This Homemade Applesauce Recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients and is ready in just over 30 minutes. Make a big batch and enjoy this easy and delicious applesauce recipe as a yummy snack, healthy dessert, or alongside more savory dishes such a kielbasa or pork chops.
Easy Applesauce Recipe
Homemade applesauce is still one of my favorite snacks. Light, refreshing, healthy, and loved by all ages, applesauce can be enjoyed all year long, from apple season and beyond. Every time I prepare a big batch of this homemade applesauce it’s like digging into a big slice of apple pie!
Reasons why I continue to make this recipe over and over again,
- It’s made with just 5 simple ingredients! (4 if you omit the sugar)
- It can be made with whatever apples you have on hand
- Big-batch friendly
- and canning-friendly for long term storage
- It’s super easy to make -nothing fancy required
- Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
What are the Ingredients to Make Homemade Applesauce?
- 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 applesauce recipe is just what you need!
Sugar is optional. I love a little sweetness so I added 1/4 cup. If you prefer sweeter applesauce, then I definitely recommend adding a little extra sugar (any sugar will work – brown sugar or white granulated sugar).
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. However, your own personal preference will likely determine which delicious apples you prefer to use.
In general, the type of apple that is best for baking is the worst for applesauce. For fastest cooking, pick softer apples and for best flavor, mix and match a few different types.
- McIntosh
- Fuji
- Golden Delicious (avoid Red Delicious)
- Gravenstein
- Gala
- Transparent
- Cortland
- Jonathan
- Honeycrisp
- Gala apples
- Granny Smith apples
I would like to note that Pink Lady Apples are my personal favorite. I use them for just about everything. Some will argue that they are too firm and not sweet enough, but I find them absolutely perfect.
Mix them, match them, test each, one-by-one, it is totally up to you.
To make this recipe you’ll need the following equipment:
- Cutting board
- Paring Knife or Apple Peeler
- Large Pot
- Potato Masher, Immersion blender, food mill, or Food Processor
Nothing fancy or crazy. Promise.
How to Store Homemade Applesauce
Always keep leftover applesauce stored in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container. Leftovers will keep for up to one week (sometimes a little longer) when stored properly. Surprise your kiddos and send them to school with homemade applesauce in one of these adorable and reusable storage pouches.
Can I Freeze Fresh Applesauce?
To freeze homemade applesauce, first, allow it to come to room temperature before transferring to freezer-safe storage containers (freezer bags, jars, containers with lids, etc). Transfer to the freezer for up to two months. Once thawed, do not re-freeze.
Can I Can This Applesauce?
I get this question a lot and the answer is yes, you can definitely can this applesauce for long-term storage using a water canning bath. As will all canning, be sure to follow proper canning protocol to prevent accidental cross-contamination.
How to Make 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 then slice the peeled apples.
- 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, but you will need about 1/2 cup to help steam the apples and move things along. Some people use apple juice or apple cider (not apple cider vinegar) 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, but partially intact, and very soft. Remove those sweet apples from heat.
- Mash into applesauce.
Once your apples have cooked, now it’s time to decide- will you enjoy chunky or smooth applesauce? Fortunately, there is no wrong answer here. All applesauce is good applesauce. The desired consistency is entirely your own.
To make chunkier applesauce, I recommend using a potato masher. For smooth applesauce, you’ll want to process in a food processor or use an immersion blender.
Uses for Homemade Applesauce
Applesauce is perfect on its own. What are some other things you can do with a giant batch of homemade applesauce?
- Enjoy with savory dishes like these corned beef potato pancakes
- Serve with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce
- Swap out the oil for applesauce when baking your muffins like these sweet potatoes, banana, and butternut squash muffins…
- or into these completely irresistible baked apple donuts.
- Blend into your favorite smoothie recipe
- Enjoy for breakfast with yogurt and granola or in these apple cinnamon overnight oats
- Swap out the maple syrup for applesauce with waffles, French toast, and pancakes
In other words, enjoy this perfectly spiced applesauce on, with, or in just about everything.
…especially ice cream.
Looking for more delicious apple recipes? Try these reader favorites:
Autumn Rosé Sangria with Apples and Pomegranates
Easy Apple Crisp Recipe (How to Make Apple Crisp)
Have you tried making this Easy Homemade Applesauce Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Homemade Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb apples (approx. 6 medium apples, peeled, cored, quartered and chopped into smaller chunks.)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup white sugar ((optional))
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the peeled, cored, quartered and chopped apples in a large pot. Stir in the 1/2 cup of water, lemon juice, sugar (if using), 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Maintain a low simmer for 30 minutes or until the apples are completely soft and cooked through.
- Once fully cooked, remove from heat. For chunky applesauce, mash the apples directly in the pot using a potato masher. For smooth applesauce, add the apples to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth (if using a blender, work in batches and allow time to cool), or use a hand-held immersion blender and blend directly in the pot.
- This applesauce is delicious served warm or cold.
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(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)
When weighing the apples for the recipe, do you do this before coring, peeling, and chopping? Or is that the weight of the apples once they’ve been prepared? Thanks!
It is the weight of the whole apples before preparing(coring, peeling, chopping) 🙂
Love this recipe! I used apples from our apple tree, no sugar added and it was delicious!
I will be making it again.
Thank you Jessica
Thanks for the delicious feedback Janet 🙂
Very easy recipe to follow and good directions. I added ¼ teaspoon of both nutmeg and ginger and an extra tablespoon of sugar. I think I might have had a little bit more apples then the recipe called for which may be why I felt it needed more sugar.
Thank you for the kind feedback Linae 🙂
I made this with 2 Granny Smith’s, 1 gala and 1 fuju. No added sugar. Added some red apple skin for color and 2 strips of lemon peel. So delicious! Great recipe!
Thank you for the great feedback Chrissy 😀
This was exactly what we needed, and it turned out wonderfully!
Just finish making 2 recipes. Awesome. Thank you for sharing
Ӏ am truly delighted with this recipe 😀
So delicious! I had some apples I needed to use
up and this recipe was perfect. We loved it both warm right off the stove and chilled in the refrigerator!
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 🙂
I just made this and used a food mill so I didn’t have to peel or core the apples. Worked great! Just wondering if I can do a 15 min hot water bath and can this so it will last a long time on my shelf. I know some canning require a certain acidic quality. Thank you!
Thanks Laurie 🙂
For anything canning, I always recommend the following the best canning practices for food 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 🙂