It’s apple-picking season around here, which means it’s the perfect time to make some homemade applesauce. I have loved applesauce since I was a little kid and was shocked when I figured out how easy it is to make your own at home. You just add all your ingredients to a big pot, cook it down, and then blend it up. I even found a way to reduce how much time it takes to prep the apples (it’s this peeler on Amazon).
This applesauce tastes like autumn in a bowl, combining fresh apples with the warm spice of cinnamon and the extra sweetness of brown sugar and maple syrup. (Although you can leave out the cinnamon if you’re an applesauce purist.) I’m using Honey Crisp apples we grow here at home for this recipe, but feel free to substitute them with your favorite variety.
Without further ado, let’s get into this easy recipe for homemade applesauce!
RECIPE: The Best Homemade Applesauce
Ingredients:
- 6 lbs. of apples
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Instructions:
1. Core, peel, and slice your apples into eight pieces. Afterward, you should have approximately 55-60 oz. of apple slices. (See Note 1)
Little tip- If you want to make peeling apples much easier, grab this peeler from Amazon. It will save you a ton of time and significantly reduce the amount of waste from peeling. Just look at the video below to see how easy it is to use.
2. In a large pot, mix together all ingredients and cook over medium heat for a total of 25 minutes. For the first 15 minutes, cover the apples and stir occasionally. For the last 10 minutes of your cooking time, remove the lid and stir more and more frequently. During the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, I recommend constantly stirring the apple mixture from the bottom so as to not scorch it.
3. Using a blender or food processor, carefully blend your cooked apple mixture until it reaches the consistency/smoothness you like. Do not fill your blender/food processor too full- split the apple mixture into a couple batches instead.
4. Pour your applesauce into mason jars or other containers and store in the fridge. Enjoy!
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen:
1. Depending on the size of your apples, this recipe will make approximately 3 pints of applesauce. Please remember that the apples cook down quite a bit. While 6 lbs. of apples may sound like a lot, they cook down into a reasonable amount of applesauce, especially once you peel, core, and remove any rotten spots from the apples.
2. If you like your applesauce to be more runny (or saucy if you will) then I recommend increasing the liquid in the recipe using apple juice.
Have you tried this homemade applesauce?
If you have, let me know how you like it down below. If you’re looking for another dish using fresh fall produce, check out this double chocolate zucchini cake that is always a hit in our household.
Pin the image below to come back to this applesauce recipe later.
