This easy Strawberry Beet Instant Pot Applesauce is delicious, has no added sugar and gets its amazing color from beets! Kid-friendly and the perfect way to get veggies in at breakfast, lunch, snack or whenever!
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Beets are totally not a veggie I find myself reaching for often during my farmer’s market trips or grocery store runs.
Why? Because I can’t say that I am the biggest beet lover in the world. I don’t enjoy them in salads or pickled or just chilling on my plate next to my roasted potatoes. Buuuuttttt. I am trying to practice what I preach to all of you TNNers and make sure to offer variety and exposure to my family when it comes to vegetables. And that includes beets.
If you are a faithful reader, you will know I have been on a bit of beet kick lately. And it is not because I’m loving on this root veggie yet, but because it occurred to me that maybe I was the one in need of veggie exposures with beets.
True story, the veggie-loaded approach works for adults as well as kids. When we claim to not like a vegetable, it might not be that we don’t actually like that vegetable, but more that we just haven’t found a way to eat it that we enjoy. Beets, after all, don’t have to just be on salads or pickled (something I probably will never really warm up to), but they can be in brownies, pancakes, smoothies, hummus and now even applesauce.
Beets are kind of known for being “earthy” (aka dirt) tasting that requires love and balance. Which is why they go so well in this applesauce! The sweetness of the strawberries and apples totally makes beets delicious…and let’s talk about this color! The prettier the food, the more delicious is usually tastes to big and little eaters!
Why the heck do you want to eat beets in the first place?
So, if you are wondering why I, a self proclaimed beet-iffy eater, doesn’t just leave beets off the menu….it’s because beets a like dirty little plant rockstars. For real! They add so much to your food. By adding beetroot, you also add: (source)
- protein
- fiber
- Folate (vitamin B9) (this is helpful for cell and tissue growth)
- Manganese. (an essential trace element)
- Potassium. (good for heart health)
- Iron. (an essential mineral that is necessary for the transport of oxygen in red blood cells)
- Vitamin C. (something all us parents need oodles of in our diets)
Can I make this Instant Pot applesauce in my slow cooker?
Yes! I love making applesauce in my slow cooker to make the house smell amazing and make healthy homemade extra easy!
To make this Instant Pot applesauce in your crockpot, use the same ingredients and same measurements. Combine everything in your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4.
Once done cooking, puree as normal.
Can I cook this applesauce on my stove top!
Absolutely! One thing you will need to do differently though is to make sure that your beets are cut into 1-inch pieces so that they cook fast enough.
To make this Instant Pot applesauce on your stove top, combine all ingredients in a large pot and stir a few times.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until apples and beets are fork tender and cooked through.
Remove from heat and puree as normal.
Other veggie-loaded apple recipes you are going to love
- Veggie-Loaded Applesauce
- Egg-Free Carrot Apple Muffins
- Healthy Apple Carrot Pancakes
- Apple Sweet Potato Muffins
Strawberry Beet Instant Pot Applesauce
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 apples, cored and roughly chopped (I left the skins on for extra fiber, but feel free to peel) (use your favorite sweet variety, but I like Pink Lady, Gala or Honeycrisp)
- 1 medium red beet (or two small) About 5 ounces washed, peeled and roughly chopped
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries about 4 cups whole. Frozen berries are okay too.
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Combine all prepped ingredients in your Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot and lock it into place. Make sure the valve on top is switched to sealing.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. It will take your Instant Pot about 10 minutes to get up to pressure before it starts cooking.
- Once cook time is up, quick release the pressure.
- Carefully remove the lid of your Instant Pot. Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce to your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can let the sauce cool a bit and then transfer it to a blender to puree.
- Sauce may seem thin when warm. It thickens up as it cools. Enjoy or let it cool completely before storing in an air tight container in fridge for up to a week or in your freezer for months.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
We are not a beet loving family, but decided to give this recipe a whirl. SO GOOD! Totally making this on the regular. My husband and toddler loved it and it was so easy. Thank you!
This is so yummy! I make applesauce pretty often and this is a great way to change up the flavor.
I am so glad you enjoy it, Heather!
This tasted great, but made such a huge mess in my kitchen. When I quick released the applesauce spurted out of my valve and ended up all over my wall. Is there a way to prevent this?
Oh interesting! I have never had that happen. I find that the spray from the valve usually happens when my IP is too full. What size IP do you have? I have an 8 quart, so I am wondering if your’s is significantly smaller. Did you do a double batch? Letting the pressure naturally release is also an option too.
I have an 8 quart and just used the regular recipe. The pressure is very strong when it quick releases, and I have worried about what would happen if I made soup. Do I need to alter the cooking time if I use a slow release?
The pressure is usually quite strong with quick release and certainly something to use caution with when cooking any IP recipe. With that said, I have never had the liquid splatter out of mine when cooking a single batch of the sauce, so not quite sure what is happening there. If you are going to do a natural release, I’d reduce the cook time to 6 minutes. Let me know how it goes!
Love this, I make it every other week for my boys!
I love this one too!
My 2 year old loves this so much we have to always have a batch available. I usually freeze half in a silicone ice cube tray.
Also, I typically avoid pressure cooker applesauce because it’s too thin of my liking. Though I rarely actually measure the fruit for this, I’ve successfully used as little as 1/4 cup of water with no problems because the fruit loses so much water. (I know it technically breaks the instant pot rules.)
Love the idea of freezing it in an ice cube tray! So easy to enjoy a little at a time.
IP applesauce can be thin (and for some people, that is their jam!) and I usually just switch my IP to sautee and let the moisture bubble off. However, I’m glad reducing the water has worked well for you! Another option for readers!
I made a double batch of this today with extra beets + extra strawberries (both from our garden). My whole family was sniffing the air appreciatively and I may have burned my tongue trying to sneak a few bites from the pot. SO GOOD. And so beautiful!
I am SO glad you enjoyed it! Add the house smell amazing, too!