Perfect Homemade Applesauce
- PREP 10min
- COOK 35min
- TOTAL 45min
This easy applesauce recipe makes the kitchen smell incredible and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. Use apples that you enjoy eating. We particularly love using crisp, sweet apples when making applesauce and generally do not add any sweetener. If you feel the applesauce needs some extra sweetness, add a sweetener to taste at the end of cooking. We recommend brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
Applesauce made with apples with the peel left on has more color and flavor. I use a food mill fitted with a medium disk to blend the sauce and remove most of the cooked skins for the best texture. Or, you can blend the skins into the sauce if you do not have a food mill. You can also pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the skins. Use peeled apples if you don’t want to go through any of these extra steps.
You Will Need
4 pounds (1.8kg) crisp sweet apples, rinsed, 8 large apples
One 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, or apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 2 whole star anise, optional
Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or other sweetener to taste, optional
Directions
Peel apples (optional, see headnote above). Remove the apple cores and cut apples into large chunks or wedges.
Place the apples, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and star anise into the bottom of a large, heavy pot. Add 1/4 cup of water, then stir the apples around the pot a few times.
Cover the pot with its lid and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft, 25 to 35 minutes. As the apples cook, check to make sure the pot is not dry. If it is, add more water and reduce the heat slightly.
Remove the lid, let the apples cool for a few minutes, and then taste the applesauce. If you would like to add a sweetener, add it to taste. Start with a teaspoon and then add more if needed.
Mash or blend the apples into your desired consistency. If you leave the apple skins on, a food mill fitted with the medium disk quickly separates the applesauce from the skins. You can also pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to separate the skins from the sauce.
The applesauce will thicken as it cools, but if it seems too watery, return it to a pot and simmer until reduced slightly.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Best apples to use: We use apples we enjoy eating, which means that we usually make applesauce with sweet, tart apples like Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji. For the most apple flavor, combine two or three varieties of apples.
- Add more cinnamon: One cinnamon stick adds warmth to the applesauce, but it is not overpowering. If you love cinnamon applesauce, use 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Storing: Store applesauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze applesauce for up to 6 months, possibly longer. We do not have instructions for canning applesauce and recommend that you consult other canning resources for tips.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We omitted sugar in the calculations.