Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce is perfect for baking or a side dish. This applesauce recipe uses apples, water, and cinnamon if you’d like. It’s super simple and so much better than storebought applesauce.
Why you’ll love this recipe: If you just went apple picking and need to use up those apples or you love applesauce you’ll love this recipe. It’s great to enjoy on its own or perfect in your favorite baking recipes.
BEST APPLES FOR APPLESAUCE
You can use any apple for applesauce, but we find that if you want to make it unsweetened the best is a combo of Golden Delicious and Fuji!
Our top picks for the best apples for applesauce are McIntosh Apples, Gala Apples, Golden Delicious Apples, Cortland, Jonagold, or Fuji Apples.
STOVE TOP OR SLOW COOKER APPLESAUCE
You can make crockpot applesauce, instant pot applesauce, or good old-fashioned stovetop applesauce. For the slow cooker, we cook the apples for 4 hours on high. We find that the stovetop method is much quicker.
HOW TO MAKE UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE
- Wash apples to remove any dirt or wax. Peel the apples if desired.
- Place the apples into a large pot with water and cook apples and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until they can be easily mashed with a fork.
- Use a potato masher, immersion blender, food processer or blender to puree into applesauce.
- Serve or allow cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE
Allow the applesauce to cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes then pour the applesauce into containers and refrigerate for up to 1 week. You can also freeze homemade applesauce in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months.
Recipe Tips:
- You can peel the apples or leave the peel on for extra nutrition, especially if they’re organic.
- Use a blend of apples for more flavor.
- Add in your favorite spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, etc.
- This is perfect for the lunch box! Use small mason jars for the best portion sizes on the go.
FAQs
Yes, you can freeze homemade applesauce in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months.
Some like to add peaches, nectarines, or berries. You can add this while cooking. For softer fruits and berries we suggest adding about 5-10 minutes after apples are already cooking as they break down more quickly.
Lemon is typically used to prevent oxidation, so it’s optional.
MORE APPLE RECIPES
Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 apples
- 1/2 cup water
- cinnamon if desired
Instructions
- Wash apples to remove any dirt or wax. Peel the apples if desired.
- Place the apples into a large pot with water and cook apples and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until they can be easily mashed with a fork.
- Use an immersion blender, food processer or blender to puree into applesauce. If you peeled apples you could also use a potato masher.
- Serve right away or allow cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
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