Easy Homemade Applesauce

This easy homemade applesauce recipe is smooth, sweet and delicious! With only three ingredients, this applesauce is quick to make and is a great healthy snack or side dish.

 

Why We Love Homemade Applesauce

• 3 Ingredients– You only need three simple ingredients to make this super simple recipe. This easy applesauce recipe is the best for apple season!
• Great For Kids To Help– This recipe is a great recipe to make with kids together, and they love eating it too!
• Make A Little Or A Lot– This recipe can easily be multiplied if you have a lot of apples.

Ingredients For Homemade Applesauce

• apples peeled, cored and diced, I used McIntosh
• apple juice– can also use a half cup of water
• granulated sugar
• cinnamon ground, optional

How To Make Homemade Applesauce

1. Peel and core apples. Chop apples into one-inch pieces.
2. Combine apples, apple juice and sugar into a medium saucepan or large pot. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.

3. Cover the pan and reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the apples are soft.

4. Allow the hot applesauce to cool. Transfer the apple mixture to a blender or food processor until you reach your desired consistency. You can also use an immersion blender to blend the applesauce right in the pan while still warm for a smooth applesauce. For a chunky applesauce, use a potato masher. Blend until the mixture until smooth. Add cinnamon if desired, then enjoy!

Substitutions And Variations

• Swap The Sugar– You can swap brown sugar, honey, or other sweetener alternatives in this recipe. Depending on the sweetener you choose, you may need more or less of it than this recipe calls for so you will need to taste. You can also easily leave the sweetener out and sweeten the applesauce at the table with honey.
• Swap The Apple Juice– Swap the apple juice with apple cider, or use water if you don’t have apple juice.
• Mix And Match Apple Varieties– You can mix and match sweet and tart apples to make your own favorite applesauce blend! See below for more info about the best types of apples to use for applesauce.

What Kind Of Apples Should I Use?

Not all apples make a great applesauce. Some apples are delicious when cooked, while other apples produce a grittier texture when made into applesauce. The type of apple you pick can make a difference.

Some varieties of apples are also sweeter than others. I often will use a mix of apples that are sweet and tart in the same batch of applesauce to make a blend.

Here is a list of apples that make delicious applesauce both in taste and texture.

Sweet Apples For Applesauce

These sweeter apples can be used on their own or paired with the moderate and tarter apples.

• Honey Crisp Apples
• Fuji Apples
• Golden Delicious Apples
• Crispin Apples – Also known as Mutsu apples

Moderately Sweet Apples For Applesauce

These moderate apples can be used on their own or paired with the sweeter apples unless you like a more tart applesauce.

• McIntosh Apples
• Granny Smith Apples
• Jonagold Apples
• Jonamac Apples (harder to find)
• Gravenstein Apples (harder to find)

Tart Apples For Applesauce

If you use a tart apple alone, you may need to add a little more sugar to the recipe to taste or mix with sweeter apples.

• Cortland Apples
• Jonathan Apples
• Ida Red Apples
• Braeburn Apples
• Liberty Apples
• Rome Apples

Can I Make Applesauce Sugar Free?

Apples naturally have sugar, so you can’t make applesauce completely sugar-free. You can make applesauce without any added sugar. You’ll need to use just apples and water instead of apple juice, then don’t add the sugar listed in the recipe.

I recommend if making this applesauce into a no sugar added version, you use apples from the sweeter side of the list of apples. (See the list of types of apples above.) Adding a little cinnamon can also help balance a no sugar added applesauce.

Can I Freeze Applesauce?

Yes, you can freeze homemade applesauce. Add to strong freezer bags. If freezing in glass or freezer-safe containers, make sure to leave at least an extra inch or two of empty space at the top to allow for the applesauce to expand safely as it freezes.

Can I Make This Applesauce In The Slowcooker?

Yes, you can make this applesauce in the slow cooker, but I recommend tripling the recipe. Expect to cook the apples on high for three to four hours or until the apples are soft.

How Do I Can Homemade Applesauce?

Homemade applesauce can be canned using a water bath method, which doesn’t require as much special equipment. Find more information about how to can applesauce here.

How Long Does Homemade Applesauce Last?

Store homemade applesauce in the refrigerator for up to a week in a covered, airtight container.