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Instant Pot Caramel Apple Pie that is naturally sweetened and healthy?  Pie that you and your child can eat for breakfast and feel awesome about it?  Are you intrigued?

Instant Pot Naturally Sweetened Caramel Apple Pie with Apple Butter Whipped Cream.  My mom always tells me I drag out my sentences, so why not my recipe titles!  This pie deserves each and every word.

Since cutting out sugar from my diet in 2014, apple pie was one of the few things I truly missed.  Understandably so, right?!

Warm juicy apples, crispy buttery crust, giant dollop of cream . . . I can’t even talk right now . . . or think of where I was going with this . . .

Oh, right, I missed apple pie.  

I set out to recreate the glorious apple pie in a way that I could enjoy it, and others around me would enjoy it, without saying, “Don’t bother eating that one, that’s one of Marci’s healthy desserts.”  Thanks big bro.

My friends, fellow home cooks, IP lover community, “want to eat healthier and still enjoy eating” peeps, I have uncovered THE apple pie recipe to rival all sugar laden apple pie recipes and I cannot wait for it to hit your dessert table!

You can eat this for dessert, breakfast, snack, whenever!  Heck, I’ll send a slice with my kids to school just so I can hear, “my friends think you’re the coolest mom in the whole world for sending pie in my lunch box.”  Not that I’m so shallow that I would care about that kind of thing . . .

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS HEALTHY, HOMEMADE APPLE PIE

• Simple.  Simple to make, simple flavors, everything simple yet it is Magnifique!
• LIterally, this pie is healthy enough to eat around the clock, no guilt, just great nutrition in this baby
• No added sugar in any element of this pie.  It’s sweetened 100% with glorious, perfect, earth grown fruit

Let’s dive into the elements a bit deeper since talking about these little tricks just makes me so dang happy.

WHOLE WHEAT COCONUT OIL APPLE PIE CRUST

Whole Grain and made with the good fats that coconut oil provides.  It's buttery tasting and crisp, the easiest pie dough to make, EVER!  Rolls out easy, patches seamlessly if I tear it, and it doesn't shrink when it bakes.  

And yes, I know the edge of the crust is broken a bit.  I bumped it and about cried.

EASY APPLE PIE FILLING

With just 3 simple ingredients – apples, dates, and cinnamon – I was able to rekindle my love for my beloved apple pie.  The bits of dates soften and melt into the apples and create a caramel-y sweetness with each and every yummy bite. This pie is a refined sugar-free dream come true.

My favorite apples to use are Honey Crisp because they're so naturally sweet.  Other good pie apples might be Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or Jonagold.

Quick tip for those dates: They are STICKY!  I like to use kitchen shears to cut them into small pieces which is MUCH easier than using a knife.

APPLE BUTTER WHIPPED CREAM

Any store-bought apple butter will work here, but to keep it truly sugar-free, I like to use my own apple butter that is made with just apples and cinnamon.  I make it in the slow cooker because it reduces and thickens much better than the pressure cooker. Plus, letting it cook all day makes my house smell glorious.

HOW TO MAKE AN EASY APPLE PIE ON THE FLY

Now watch all these amazing elements come together!

Pie Crust

1. Cut coconut oil into the flour and salt.  I find this to be much easier with a food processor
2. Pulse until it resembles wet sand
3. Add ice water and pulse until it comes together.  You should be able to press it together with your hand and have it hold its shape.  
4. Place on a floured surface and dust the top with flour, as well
5. Roll out your dough, just wider than the pie plate
6. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin
7. Transfer it to the pie plate
8. Fold extra dough under to bulk up the edges of the pie crust
9. Crimp however you'd like,
10. Or use this 3 finger method my mother in law taught me
11. Poke holes in the bottom with a fork
12. Bake til firm and lightly browned

Apple Pie Filling

1. Peel, core, slice the apples and dice the dates
2. Add apples, dates, cinnamon, and apple juice to the pot and cook for 1 minute
3. Thicken the apples with a cornstarch slurry, done!  Pour directly into cooked and slightly cooled pie crust

Whip up your apple butter whipped cream (I like to do this in a high speed blender, it’s fail proof and fast!) and put a dollop on your piping hot slice of pie.

BEST WAY TO MAKE AN EASY, QUICK PIE FILLING FROM SCRATCH

You may be wondering, why would I make the pie filling in the pressure cooker instead of baking it up in the oven.  Here's why

1. Oven space for holidays
2. No soggy pie crust bottom
3. Pie filling cooked and ready in less than 10 minutes
4. Most importantly – Piping hot apple pie filling with cream melted over the top.  Nothing makes me more sad than eating a piece of apple pie that was cooked hours before.  It's just not the same when the apples aren't hot and juicy.

I know it’s always a little scary to try a new recipe, let alone a healthier version of a classic, but let me tell you, I haven’t had a single family member disapprove of this one.  It’s been happily accepted across the board alongside other cream pies and cheesecakes.

However, my husband would like me to add, that adding a big scoop of frozen yogurt or ice cream and a drizzle of caramel is quite sensational.  Not to ruin all my hard work or anything.

Enjoy this one!  Any time of the day!

VARIATIONS

• Use dried figs instead of dates, similar to this Apple Fig Compote.  I love the crunch of the seeds!
• Swap the whole wheat crust for your favorite pie crust – Graham crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, storebought, etc etc.  They aren't whole grain and sugar-free of course, but they will work great!
• Serve it cold – yum!
• Serve just the apple pie filling with a scoop of cream (or frozen cream dollop) and a handful of granola.  Incredible!

MORE INCREDIBLE HOLIDAY DESSERTS

1. Instant Pot Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
2. Instant Pot White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
3. Instant Pot Caramel Apple Cheesecake

If you have my new cookbook, Instantly Sweet, I suggest you also make the double layered Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Glaze.  You’ll be a hero.

PS:  My little cutie was home sick from school with me this day, and she 100% approves of the Sugar Free Caramel Apple Pie!

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CARAMEL APPLE PIE

• Instant Pot
• High Speed Blender
• Apple Peeler
• Food Processor  

Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Pie Crust adapted from Minimalist Baker

Instant Pot Caramel Apple Pie

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This Pressure Cooker Pie Filling is completely refined sugar free and 100% divine!  Serve it inside a Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Pie crust and you've got a dessert that's good for any time of day

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 minute
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 pie (12 servings) 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Pressure cooker
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Pie Crust (can substitute with any pie crust, graham cracker crust, or prebaked puff pastry)

• 260 grams (about 2 cups) whole wheat pastry flour, can substitute white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 160 grams (2/3 cup) coconut oil – scoopable, not liquid
• 5–6 tablespoons ice cold water

For the Caramel Apple Pie Filling

• 4 pounds honey crisp apples (could also use Pink Lady, Jonagold, Braeburn, or Granny Smith, but Honey Crisp are the most sweet so that's what I use)
• 1 1/2 cups whole dates
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (Vietnamese/Saigon is my favorite)
• 4 tablespoons apple juice, divided
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Apple Butter Whipped Cream (Can be made up to 2 days in advance, but it will become more loose in the fridge)

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup, optional for a sweeter cream

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Instructions

For the Whole Wheat Coconut Oil Pie Crust

1. To the bowl of a food processor, add flour and salt.  Pulse a few times to combine.
2. Next add scoops of coconut oil.  Pulse 5-6 times or until it resembles wet sand.  This could also be done with 2 knives or a pastry blender.
3. Add 5 tablespoons of ice cold water and pulse 5-6 times until it starts to come together, adding an extra tablespoon of water if it's too dry.  You should be able to press it with your hand and have the mixture stay together.  If it falls apart like sand, it needs an extra tablespoon of water.
4. Scoop the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a flat disc with your hands.
5. Flour the top of the dough and use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a circle just wider than a 9 inch pie plate and about 1/8-inch thick.  Add extra flour to the bottom surface and top to prevent it from sticking while rolling it out.
6. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin to transfer it to your pie plate.  Shape the edges as desired.  Use a fork to poke the bottom of the crust.
7. Bake pie crust at 350° F for 20-25 minutes.  The crust won't brown significantly, so when it feels crisp and dry to the touch, remove from oven.
8. Let cool completely before filling.  Can store in a gallon sized ziplock once it's cooled if not using the same day.

For the Caramel Apple Pie Filling

1. Peel, core, and slice all the apples to about 1/4-inch thick.  I like to use an apple peeler to make this really fast.  Place apples in the pressure cooker pot and set aside
2. Pit the dates and use kitchen shears or sharp, clean scissors to cut them into 6-8 pieces each.  You can also use a sharp knife but the shears make it a lot easier.
3. Add dates to the pot of apples.
4. Add cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of apple juice.  Toss everything to combine.
5. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.  Cook at high pressure for 1 minute.
6. While the apples are cooking, make the Apple Butter Whipped Cream (instructions below)
7. When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
8. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of apple juice.  Using the saute function of the pressure cooker, bring apples to a light simmer then stir in cornstarch slurry.
9. Gently stir, just until mixture thickens, then immediately take off the heat to prevent the apples from overcooking.
10. Pour the hot apples directly into the cooled pie crust.
11. Enjoy hot with a big dollop of Apple Butter Whipped Cream.
12. Can also be eaten at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.  Reheats perfectly in the microwave (for breakfast!).
13. The crust holds up very well and still has a nice crunch to it after 4 days in the fridge.

For the Apple Butter Whipped Cream

1. Place apple butter, heavy cream, and cinnamon into a high speed blender and blend at medium speed, until thick.  Alternatively, use a bowl and a hand mixer.  Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Can be made up to 2 days in advance, although it becomes looser as it sits, which is actually amazing over the pie!

Notes

• Cook time for the apples may vary with different pressure cookers and varieties of apples.  Start with 1 minute of pressure cooking time.  If they are under or over cooked, add or subtract 1 minute
• Instant Pots have the ability to cook foods for 0 minutes.  It reaches pressure, then turns off.  Use this if your apples are softer than you like them
• Cook apples right before serving for a delicious, piping hot filling just begging for cream

Keywords: sugar free dessert, quick dessert, sweet pie

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