I did omit the cloves but in its place I used about 1/2 cup of chopped pecans, half added to apples and the other half I added to the oat topping. I cooked apples separate with maybe 1/2 cup of water. Not much more though.Baked for 10minutes @450° Then 1minute under broiler flame.~Time to taste~ It's a keeper.Thanks for the smiling tastebuds ♡
Katie
The baked apple crisp was good, but I had to use the broiler to crisp up the dish after it was done in the Instant pot. Given that there is so much liquid with the ingredients, it's hard to have a "crisp" ready when it's done with steam. The next time I make this I'm doing the apples separately from the oats topping. It came out much more like oatmeal than a crisp. It was still enjoyed by family and smelled up the kitchen so nicely!
Jo Ann
Hi Sandy! I made this today for my husband’s birthday lunch. I followed the recipe exactly, but got the burn notice. I didn’t stir after adding the topping. It seems like it was the peels that stuck and burned a little. We were still able to eat most of it though. Also, the texture was more like applesauce. I was wondering if perhaps I should set it to 0, instead of 1 minute. It tasted great and had lots of flavor. Do you have any advice for me? Thanks so much!
Sandy
Sorry that happened. Next time you could peel the apples, or only peel half of them so there are less peels. You could also add 2 Tbsp of water to help it come to pressure sooner. You can try 1 minute and see if that works better for you.
Nancy
I also got a burn notice. But the apples were done anyway. It sure smells amazing. So if it tastes anything like it smells it is going to be good.
Sandy
I'm sorry to hear that. I'm thinking it could be the peels. So I put a note to peel maybe half of the apples if you don't want to peel them all. Then I upped the apple juice by a little.
Heather
So delicious! I made another Instapot apple crisp and it wasn't as good as this one. I didn't even bother broiling it. Perfect!
Sandy
Hi Heather, I'm so happy that my recipe worked for you! Thank you for your review!