How to Make Applesauce
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(69)
Ingredients
4 cups
- 1 ½ pounds Gala apples (or any other variety of sweet red apple, about 4 medium)
- 1 ½ pounds Granny Smith apples (or Golden Delicious, about 4 medium)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, more to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
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Preparation
Step 1
Peel, core and chop the apples into 2″ chunks. In a medium Dutch oven or large stainless steel saucepan, combine the apple chunks, water, maple syrup and cinnamon. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender and falling apart, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2
Remove the pot from the heat. For chunky applesauce, use a potato masher or the back of a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to break it up to your desired consistency. For smooth applesauce, blend it in your food processor.
Step 3
Stir in the vinegar. Adjust to taste as necessary—for sweeter applesauce, stir in more maple syrup (I usually add 2 tablespoons); for more spice, add more cinnamon; for more complexity, add another teaspoon of vinegar.
Step 4
Serve warm or chilled; let it cool to room temperature before covering leftover applesauce and storing it in the fridge. Leftover applesauce will keep well in the refrigerator for about 1 week, or for months in the freezer.
Step 5
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Chef's notes
Recipe adapted from the applesauce in my cookbook's apple crisp breakfast parfaits.
Why buy organic? Apples are #4 on the Dirty Dozen list, meaning that conventionally grown apples are generally high in pesticide residues.
Make it vegan:
Use maple syrup, not honey.
Make it sugar free:
Just omit the maple syrup for unsweetened applesauce.
Canning applesauce:
From what I’ve read, applesauce is inherently safe to can in a water bath due to apple’s high acidity and sugar content. That said, this recipe has not been validated for safety. Here’s a canned applesauce recipe and applesauce FAQ’s from my friend Marisa.
