This easy homemade applesauce recipe is ready in 20-25 minutes and all you need… are the APPLES! It’s:
So Naturally Sweet
Perfect For Baking
And A Tasty Light Snack
How To Make This Easy Applesauce
- Wash your apples
- Core them
- Dice them
- Add the chunks of apple to a medium pot
- Pour in ¾ cup fresh water
- Bring to a boil
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- And puree your applesauce for a smoother texture if desired!
Which Apples To Use
Any apples will work! We have not tried Red Delicious apples and some people say to avoid that variety but let us know in the comments if you’ve tried it and what your favourite varieties are!
- The Spruce Eats has a flavour breakdown of a few different varieties here.
- For yellow applesauce our choice is Golden Delicious apples.
- Empire apples with the skins on will give you a pink applesauce!
And each variety will vary slightly in colour, taste, and even cooking time.
Should The Apples Be Peeled
You don’t need to peel your apples for applesauce. We prefer to leave the peel on because:
- It’s quicker
- You retain the added nutrition in the peels
- And after blending we don’t notice the texture of the peels
- Leaving the peel on will colour the applesauce more dramatically. And you will need a blender to get the applesauce to a smoother consistency with no larger pieces of peel.
- If you remove the peel the colour will stay lighter and you can mash the cooked apples into a sauce with just a spoon… no blending required.
Recipe Cost
Local apples are abundant pretty much all year long for us in Ontario so we can usually find apples on sale.
*If your local grocery store has a program or uses an app where food nearing expiry or “ugly” produce is sold at a discounted price check that out! We frequently scoop up apples that way! They are almost always nearly perfect and they are great for making applesauce or freezing for smoothies and our warm cinnamon apples!
- If we make this easy homemade applesauce recipe with discounted apples it will cost us roughly: CAD $2.00 or less for 500ml (2 cups of applesauce). That’s about $0.40/100ml.
- Applesauce purchased from our local grocery store costs us between: CAD $0.46-$0.53/100ml
- And applesauce purchased from our wholesale store costs us: CAD $0.20/100ml
If we make this applesauce:
- With Golden Delicious apples from a 4lb bag at regular price; our cost would be: CAD $2.50 ($0.50/100ml)
- And with apples purchased loose at regular price our cost rises to: CAD $4.98 ($1.00/100ml)
So making applesauce from scratch will always be tasty but the thriftiest option for a homemade applesauce will be scooping up those discounted apples!
Storing Homemade Applesauce
Your tasty homemade applesauce will keep well in the fridge in a sealed container for about 10 days.
If you don’t think you will use it up in time then you can FREEZE IT! My favourite way to freeze applesauce or other purees is to freeze them in silicone muffin cups! I find them to be so much easier and more convenient than freezing the sauce in one big chunk in a freezer bag!
If you don’t have silicone muffin cups a regular ice cube tray works well too! Once frozen, transfer the cubes of applesauce to a freezer bag and that way you can easily scoop whatever portion you want!
Make sure to let us know in the comments below what apples you use and if you keep this easy homemade applesauce recipe just apples… or if you get creative!
Print
25 Minute Just Apples Applesauce
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 500 ml (2 cups) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy homemade applesauce recipe is ready in 20-25 minutes & lets your apples shine! Use in baking or enjoy as a naturally sweet snack!
Ingredients
- 4 apples, cored, diced (and peeled if desired)
- ¾ cup water
- optional: 2 tablespoon cane sugar
- optional: ½ teaspoon cinnamon
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*For yellow applesauce Golden Delicious apples are our favourite. Empire apples will give you pink applesauce! You can also use frozen apples!
- Start by peeling your apples if desired. I don’t bother peeling mine. I blend the sauce down and use it in baking and for snacking but the tiny bit of texture from the peels doesn’t bother me (plus you retain the extra nutrition from the peel). But if you’re making this for young children, prefer a really smooth applesauce, or don’t have access to a blender; peel the apples.
- Core the apples and dice them into smaller pieces.
- Add the apples to a medium saucepan with ¾ cup fresh cold water. Bring to a boil (this happens quickly because there is not much water… the apples will let out more liquid as they cook). Then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes. (If adding cane sugar or cinnamon you can add it now. You can also add a small cinnamon stick while your sauce simmers and remove it when your sauce is done. Try washing your cinnamon stick, drying it out again, and reusing it… there’s usually enough flavour left!)
- I usually check my apples after 8-10 minutes, give them a stir, and check them every couple of minutes after that. The cooking time can vary depending on the variety of apple used.
- Once the apples start softening you can use the back of a wooden spoon to crush them down.
- If you peeled your apples you should be able to completely mash your apples once they have cooked long enough. When the apples are soft enough to be completely mashed into a sauce, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- If you left the peel on, you can blend the sauce into a smoother texture using an immersion blender or a stand up blender.
- Your homemade applesauce should last for one week to 10 days in a sealed container in the fridge. Alternatively, you can try freezing it for longer storage. I like freezing it in silicone muffin cups and then transferring to a freezer bag. A regular ice cube tray works too!
Notes
Cost Comparison: I prefer to use whatever variety of apple I find on sale making the cost usually around CAD $2.00 or less ($.40/100ml). This recipe priced out using apples from a 4lb bag of Golden Delicious would cost us: $2.50 ($0.50/100ml), and buying golden delicious apples loose could cost us up to: $4.98 ($1.00/100ml). Doing a bit of price comparison can help you make the thriftiest applesauce. Store-bought applesauce will cost us roughly $0.46 – 0.53/100ml at our local grocery store and $.20/100ml at our wholesale store.
The colour and taste of your applesauce will vary depending on the variety of apple used.
If your local grocery store has a program or app where you can purchase items near expiry or “ugly” produce, you can check that. We find that apples are very frequently discounted on those apps and there is rarely anything wrong with them. They are perfect for making applesauce or freezing for recipes like our Cinnamon Spice Apple Beet and PB & Chocolate smoothie bowls or our Warm Cinnamon Apples!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
William Zurbrugg
I used red apples and the applesauce came out fine. I use a strainer with a wooden steerer. Peals stay in strainer. I add cinnamon to it. Put in canning pint jars and put in waterbath.
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh great I’m so glad you’re happy with it. Thank you for letting me know and enjoy your applesauce!
Amy
Making your recipe now with Empire apples, cinnamon and a touch of Raw sugar..I’ll let you know how we all will love “the Pink”!!
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh great! I’m looking forward to hearing how you all like it!