One of my favorite things about fall is making homemade applesauce. If you have never tried this before, it is really the simplest thing ever and it tastes delicious!
There are a few methods to making applesauce- you can cook over the stovetop, bake in the oven or pop into your crock pot.
I have made applesauce over the stovetop many times but with two small children underfoot, I tend to prefer recipes that don’t require standing over a stove.
We love applesauce around here so I did two versions. The best part is you can really customize this to your specific tastes. I usually don’t add sugar to my applesauce because the apples are pretty sweet to begin with but you can add orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice, brown sugar… really whatever flavors you love.
This is what I used for easy Crock Pot applesauce- this seriously takes 5 minutes to get into the Crock and then a few hours to cook and then puree and you are done! Probably 10 minutes total of prep time and you have a healthy after school snack for the kiddos or put these in little tupperware containers for lunchbox snacks.
::CROCK POT APPLESAUCE
- Roughly chop about 4 large apples or 6-7 medium size apples. (You can use any variety here but most people prefer sweeter apples like Red Delicious, Fuji, McIntosh etc…) Mixing and matching varieties is ideal.
- Add apples to your crock pot- make sure the crock pot is at least 1/2 way full with apples.
- Mix 1/3 cup apple juice or cider with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl.*
- Pour mixture over apples and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours.
- The apples should be nice and soft.
- Either mash with a potato masher (for chunky) or add to blender/food processor or use immersion blender until smooth.
It really is that simple. I would say this is probably 15 minutes in total prep time between the chopping and blending.
My kids really like this recipe. I usually sprinkle a tiny bit of brown sugar on top when serving but they have no problem eating it plain or heat it up and serve over ice cream!
Most of the good stuff is located in the peel of the apple so I prefer not to peel mine. You can certainly peel the apples if you prefer.
*Here is where you can change things up to your taste. I used apple cider but you can use water instead. You can also add lemon peels or orange peels for a brighter flavor (remove them and toss after cooking), add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla or add about 1/3 cup brown sugar for a nice sweet applesauce.
::DUTCH OVEN APPLESAUCE
This is just as easy as the crock pot method and makes a richer applesauce that is closer to a dessert. Your house is going to smell heavenly if you try this recipe.
- Peel and roughly quarter about 4 large apples or 6-7 medium size apples.
- Add apples to a dutch oven.
- Mix 1/3 cup apple juice or cider or water with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl.
- Pour mixture over apples.
- Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar and sprinkle over the top of the mixture.
- Top with 2-3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
- Cover and bake at 350° for about 60 minutes.
- The apples should be nice and soft.
- Either mash with a potato masher (for chunky) or add to blender/food processor or use immersion blender until smooth.
This is a more decadent version- you can easily omit the butter and brown sugar. This tastes like apple pie in a jar to me and it is really delicious over ice cream.
I used cider so my applesauce is a little darker in color. If you use white sugar and water instead in your applesauce, you will get a more vibrant yellow color.
This is a really great item to just pop into a mason jar and tie a ribbon around for a little gift.
You can keep fresh applesauce in the fridge for about a week or pop them into freezer containers and they will last about 4 months.
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
Copycat Starbucks Hot Chocolate
yum! love the butter idea. I actually did this a few weeks ago but used my electric pressure cooker. I found a recipe that said you dont need to peel the apples because they fall off in the pressure cooker, plus the peels help the flavor and color a bit more. I swear by Frontier’s apple pie spice too–its got lemon peel, a little ginger and other stuff.
MOM,
I haven’t tried a pressure cooker with this recipe. You do get extra fiber though if the peels are on!
I made 2 batches in my pressure cooker. First time, I peeled them–then I read a recipe that said you didnt have too because they pretty much get really soft enough for the immersion blender to get them. So I did the second batch that way. But I prefer a little texture to my applesauce, so I liked that one! Another idea would be to let it go in the crockpot even longer–then you get apple butter. Those would make great gifts as well.
In the fall, I order apples from Azure–I am pretty sure they deliver in Sac (free shipping!). You can get 20lb boxes of organic apples for around $20. If you were doing big batches, that would be an idea. HTH!
sorry, meant Azure Standard!
Thanks so much for this recipe! It worked great. My husband said it melted in his mouth. And you were right — no sugar needed!
Ohhhh this is making me hungry for some applesauce!!! I love making applesauce in my crockpot too, I can’t wait to make some this fall with some freshly picked apples!!! I wish time would hurry up and all this heat and humidity would be gone already!! Your applesauce looks wonderful!!! 🙂
This sounds so good I want to make it this fall! Pinned! I’ll be heading over to your apple butter recipe now 🙂
This is on my to-make list. I’ve never tried it before, so thanks for tips regarding cider vs water.
I’m visiting from the Come Bloom link party. If you’re looking for a new link party, I’d love to have you over at Gingerly Made. The Show & Tell party there runs from Wednesday night – Saturday.
What a great, quick recipe. Pinning to my Fall board! Thanks for linking up to the DIY Inspired Link Party! 🙂
With fall ‘sloooowly’ approaching, homemade applesauce is one of our favorite things to make. Thanks so much for sharing your easy crock pot recipe with Foodie Friends Friday party this weekend. I’ve pinned/shared.
We look forward to seeing you again soon with another delicious recipe.
Joanne
Can the applesauce be canned by hot water bath?
Hi Karen,
Sorry I am not a canner so I can’t say how you would go about doing that. 🙂