Introduction: Easy Applesauce
In this Instructable, I will show you how to make applesauce at home. This easy amazing homemade applesauce recipe comes together in under 45 minutes or so. Serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream serve it chilled by itself, or use it in other dishes like applesauce muffins. If you love applesauce you have got to try this applesauce from scratch. If I can do it, you can do it. Let's get started!
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Follow the easy steps below or watch the tutorial video or do both. :)
Step 1: Ingredients and Tools
You may print the recipe here if you like.
Ingredients:
- 6 medium to large apples (Gala, Granny Smith, Washington, etc.)
- 1/2 cup water (118ml)
- 1/3 cup sugar (68g) (You may use less if you want)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (3g) (optional)
Tools:
- Apple corer/peeler (optional)
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large pot with lid
- Potato masher, fork, or immersion blender
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Step 2: Combine the Ingredients
Wash, peel, and core the apples. Then cut them up into chunks. Place the apples in a large pot. Pour in the water, sugar, and cinnamon. You can leave the cinnamon out if you don't like cinnamon, and reduce the amount of sugar if you want it less sweet. Although I recommend making it like this the first time.
Step 3: Heat the Apples
Place the pot on the stovetop and set the heat to medium-high. Stir occasionally and bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low and put the lid on the pot. Allow it to cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the apples get really soft. Some of them may look a little translucent even. Then remove them from the heat.
Step 4: Mash, Mash, Mash
Let the apples cool for about 5 minutes and then go to work mashing them. You can use a fork or a potato masher works really well, that is my favorite tool to use. Or if you want it super smooth use an immersion blender or a food processor or blender. It may be too much for the food processor so divide it in half if you are going to use that, and do it in two stages.
Serve it warm with ice cream, chilled, or use it in baking recipes like these homemade applesauce muffins. Enjoy!
Step 5: How to Store Applesauce
Allow the applesauce to cool completely and then you can store it in a mason jar with a lid, or an airtight container with a lid, and place it in the fridge for a few weeks, or even freeze it for longer storage.
Step 6: Video Tutorial
Now watch those steps in action with this video tutorial. :)
17 Comments
3 years ago
When my son was a baby I made applesauce for him. Once a week I'd peel, chop, and puree about eight apples, then freeze it in ice cube trays (since an ice cube was about his serving size). Didn't add any water or sugar, but sometimes I'd use a tiny touch of cinnamon.
Reply 3 years ago
Cool!
3 years ago
Could this be made with pears vs. apples?
Reply 3 years ago
Yes! Pears tend to have a little higher water content, so you may want to reduce the amount of extra water added by a few tablespoons. It really doesn't matter however, because if you have extra water it will just take a bit longer. :)
3 years ago
There are lots of ways to make this easier. You can get a gadget that peels and cores the apples easily. Or you can just quarter the apples without peeling them, cook them, and then run them through a 'Victorio' type strainer with an auger inside a cylindrical screen. It takes out peels, seeds, stems and anything else solid. A MUST HAVE! If you cook the apples with red peels, the applesauce will be a beautiful marbled pink!
One of the hardest things about making applesauce is keeping it from browning. Chilling the apples before hand and chilling the cut apples in ice water with lemon juice or citric acid and some sugar helps a lot. The amount of sugar and acidity in the apples also matters.
Reply 3 years ago
Yes, I have listed an apple/corer peeler listed in the tools. :) And if you have a strainer you can certainly use that. But this method uses fewer gadgets and is more of a traditional way to make it. For people who aren't kitchen gadget collectors. :)
Reply 3 years ago
My mom used a Foley Food Mill to make apple sauce. I still do. Follow the recipe but do not peel or core. Cook 'em, run 'em through the mill, enjoy!
3 years ago on Step 4
spoon apple sauce into individual ramekins, top with teaspoon of brown sugar and broil to melt sugar
Reply 3 years ago
Sounds yummy!
3 years ago on Introduction
A number of years ago my wife visited her cousin in Virginia where her church was making apple butter as a fund raiser. Great stuff! The next year she went again and I wondered how hard could it be. I did some research and used a crock pot. After an hour I mashed the mess, added sweetener and cinnamon and cooked some more. After about three hours I beat the results with a kitchen mixer and jarred it. Best Apple butter ever. We haven't used store bought in yaers. The start of this was almost exactly like your apple sauce!
Reply 3 years ago
Awesome! Yeah, there are a lot of ways to cook it. It is so hard to go back to store bought after making it at home. haha
3 years ago on Step 6
Look for wolf river apples. Heirloom apples made for applesauce, they will fall apart. Not good for pie.
Reply 3 years ago
They don't have those kinds of apples where I live. It works great with Granny Smith, Gala, Pink Lady, etc. All common apples we get here.
3 years ago
Looks really good :)
Reply 3 years ago
Thank you, Penolopy! Out of curiousity which photo do you like better, the main thumbnail photo or the thumbnail I used for the YouTube video?
Reply 3 years ago
Hmm, honestly maybe a mash between the two? I think the main image is bright which is good, but loses a little definition because the bowl and background are both white. The Youtube one is good because the darkness gives definition but at the same time is a bit too dark. So either one works has its own plus side.
If I were to make a recommendation, I would say it would also be nice if the photo was taken a little higher/at a steeper angle because you get a lot of background and bowl but not a lot of applesauce. Like the last image in step 4. I actually would say I like that the best if it was a bit lightened up. I like the steeper angle and the contrast with the bowl and background.
Reply 3 years ago
Awesome, thanks for the feedback!