This Homemade Applesauce Recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients and is ready in just over 30 minutes. Enjoy this easy and delicious Homemade Applesauce as a simple snack, healthy dessert, or alongside more savory dishes such as this Meal Prep Skillet Kielbasa with Bell Peppers and Pork Chops with Apples and Butternut Squash.
This homemade applesauce recipe remains one of my favorite snacks. Light, healthy, and loved by all ages, applesauce can be enjoyed year round and is loved by me, my son, and my husband. Every time I prepare a big batch of this homemade applesauce it’s like digging into a big slice of apple pie.
What are the ingredients in this Homemade Applesauce Recipe?
- Apples
- Water
- Sugar or another sweetener (optional)
- Ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Lemon juice
In other words, you’re eating apples. But that’s the point, right?
And, if you’re like me, a person who has the tendency to impulse buy in large amounts, then this homemade applesauce recipe is just what you needed!
You’ll notice that I made a little note that adding sugar to this recipe is completely optional. I am a person who prefers things that are less sweet. Don’t get me wrong- I love ice cream and cookies and chocolate, but when it comes to applesauce, I actually really love the taste of apples so I don’t feel the need to drown them in sugar.
If you, on the other hand, prefer a sweeter applesauce, then I definitely recommend adding some sugar. To this recipe, I added 1/4 cup. I feel like this amount is a happy compromise which makes everyone happy, so use that as a guide when deciding how much sugar is right for your applesauce recipe.
What are the best apples for applesauce?
If you start researching which apples are the best to use in applesauce, you will encounter a million different answers. Each apple variety has a different taste, texture, response to heat, color, etc. Depending on your own personal preference will likely determine which apples you prefer.
In general, the apples that are best for baking are the worst for applesauce.
- Pink Lady Apples- these are my personal favorite. However, some will argue that Pink Lady Apples are too firm and not sweet enough.
- McIntosh
- Fuji
- Golden Delicious
- Gravenstein
- Gala
- Transparent
- Cortland
- Jonathan
Mix them, match them, test each one-by-one, it is totally up to you.
Equipment needed to make this Homemade Applesauce Recipe
- Cutting board
- Paring Knife or Apple Peeler
- Large Pot
- Potato Masher or Food Processor
Nothing fancy or crazy. Promise.
Uses for Homemade Applesauce
Homemade applesauce is a delicious and healthy snack enjoyed on its own. But what are some other things you can do with a giant batch of homemade applesauce?
- Enjoy with savory dishes like these Irish Corned Beef Potato Pancakes.
- Serve with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream.
- Bake this applesauce into your favorite muffins such as these Sweet potatoes, Banana and Butternut Squash Muffins.
- Or into these completely irresistible Apple Donuts.
- Mix in with your favorite smoothie.
- Enjoy for breakfast with yogurt and granola or in these Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats.
- Swap maple syrup for applesauce with waffles, French toast, and pancakes.
In other words, Homemade Applesauce should just go on/with/in everything.
…especially ice cream.
How to make Homemade Applesauce
- To make homemade applesauce gather a bunch of apples– whichever apples you want (see above). In nearly all apple recipes I use Pink Lady Apples because they’re tart, crispy and so pink. Basically, the only thing that matters when picking apples. Just kidding…but, that’s how I do things.
- Peel and core the apples. If you’re handy enough with an apple peeler, that will definitely help speed the process along. Unfortunately, I have never been clever enough to figure out how to use mine (true story) so I stick to my favorite paring knife. Peel, core, and slice the peeled apples into large slices.
- Transfer the apples to a large pot. Add the water, lemon juice, sweetener, cinnamon, and salt and mix to combine. You don’t need a lot of liquid, however, you will need approximately 1/2 cup to help steam the apples and move things along. Some people use apple juice or apple cider instead of water, but I just see that as more sugar, so I’ll let you decide.
- Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Now the hard part is over (since, you know, that was super hard). Allow the apples to cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. Your apples should be broken up, buy partially intact, and very soft. Remove those sweet apples from heat.
- Make into applesauce. Mash or puree, which will you choose?
Chunky or Smooth Applesauce?
Once your apples have cooked, now it’s time to decide- will you enjoy chunky or smooth applesauce? Fortunately, there are no wrong answers here. All applesauce is good applesauce.
To make a chunkier applesauce, I recommend using a potato masher. However, for a smooth applesauce, you’ll want to process in a food processor or blender.
If you try this Applesauce, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
For more apple recipe check out,
- Healthier Cinnamon Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Topping
- Autumn Rosé Sangria with Apples and Pomegranates
- Herbed Apple and Pumpernickel Stuffing
- Marinated Salmon Apple Salad
- Sweet Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Stuffed Acorn Squash with Almond Butter
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- How to Make Fried Apples
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Homemade Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples (approx. 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, quartered and chopped into smaller chunks.)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the peeled, cored, quartered and chopped apples in a large pot. Add the water, lemon juice, sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Stir well. Bring to a boil on high heat, then turn to low and cover. Maintain a low simmer for 30 minutes or until the apples are completely soft and cooked through.
- Once fully cooked, remove from heat. For a chunky applesauce, mash the apples in the pot with a potato masher. For a smooth applesauce, add to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth (if using a blender, work in batches and allow time to cool).
- Delicious served warm or cold.
Jessica's Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
(originally posted on October 5, 2015)
Hey there! Just harvested some of our apples and found this recipe and let me say it smells and looks wonderful. One question I’ve always wondered about do you serve your applesauce warm or cold??
You can serve this applesauce either warm or cold Heather – enjoy 🙂
I just came across your recipe and would like to try it. Can you can it with a water bath?
Hi Teresa,
Yes, you can infact can with this recipe, just follow the best canning practices for safety 🙂
Thank you for such a great recipe, is it possible to put it into freezer since i would like to have it on hand at all times?
Thank you
Yes, you can generally freeze apple sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months 🙂
Hi Jessica ,
I would like ti try your apple sauce recepie but since it is only my husband and i at home, how can i store it please?
Thanks
Hi Pauline,
Great question! As there are no preservatives in this delicious homemade apple sauce, it is going to vary greatly from home to home in a refrigerator. A safe bet is up to a week, which can vary depending on the season, the freshness of the apples, etc.
You can also scale the recipe down using the serving size in the recipe card 🙂
Hi Jessica. Just found you today on Pinterest. Honestly it was the awesome picture that sold me. I just made it now to go with my cedar planked pork chops. Haven’t tasted it yet myself but my wife,(the apple sauce guru) loved it. I halfed everything because I only had 3 apples. Then I decided to throw in a splash of fireball cinnimon whiskey just because. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you. Stay safe everyone.
Thanks for the kind feedback Keith 🙂
I tried this recipe a few weeks back and it was a huge success. This is the second time I’ve used it and I made a triple batch because we Iove it so much. This will be the only one I use,no need to find another
Thanks for the kind words Becky 🙂