Nothing compares to fresh, homemade applesauce. You can freeze it, freeze it, leave it unsweetened, or add some extras to make things sweeter. Enjoy warmth immediately from the stove. Or save it later. Our recipes and tips provide everything you need to make this classic, homemade treat that everyone loves.
For the best apples, try the delicious Apple Crumble and homemade apple butter.
Why our recipes
Everything you need to know to make your homemade applesauce, including slow cookers and instant pot options. We use a variety of apples to perfect the tart and sweet balance. Optional add-ins can be used to create applesauce with a flavor like cinnamon, or to treat dessert-style applesauce.
This nostalgic recipe is the perfect sweet treat that your kids will love after-school snacks. Sweet and Cinnamony’s Apple Sauce makes us feel like kids again, but it is also very versatile and can be used in many other recipes. This fresh, homemade applesauce is perfectly paired with morning oatmeal or yogurt. Instead of oil or butter, you can also add cake batters and homemade breads to create very moist and flavorful baked goods.
Ingredient Notes
Apples: Use versatility for a balanced blend. This recipe is also a great way to run out of damaged apples. Lemon Juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste the best flavor. Bottles of lemon juice are available, but it does not have a bright flavor. Brown Sugar: Dark brown sugar gives dark brown sugar a deeper flavor, but thick sugar works. Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract gives the best flavor, but imitation also works. Ground Cinnamon: Use high quality cinnamon for best results. Cinnamon Stick: Don’t skip this step! This infuses the apple with a flavour while cooking.
Best apple to use
You can always use the apples you have at hand, but the best applesauce comes from a mixture of multiple types of apples, rather than relying on diversity. The best apples to use in making applesauce are Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji and Jonathan apples.
Sweet Apples: Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, Honey Sup, Macintosh
Tart apples: Granny Smith, Bravern, Jonathan, Pink Lady
Balanced Mix: We recommend using both sweet and tart apple mixes.
If you prefer naturally sweet applesauce, lean towards Fuji or Gala. If you like small chili peppers, balance it with Granny Smith or Bleburn. Macintosh apples are extremely tender and perfect for smooth apple sosis, while the honey crisp and pink women retain a little more of a chunky style texture.
Make your flavor perfect
Homemade AppleSauce will help you to make exactly how you like it. Stick to our neutral base and keep it naturally sweet or play with some of the other options. I’ll introduce two in the recipe, but there are more good points about applesauce.
Sweeted AppleSauce: There is an option to add brown sugar. Alternatively, alternative sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar can be used. You can always start with 1-2 tablespoons and then increase based on your personal sweet teeth.
Rich and dessert: Provides the option to add brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and small vanilla extracts for an absolutely heavenly dessert-like apple sauce.
Pear or Strawberry Blend: Can’t you resist fruity flavors at a grocery store? Add fruit and make your own. You can exchange half of the apples for ripe pears. For strawberry blends, add 1 cup of chopped strawberries for the final 10 minutes of cooking. The same concept works for other berries too.
Applesauce with Spices: Cinnamon adds classic spices to applesauce. Have them make a base with cinnamon sticks for a subtle infusion of flavor. If you want to add more spices, you can add ground cinnamon. But wait, there’s more! A pinch of 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and ground cloves can make it a stronger spice. Or, fully celebrate fall with up to one pumpkin spice mix.
Smooth or thick
Control the texture to make it smooth or thick as you like. It’s homemade beauty! For those who like the thick side, breaking the apple using a potato masher will give you a super soft chunk all over, or blend it slightly using a hand mixer. For a smooth applesauce, blend everything directly into the pot using an immersion blender or transfer cooked apples to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot
Instead of placing the apples in a pot on the stove, place the apples (along with water, lemon juice, and cinnamon sticks) in either a slow cooker or an instant pot. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
For slow cookers, add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for 3-4 hours. Then puree according to the instructions.
canning
This applesauce can be absolutely canned according to safe canning procedures. It’s all about science. Apples are naturally acidic, but the exact pH varies depending on the variety and you need to safely add acid. Add 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per 1 cup of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid in a bottle.
When the applesauce is hot and ready, ladle in a sterile jar and leave ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rim cleanly, secure the lid, and treat in a pint jar for 15 minutes in a boiling water bottle and in a quart jar for 20 minutes. After treatment, let the jar cool to room temperature and store in a cool, dark place. Properly canned applesauce lasts up to a year.
Storage and reheating procedure
Place leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze, wait until it cools before placing it in a quart or gallon size freezer bag. Place applesauce in the freezer and store for up to 2 months. Once thawed, do not refreeze the applesauce.
It is reheated on the stove with a medium low heat.
Reheat in a microwave in 30 seconds increments and stir between each for uniform heating.
