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This classic homemade Applesauce Recipe is super easy to make and can last for a long time by freezing or canning (we included instructions for both). The sugar is optional depending on the sweetness of your apples, too.
Nothing feels like fall more than when the annual apple harvest is ready to pick. Apple enthusiasts everywhere bust out their flannel and venture out into the cold, their cheeks rosy, their breath on the air, frost crunching under their booted heels. They pick apples by the bushel and then return home to celebrate. Many will inevitably make applesauce for it’s pure apple flavor.
I love applesauce because it’s easy to make and it freezes or cans beautifully. You can control the mixture of apples, the texture of the sauce, and the overall sweetness. It makes a great snack for kids, a stand-alone side dish, a dipping sauce for potato pancakes and pork chops, or a topping for pancakes, waffles, oats, yogurt, and vanilla ice cream.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Apples: For the smoothest possible applesauce, peel your apples. For a pinkish hue, add a few large pieces of red apple peel to the pot while simmering (and remove them after cooking). While some cooks insist on using soft apples, I’ve found that a mix of tart and sweet apples, regardless of firmness, make the best-tasting applesauce.
- Tart: Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Jazz, Braeburn
- Tart/sweet: McIntosh, Piñata, Honeycrisp, Macoun, Opal
- Sweet: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Gala, Fuji
- Water: The purpose of the water is to keep the apples from sticking to the pan.
- Sugar: Add white sugar according to your personal taste and considering the varieties of apples you used (i.e., sweeter apples may require less sugar). It’s okay to omit the sugar entirely, too, or to substitute your favorite sweetener such as brown sugar.
- Lemon juice: This is required if you are canning the applesauce (instructions below). It doesn’t taste lemony but just ensures the sauce is acidic enough to be safe for canning. If you are not canning the applesauce, you can omit the lemon juice or substitute apple cider vinegar.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the apples with enough water to prevent the apples from sticking (I use about a cup). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce to medium heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to break down and become tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Blend the mixture in a food processor or with an immersion blender, working in batches, and puree until smooth. For a more rustic texture, mash with a potato masher.
- Return the mixture to the pan, stir in sugar (optional, to taste) and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
- Season to taste with extra sugar if desired.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This homemade Applesauce Recipe makes 8 cups of applesauce which fills 1 quart jar or 2 pint jars.
- Storage: Store homemade applesauce in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.
- Freezer: Pack cooled applesauce into freezer-safe containers (I like glass Mason jars with plastic lids), leaving 1/2-inch headspace for expansion. Label, date, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Cinnamon applesauce: Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon OR two 3-inch cinnamon sticks to the pot. Remove cinnamon sticks before mashing.
- Cranberry applesauce: Cook and puree 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries with the apples. Add a pinch of nutmeg if desired.
- Ginger applesauce: Cook 3 (1-inch) smashed ginger slices with the apples and remove before pureeing.
- Crockpot applesauce: Combine apples and water in the bottom of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the apples have softened, stirring occasionally. Mash to your desired consistency and add sugar to taste.
- Applesauce cake: Use applesauce in place of oil in many cakes and brownies.
- Canning: Lemon juice is required if you plan to can your applesauce.
- Prepare the applesauce according to the recipe. After seasoning to taste with sugar, maintain a gentle boil over low heat while filling jars.
- Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars and leave 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe rim. Center lid on jar and screw down band until resistance is met. Increase to finger-tight.
- Place jars in canner, ensuring they are covered with water. Bring to boil and process both pint (500 mL) and quart (1L) jars for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tart: Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Jazz, Braeburn,
Tart/sweet: McIntosh, Piñata, Honeycrisp, Macoun, Opal
Sweet: Red Delicious, Gold Delicious, Jonagold, Gala, Fuji
Peeling apples for applesauce is a personal preference. Apple peels contain vitamin C so you could leave the peels on to get more benefit. For the smoothest possible applesauce, peel your apples.
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Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 pounds apples peeled, cored, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (see note 1)
- 1 cup water plus more if needed (see note 2)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar optional, or more or less to taste (see note 3)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice required for canning, (see note 4)
Instructions
To make the applesauce:
- In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine the apples with enough water to prevent the apples from sticking (I use about a cup). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to break down and become tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- Process the mixture in a food processor, working in batches, and puree until smooth.
- Return the mixture to the pan, add sugar (optional, to taste) and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Season to taste with extra sugar if desired.
To can the applesauce:
- Prepare canner jars and lids.
- After returning the mixture to the pan and bringing to a boil in step 3, reduce heat to low. Maintain a gentle boil while filling jars, leaving a ½ inch air gap to the top of the jar.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Apples: For the smoothest possible applesauce, peel your apples. For a pinkish hue, add a few large pieces of red apple peel to the pot while simmering (and remove them after cooking). While some cooks insist on using soft apples, I’ve found that a mix of tart and sweet apples, regardless of firmness, make the best-tasting applesauce.
- Water: The purpose of the water is to keep the apples from sticking to the pan.
- Sugar: Add sugar according to your personal taste and considering the varieties of apples you used (i.e., sweeter apples may require less sugar). It’s okay to omit the sugar entirely, too.
- Lemon juice: This is required if you are canning the applesauce (instructions below). It doesn’t taste lemony but just ensures the sauce is acidic enough to be safe for canning. If you are not canning the applesauce, you can omit the lemon juice.
- Yield: This homemade Applesauce Recipe makes 8 cups of applesauce which fills 1 quart jar or 2 pint jars.
- Storage: Store homemade applesauce in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Please clarify: since there are 2 pints in a quart, can you explain how this amount makes 1 quart or 4 pints? Thank you!
Hi Lori, thanks for pointing that out. It’s a typing error. I’ve updated it in the post. Thanks again! I hope you love this applesauce! – Meggan
If canning, figure on using 1 & 1/3 pounds (605g) of apples per pint of sauce. Keep in mind, waste all depends on coring how and if you peel them. If I recall correctly, my grandmother never peeled her apples because she used a manual food mill. This eliminated a step and added more flavor and pectin to the finished sauce.
Best recipe ever!