Instant Pot Apple Crisp

This is our easy Instant Pot apple crisp recipe that tastes like Cracker Barrel baked apples but made in less than 10 minutes. Warm cinnamon apples coated with a ooey gooey brown sugar glaze and oats your family will go crazy over.

I have used a similar recipe and have just adjusted the time to make applesauce too! I will show you how to make both of them here. We share our crockpot apple crisp here so no matter what you have you can enjoy this.

Ninja Foodi Apple Crisp

Want to make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe or have a Crockpot Express brand instead? NO problem, they all work basically the same and have the same functions except with this one you want to use the lid that is not attached.

The first time we made it it was far too soft but found that it made out to be some amazing pressure cooker applesauce. lol I bought large red apples thinking they would be the same consistency and they weren’t. They turned out much softer. Either way you need to make the slices very thick or cube them to get it just right. If you prefer really soft baked apples just add another minute on to this recipe.

There is a basic recipe we love when we make homemade apple crisp. Depending on how soft or firm you want your apples you can just use our recipe. Just adjust the time according to your preference. I have found after making this Instant Pot apple crisp 4 different times you need to use the right apples.

Best Apples to Make Apple Crisp

Smaller green apples (Granny Smith) are best because they are a bit firmer when they are done. You can see about the size we like here. Larger they are the more moisture they have inside and don’t hold up quite as well. Believe me as I go on and on about these specifics as I took weeks and weeks to perfect this.

Cut into thick slices for the best results. They sell bags of about 10 of these in most grocery stores, already bagged.

If you have ever had Cracker Barrel baked apples these Instant Pot apple crisp reminds me of those. All 5 of us just love them when we are able to visit for dinner so I really wanted to try and come close to that version. Using my original recipe in the crockpot I was able to make just a few adjustments to create the perfect pot full….as you see here below.

Made with Oats

I love texture, so I wanted to add the traditional sweet crumbly topping made with rolled oats, Old Fashioned is best for this. Do not use instant oats as they will become too mushy and won’t work well.

You don’t need a lot of liquid as the apples produce juice as they bake. I used water for the liquid but you could use a bit of apple cider and the rest water in this Instant Pot dessert.

If you’ve never had apple crisp it does come in many forms. In the oven it creates a bit of a crunchy topping but in the crockpot or pressure cooker it doesn’t get crispy…but it’s still wonderful (we prefer it this way).

Ingredient Notes

You are going to ideally want a bag of small green apples cut into thick slices or cubed. The thinner they are the softer they will become.

You are going to add light Brown sugar or use 1/2 c. Splenda brown sugar for sugar free apple crisp, alternative for diabetics

All purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce and crumble on the top. Butter or dairy free alternative works with some Water or you can use half water half Apple cider. Oats – not instant for the crumble with some Cinnamon and nutmeg for Fall flavors.

You will need a pressure cooker and I HIGHLY suggest you get a non stick pot too! Vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream is optional at end served on top. It saves well in the fridge too and have been guilty of enjoying leftovers for breakfast too.

How Long to Cook Apple Crisp in Instant Pot

You need to stand right next to this pot once it reaches pressure. The reason being is that one minute cook time is exact! If you want them to keep some texture I have used zero minutes as well. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t cook, just means that it “cooks” while pressurizing but not enough time to completely break them down. 30 seconds too long and it will mush into applesauce so release pressure right away.

They are BEST when eaten immediately so what I do is when they’re done I scoop them into a serving bowl, throw my pot in the sink with some water to soak. If you aren’t going to serve immediately then you still need to take out of the pot immediately! If you don’t they’ll continue to cook and soften too much.

You can prepare these pressure cooker baked apples with the crumble topping or without, great either way. Here is a photo when I cubed my apples so you can see how large they need to be or they will become too soft.

Tips for Success

Step 1 – Peel your apples a bit. Like I state above do not remove more than half the skins or they will become too soft. You can leave all the skins off too if you prefer. Small green apples are your best choice. Put apples into your pressure cooker.

Step 2 – Add your cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, brown sugar and water into your pot. Stir together so apples are coated.

Step 3 – Pressure cook for zero or 1 minute cooking time, NO longer!

Step 4 – In a bowl mix together your flour, brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon and old fashioned oats. Do not use instant oats. 

Step 5 – Do a quick release when done and lift lid immediately. Turn pot off. Sprinkle in this crisp topping mixture and set to saute.

Step 6 – Allow to bubble and thicken. This will take only about 1 minute and then immediately pour everything into a bowl. If you leave it in the pot your apples will continue to cook and get mushy. Top with whipped cream if desired.

If you cook it down further this makes a batch of our Instant Pot cranberry applesauce which is a healthy and yummy snack too.

Other easy Instant Pot dessert recipes you’ll love

After this enjoy our other Instant Pot dessert recipes. If you want a quick treat try this Instant Pot carrot cake. Instant Pot angel food cake is low fat and oh so good Our air fryer apple crisp and cast iron apple crisp are the bomb too!