It’s easy to make your own applesauce for a delicious fall treat that you’ll love to eat all season long.
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Looking for easy recipes using fresh apples? This post is all about how to make homemade applesauce.
There’s no better way to embrace the fall season than by making your own applesauce using fresh apples. Once you find out how easy it is to make homemade applesauce, you’ll want to make it often.
Whether you’ve just come back from picking apples at a local orchard or have gathered a bunch of apples at the local farmer’s market, turning those apples into homemade applesauce is an easy and satisfying way to capture the flavors of fall
In this post, we’ll explore how to make a batch of applesauce that’s bursting with great flavor, including tips on the best apples for making applesauce and different flavors that you can add to homemade applesauce to make it taste even more delicious.
In This Post:
- Why Make Homemade Applesauce
- Homemade Applesauce Ingredients
- Best Apples for Making Applesauce
- How to Make Homemade Applesauce
- Storing Homemade Applesauce
- Applesauce Serving Suggestions
- Recipe: Homemade Applesauce
Why Make Homemade Applesauce?
Making homemade applesauce is one of those simple joys that can elevate your fall experience. It’s one of those things that gives “fall vibes” to the season.
First off, making your own homemade applesauce all about the freshness. When you start with amazing, fresh apples you can taste the difference compared to the store bought version.
Plus, you get to control the sweetness, texture, and spices, so it’s exactly how you like it. You can add sugar, or leave it out. Or add a small amount of cinnamon to spice up the apples. It’s all up to you.
There’s also something super satisfying about taking a bunch of fresh apples and turning them into something delicious, especially when the whole process makes your kitchen smell like a cozy fall day. And let’s be real, it’s a perfect way to use up all those apples that you couldn’t resist bringing home from your latest orchard trip!
Homemade Applesauce Ingredients
Here’s a list of the ingredients that are needed to make homemade applesauce. These simple ingredients come together to make a deliciously fresh applesauce that’s perfect for fall!
- Apples (3 pounds). A batch of fresh apples is the star of the show when it comes to making homemade applesauce. For a rich and unique flavor, mix sweet and tart apple varieties like Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, and McIntosh to get that perfect balance of flavors. Fresh, juicy apples are what make the sauce taste amazing, and fall is the best time to get them.
- Water (½ cup). Add a little water goes into the pot to help the apples cook down. The water helps to keep things from sticking, and it also helps the apples soften up nicely.
- Sugar (2 to 4 tablespoons, optional). Depending on the sweetness of the apples, you can add a small amount of sugar—or leave it out completely. It’s totally up to your taste, and sometimes you can skip adding sugar altogether if the apples are sweet enough on their own.
- Ground Cinnamon (½ teaspoon, optional). Cinnamon is a go to spice for adding classic fall flavor. A small amount of ground cinnamon adds warmth and a cozy aroma that makes the applesauce taste extra special.
- Lemon Juice (1 tablespoon, optional). Add some lemon juice to brighten up the flavor and help keep the applesauce from turning brown. Lemon juice is not necessary, but it adds a nice tangy flavor to homemade applesauce that complements and balances out the sweetness.
What Are the Best Apples to Use to Make Applesauce?
When it comes to making applesauce, the best apples to use are the ones that bring a mix of sweetness and tartness to the applesauce, createing that perfect balanced flavor.
Use a combination of varieties like Fuji or Gala for their natural sweetness, and Granny Smith or McIntosh for a little tang, to make a rich applesauce that’s full of flavor.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try mixing in some Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples—they add a crisp, bright flavor that’s hard to beat. The beauty of homemade applesauce is that you can customize it by trying different combinations of apples until you find your favorite blend.
How to Make Homemade Applesauce
If you love diving into fall recipes, then making homemade applesauce is one of the best ways to celebrate the autumn season. The process of making applesauce is simple, and it fills your kitchen with that warm, cozy apple cinnamon aroma.
To start, grab a bunch of apples—about six to eight, or about 3 pounds of apples. Try to go for a mix of sweet and tart varieties, like sweet Fuji apples and tart Granny Smith apples, to get a wonderful perfect balance of flavors.
Peel and core the apples, before slicing them into small pieces. Place the sliced apples into a large pot with a little water, about half a cup, to help them cook down.
Bring the apples to a boil, and then let them simmer on low for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once the apples are soft and starting to break apart, then decide on the texture that you want for your applesauce.
If you like for applesauce to be chunky and rustic, then mash the apples with a potato masher right in the pot. But if you want a smoother sauce, the let the apples cool and transfer the apples to a blender where you can blend them until the sauce nice and smooth.
Once the apples are cooked, it’s time to add any sweetener or flavor that you like—usually a little sugar if the apples need it, or a dash of ground cinnamon for classic fall flavor. You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up.
Once the applesauce cools, scoop it into food jars or food storage containers, and just like that, you have a homemade treat that’s perfect on its own, as a pancake topping, or even mixed into oatmeal.
How to Store Homemade Applesauce
Here are some tips on how to store delicious and fresh homemade applesauce. Once the applesauce has cooled down, spoon it into clean, airtight jars or containers. If you’re planning to use the applesauce within a few days, then you can pop it in the fridge where it stays fresh and delicious for up to 3 days.
But if you make a big batch, then you can freeze applesauce in smaller portions. Place the chilled applesauce in a freezer safe food container. Be sure to leave a little room at the top of the container since applesauce expands when frozen.
In many instances, applesauce can be frozen for up to 6 months. Place the freezer container in the refrigerator overnight to thaw out the applesauce.
What to Serve with Applesauce
There are so many fun and tasty ways to enjoy homemade applesauce that it’s almost always have some on hand during the fall. One of the best ways to serve homemade applesauce is to serve it warm, straight out of the pot, with a sprinkle of extra cinnamon—it’s like having a hug in a bowl.
Homemade applesauce also amazing when spooned over warm pancakes or waffles, adding a fruity twist to breakfast. If you’re into baking, try using applesauce as a substitute for oil or butter in muffins or quick breads—it makes them super moist and adds a subtle apple flavor.
And let’s not forget the classics: applesauce is perfect as a side dish with roast pork or chicken, or just as a simple, healthy snack on its own. You can even stir it into yogurt or oatmeal to add a little extra sweetness and flavor. When it comes to cooking with applesauce, the possibilities are endless!
Recipe: Homemade Applesauce
Here is a basic homemade applesauce recipe that is easy to make with only two ingredients—apples and water—or with more ingredients, if you want to get creative. Enjoy fresh homemade applesauce as a snack, as a topping for pancakes or waffles, or as a side dish for classic foods like roasted pork and chicken.
Homemade Applesauce
Ingredients
- 3 pounds (about 6 to 8 large apples), any variety
- ½ cup water
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop the apples into small pieces. You can leave the skins on if you prefer a more rustic applesauce that is chunkier.
- Add the chopped apples and water to a large pot. Cover the pot and bring the ingredients to a boil over medium heat.
- Once the apples and water start to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and start to break down easily. Remove the pot from heat.
- Now mash or blend the apples. For a chunkier applesauce: use a potato masher to mash the apples in the pot. For a smoother applesauce: let the apples cool, and then transfer them to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend the apples.
- Stir in the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice (optional), adjusting the ingredients to taste.
- Let the applesauce cool to room temperature. Once the applesauce has cooled, transfer it to food jars or airtight food storage containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
This post was all about how to make homemade applesauce.
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