You want a weeknight dessert that's healthy, fast, simple, and above all, delicious! Instant Pot Baked Apples with Cinnamon checks all the boxes. You probably even have all the ingredients on hand right now! And it's all done in your pressure cooker in just 8 minutes! This healthier take on an old classic will be your new go-to dessert; the perfect end to a healthy meal!
Best Apples for Baked Apples
The best apples for baked apples are ones that are firm, and will hold their shapes through the cooking process. You don't want something that is going to break down and turn to applesauce quickly! Great baking apples include:
- Braeburn
- Cortland
- Fuji
- Gala
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
For my healthy baked apples, I typically use Fuji apples.
How to Core an Apple
There are several ways to core an apple including using an apple corer or using a good old paring knife and spoon. I find an easy way to core apples is to use a melon baller. It's something I already have, and it makes the tool more multifunctional!
First, make sure your apples are clean and dry.
Flip them over so the stem side is on the counter. You can go through the top or bottom of the apple, but I have found coring the apple through the bottom allows the apples to sit up better in the pot!
Carefully use the melon baller to create a circle around the blossom end of the apple, and use it to scoop out the entire core, being careful not to punch through the other side (you will leave the stem side intact).
If you wish, you can scoop a little more out of the inside to create more of a bowl for stuffing, or you can leave it smaller. Either way, your apples are now ready for stuffing and baking!
FAQs and Substitutions
Any dried fruit will work here, as long as you chop it up. You can also do a mixture of dried fruit and oatmeal if you like! If you do that, pour a few teaspoons of apple cider into each apple after you stuff them to help cook the oatmeal.
Sure can! If you want to bake these in the oven, follow the instructions up to step 3, and pour the apple cider in a baking dish with the apples. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until the apples are very soft and the skin becomes wrinkly.
That's a great question! When we say something is "sugar free," we're usually referring to the food having no added sugars in the ingredients. You've likely noticed in the nutrition facts that there is sugar listed in the amount of 25 grams per serving. This is naturally occurring sugar, coming exclusively from the fruit!
Apples and raisins both have naturally occurring sugars, which help make them taste sweet. But don't worry about that number when it comes to naturally occurring sugar. There's also lots of fiber and other nutrients that comes with it. And we know that it's the added sugar that can contribute to heart disease, and not the naturally occurring sugar. That makes fruit an excellent heart healthy dessert option!
If you love healthy desserts, you'll want to check out our Heart Healthy Desserts Archive!
If you make Instant Pot Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Raisins, let me know in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Raisins
Quick and healthy dessert that's sweet enough with no added sugar! The apples, raisins, and spices may make it perfect for Fall evenings, but these ingredients are available and delicious year round!
Ingredients
- 7 Apples
- ½ cup Raisins (more or less depending on the size of your apples)
- ½ cup Apple Cider or water
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- A sprinkle of ground Cloves
- Toasted walnuts to garnish, if desired
Instructions
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Core the apples.
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In a small bowl, combine raisins, cinnamon, and clove. Fill each apple with raisin and spice mixture.
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Pour ½ cup water, or apple cider, into the pressure cooker pot, and arrange apples inside.
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Cook for 8 minutes at high pressure. If you have very large apples, add and minute or two.
-
Manually release the pressure. Garnish with toasted walnuts, if desired.
Recipe Notes
If you want to bake these in the oven, follow the instructions up to step 3, and pour the apple cider in a baking dish with the apples. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until the apples are very soft and the skin becomes wrinkly.
DIANNA REYNOLDS says
Pressure cooker apples were great!!!!
DIANNA REYNOLDS says
We had the apples tonight and they were great!!
DIANNA REYNOLDS says
Copied the pressure cooker baked apples.