This homemade Applesauce Recipe is simple, easy to prepare, and made with just a few simple ingredients for the perfect fall flavors. Enjoy it warm or chilled, make it chunky or smooth, or use it in so many ways.
I love to use it in my easy carrot cake recipe, on top of crispy potato pancakes, or served alongside savory fried pork chops.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights: Applesauce Recipe
- Flavor: Naturally sweet and lightly spiced with cinnamon, with a fresh apple flavor.
- Why I Love This Recipe: Made with pantry staples and one saucepan, this recipe turns fresh apples into a delicious applesauce. It’s easy to customize and freezes well so you can prep it in big batches too!
- Prep Note: Cut the apples into similar-sized pieces so they soften at the same rate, and mash to your desired consistency. Use a potato masher for a chunkier applesauce or an immersion blender for a smooth sauce.
Cook Time: 45 Mins Yield: 4 cups Cooking Method: Stovetop
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: Use your choice of apples or a combination of a few, such as McIntosh, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, or Cortland. Combine a sweet and tart variety for a fuller, more balanced flavor.
- Water: For a sweeter, more concentrated flavor, replace with apple juice or cider.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweet varieties may need little or no sugar, while tart apples may need a bit more. Replace with brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey. Or omit the sugar for unsweetened applesauce.
- Cinnamon: Swap for Apple pie spice for a more pronounced fall flavor, or sprinkle in a pinch of nutmeg, ginger, or allspice.
How to Make Applesauce
- Peel, core, and chop the apples (full recipe below)
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer.
- Mash the apples with a potato masher or blend until smooth.
Have more apples to use? Turn them into my homemade apple butter for another easy fall favorite
Save It for Later
- Store cooled applesauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freeze applesauce in airtight containers for up to 4 months. Freeze it in half-cup or 1-cup portions (I love using these souper cubes) so you can take out just the amount you need.
Best Ways to Use Apples
Did you enjoy this Applesauce Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Equipment
- Potato Masher or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 pounds apples peeled, cored, and chopped, about 6 medium
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or to taste*
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover.
- Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until apples are very tender. Remove lid and simmer an additional 5 minutes to thicken.
- Mash apples with a masher for a chunky consistency or blend/puree with an immersion blender for a smooth consistency.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
looking fwd to having applesauce for a snack with coffee…just before game time!
Thank you for this recipe. This is so simple and delicious. My granddaughter loves it. So its a must have when she visits. Also love your book. So many terrific recipes. Haven’t had a bad one yet.
oh my word! This turned out better than I could’ve dreamed! Even my picky eater loves it!! I will be making this time and time again for every occasion and then some.
Excellent! Note that you don’t to peel the apples if using a food mill, and if using red-skinned varieties, the applesauce ends up with a lovely pink hue to it. Just wash, core, and cook as described in the recipe.
Absolutely perfect.
Used apple cider for the liquid. For the sugar I used equal portions of white granulated and light brown sugar. Mashed it with a potato masher.
Best apple sauce every! So much better than store bought. Family can’t get enough of it.
Thanks for the recipe!
What a beautiful recipe! Tastes like Indian summer to me. I particularly like this sauce with savory pancakes.
Thank you for the idea to cook it in the slow cooker!! It was better cooked there than on the stove for me. I’ve used this recipe multiple times on the stove and loved it. I needed my stove top and used the slow cooker for 3 hrs as you said. It just really seemed to cook the apples better and my masher was able to make much smaller chunks. Anyhow, thank you again for the recipe.
I made this last night because the store did not have the apple sauce that my mum likes. It was beyond good! Because we watch our sugar intake I decided to not add any additional sugar and was still delicious. I was a little worried about it not being enough cinnamon so I heaped the 1/2 tsp and then added a little fresh grated nutmeg. Everyone love it, taste soooo good, the only downfall now is this is the only apple sauce mum wants lol!
How long does it stay good in the fridge?
Homemade applesauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.
I doubled the recipe and used 6 Honey crisp and 6 Cosmic Crisps. I doubled the cinnamon and added a little nutmeg. After softening the apples as per the recipe, I used a food processor on puree to make it smooth.
Holy cow was this great! Best applesauce I’ve ever had. Super easy recipe.
I might try half white and half brown sugar next time to see how that turns out.
So happy you loved it, Michael!
Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe. This applesauce totally enhances our potato latkes and made our festive holiday ever brighter and sweeter.
You’re welcome, Susan! So happy you love this recipe :)
It says 4 servings. How big is a serving?
This recipe makes 4 cups total.
How many servings does this recipe usually yield? I’m hoping to take some to a large party and want to know if I need to double or even triple it.
This recipe makes 4 cups total.
This is a simple and great recipe. I made this and it was almost gone instantly!
Thanks for leaving a comment, Sean! So glad you enjoyed it :)
This is such a great recipe for using up extra or leftover apples! Every year, we buy a box of “seconds” from a local orchard to use for butter and sauce. I had a LOT this year, so I figured I’d can some big jars of sauce. This recipe is simple and easy to follow, allows for a lot of creativity with the ingredients, or sticking to the original, because either way you’re going to end up with a delicious homemade result! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent apple sauce!! I put it in a jar in the fridge and will enjoy it as a side quite a few times! Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you so much for the recipe, easy and cheap❤️
I always add a hint of nutmeg to my applesauce and we use a food mill or potato ricer to finish the sauce so that we don’t need to peel, core, or seed the apples.
Also, you can make it in the instant pot as well by pressure-cooking for 3 minutes and then using the saute feature to get it to the desired consistency. I prefer the stove though because the instant pot can splatter.
Thank you for sharing your tips Michelle!
Excellent tip about using the food mill! Made the process easy as pie, well, applesauce.
I made this last weekend to go with pork chops (come on!) I had to. My family loved it. It was so easy to make, once all the apples were peeled by hand (not the best). But I have made it again this weekend and know it will be a steady in my house!!! Highly recommend.