Applesauce
Updated Dec. 13, 2023
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:3 cups
- 3pounds apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 2-inch chunks, both tart and sweet varieties like Granny Smith, Gala and Pink Lady
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- 2tablespoons maple syrup, plus more as needed
- ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt (about ⅛ teaspoon)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
206 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 42 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 64 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, combine apples, lemon juice, ½ cup water, maple syrup and cinnamon, cover, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the apples have softened, around 15 minutes. Remove lid and cook for another 5 minutes, until any excess liquid cooks off.
- Step 2
For a chunky sauce, use a potato masher to carefully mash the apples. For a smooth sauce, transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse to your desired consistency. If you like a thinner sauce, add up to ½ cup of water.
- Step 3
Taste and add a bit more maple syrup as necessary. (It will depend on the combination of apples.) Stir in a pinch of kosher salt.
Tip
- To make this applesauce in the Instant Pot, add all the ingredients to the pot, cover, and set the pressure cooker to high. Allow it to come to pressure, let cook for 5 minutes, then immediately release the pressure. Carefully open the lid. Continue with the recipe from Step 2.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Karen in Montreal
Delicious recipe! Already good with the earlier ripening local apples I can get now, will try again in a few weeks with Cortlands, my fave for sauce, with some tarter Macs mixed in. But I recommend, for an apply-er result, starting with not water but butter. Put a couple of tablespoons-full into the bottom of the pan, then the rest. Less liquid means more apple flavour, and the bit of fat really brings up the taste and texture. Bonus if it's salted butter.
dale
If you have a food mill, it is faster/easier to just quarter the apples and throw it all in the pot. The skins will give the applesauce a richer color and flavor, too.
Betty
No need to remove the skin from the apples. Core and cook apples in the same manner and then run them through a Foley Food Mill. The skins add a beautiful color to the sauce.
beth
I always make my applesauce with apple cider instead of water.
KateNYC
There's a recipe by Julia Child for an apple tart (Vol I, Mastering the Art) that includes applesauce as the tart's foundation. Julia adds apricot preserves (1/3 c jam to 8 c apples) to her applesauce as a sweetener (it also adds a bit of color) and it's so delicious that it's led me to do the same to any applesauce I make. Julia also adds Calvados, or rum or cognac, another tempting option. The entire Tarte aux Pommes, is, of course, perfection, but her applesauce recipe is an exquisite bonus.
Simon N .
Yes! The immersion blender works extremely well. I make apple sauce in my Instant Pot and use the stick blender at the end. Much less mess than a food processor and just as smooth! Also lets you have a little more control over how smooth/chunky it ends up.
Brie G.
As this is an already cooked product, canning would be pretty simple. Just make your sauce, jar it in freshly sterilized jars, top with fresh lids lightly screwed on, and process in boiling water for at least 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool on the counter until you hear the "pop" of the lid vacuum sealing and then tightly screw the lids. Anything processed in this manner should remain shelf stable for at least a year. In the fridge, use your best judgment but I would think 2-3 weeks. Enjoy!
redtapegrrl
My go-to applesauce recipe isn't really one, since it's so simple. Cored unpeeled sliced apples, a little water, crock pot. No sugar or other sweetener; apples are sweet enough for me. At very end stir in pumpkin pie spice. Buzz with stick blender or mash with potato masher. Done.
sva
Added the pinch of salt at the get go. Cooked for a little more than 10 minutes. Started with a whisper of syrup and ended up very tart. Added a little more to perfection. Used a few more Granny Smiths as it's being used with potato pancakes.
Kreads
Super easy and quick. Wonderful recipe for freshly picked apples. I also added some nutmeg and cardamom powder. Delish!
Christina
Added 1/2 butter, 1/2 coconut butter in lieu of water as others suggested. I love the subtle taste of coconut butter.
Alessandra
My sauce came out delicious! I made it a bit more difficult than it should’ve because I didn’t wanna peel them apples for extra flavor. So I ended up passing it through a fine mesh strainer after the immersion blender. I couldn’t find any food mills in my area ASAP.
Martie
Wonderful recipe. I double the recipe using as many different kinds of apples I can get (from Nelson County, VA), substitute apple cider for water, don't peel, just core, cut up, in crockpot on high few hours until done. Run thru food mill. Wonderful flavor using grade B/amber maple syrup and apple pie spice.
KatieM
Simple and delicious. I went for a chunky applesauce and mashed with a fork. I used organic Pippin and Gala apples.
NJR
Outstanding and easy Made with gala and granny smiths as directed and left chunky I’ll be making this over and over I put it in a bowl on the table with pomegranate seeds over the top Beautiful as well as tasty
agputnam
As previous comments, food mill with unpeeled apples and cider for liquid. Nice color and flavor
suZq
Freeze in ziplock bags and enjoy until next Apple season!
Chris B
If you have a food mill, you can skip the time-consuming step of peeling. I quarter, cut out core, and cook. The skins stay in the food mill, but give the applesauce a nice pale pink cast.
Jan
re Brig G and canning - lid manufacturers all say do NOT tighten bands after canning.
Jennie
I doubled the recipe, using two Honeycrisps, 4 Fujis and 2 or 3 Sweetangos. I added no water--didn't see it in list of ingredients ;-) --and found it needed twice the maple syrup. The cinnamon flavor was pleasantly (and surprisingly) subtle. I wish I'd read the notes below--adding butter, apricot jam, and cognac sounds amazing. Next time. I make applesauce overnight in my beanpot in a 200-degree oven--a long hands-off bake during which the flavor concentrates.
S Lee Shea
This was fine the 1st time, made with the Light Amber/Golden Delicate maple syrup and a cinnamon stick and left chunky. But it was even better the 2nd time with the Dark Amber/Amber Rich syrup.
Susan
Can this be canned using a water bath?
JB
I find it sweet enough without added maple syrup or sugar
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