How to Make Homemade Applesauce
Homemade Applesauce: Step by Step Guide with Photos
Homemade applesauce is so much better than store bought applesauce, and it's not that difficult to make. I prefer chunky applesauce, but you can definitely make this applesauce smooth by using a hand mixer when you are finished cooking the apples. It is a prefect dish to bring to a friends house as it can be made way ahead of time, reheated, and even frozen. I always make this applesauce for Thanksgiving, but I've been making it for other dinners lately as well. Our neighborhood recently had a hog roast and the applesauce was a perfect complement. In fact, I think pork or turkey are the best meats to serve with applesauce.
Here's a simple, easy, delicious, homemade applesauce recipe to impress all of your dinner guests!
Applesauce Ingredients
This is a single serving recipe that makes 4 cups, but I usually double this recipe. You can also triple the recipe and freeze the applesauce in jam jars to use at a later time.
- 4 Medium tart apples (I use granny smith) peeled, cored, and sliced. I use an apple corer, peeler and slicer to make the process quicker. This is the most laborious part of the process if you don't have the corer, peeler, slicer. I use to peel all of the apples and cut them into quarters.
- 1 cup of water
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar (you can use less brown sugar if you want a more tart applesauce. I recommend using less to start and tasting your applesauce to see if you'd like to add more.)
- 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg. I use fresh nutmeg and shave it with a micropeeler. It does make a difference!
- 1 Tablespoon of butter
- Optional ingredients: 3/4 cups of walnuts, 1/2 cup of golden raisins, 1/3 cup of coconut
I prefer the applesauce without the optional ingredients, but a Thanksgiving dinner with homemade applesauce and walnuts is really good!
Homemade Applesauce Directions
- Put the peeled, cored, and sliced apples in a large stock pot and heat over medium heat until they are boiling. Stir occasionally.
- Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes. You want the apples to be soft and tender.
- Add the other ingredients and stir until the applesauce is at the consistency that you prefer. Taste test to see if you need more brown sugar or spices. If you are using raisins, they should be plump.
- Serve either warm or cold and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on the top before serving.
- Enjoy!
I prefer to serve this applesauce warm, it is so wonderful on a cold night with pork or other white meats. It also is delicious for breakfast with a popover or other pastry. If you are looking for homemade gifts for the holidays or for someone's birthday, putting homemade applesauce in a jar with a ribbon is a great gift. If you make the applesauce, let us know how it goes in the comments section of the Hub!
This is what we served the applesauce with.
Have you ever made homemade applesauce?
Comments
Robin, what a delicious and yummy recipe to make your own from fresh apples. Voted up for useful!
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@titia- thanks for the comment. I love raisins in the applesauce—I wish my kids did too! Adding walnuts is also yummy. I have to agree on the pig. That was not my idea and I actually couldn't even eat any of it. :)
@vocalcoach- I'm so glad your family likes the recipe. It is definitely so much better than store bought! Thanks for the comment!
Hi Robin,
I came back for another look at your recipe for homemade applesauce. My family loved this recipe and this time I'll try adding walnuts!
Next time try throwing in a handful of raisins, you'll be surprised how well they go with the applesauce. The best apples to use for apple sauce are the renet apples. With some sugar they give the perfect balance between sour and sweet.
Though I eat meat (from my own sheep), I don't like to see a sucking pig on the spit. I think animals should have a year long good life first before they get slaughtered.
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Great idea, Paul. Applesauce muffins are super yummy!
Bung a bit of leftover applesauce into a muffin as you add the batter to the tin - very tasty,
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Thanks, Audrey! It is so much better than store bought and easy as well! Let me know how it goes! :)
I'm thrilled to see your recipe for home-made applesauce. The step-by-step instructions will be easy to follow. In the past I've bought my applesauce at 'Trader Joe's" but from now on, I will be making my own. Thanks Robin for sharing this recipe ~ Audrey
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Horatio, we used to have an apple tree at our house when I was growing up. It had tart apples that were great for applesauce. Applesauce with apples from your own tree is the best! The peeler does look scary, but it saves so much time! It's one of my favorite cooking tools! ;)
Holy Cow! That's one hell of a Hog! In the UK we would traditionally use a cooking apple such as a Bramley. I like to use fresh herbs such as sage, rosemerry and thyme; dependent on the meat. I like the idea of the spices though.
Our old house had a Bramley tree, which gave us summers full of pies and sauces. Our current place has a tree, but I don't know the variety - it's very tart - perfect for sauce. Love the peeler, it looks scarier than the pig. Just.
I like applesauce so I wanted to learn how to make it and save some money. Thanks for the hub, it was very helpful. Voted up and useful.
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Thanks, Peggy! There is nothing better than homemade applesauce!
Hi Robin,
I grew up eating only homemade applesauce and was surprised to see the yellow color when I first ate some purchased in a store. When my husband and I lived in central Wisconsin for 4 years my neighbor and I split several bushels of apples and I made applesauce. But I have never made such a small amount such as the one in your recipe. That would suit us much better now since it is only the two of us living here.
I'd like to link this to my old fashioned food grinding mill hub about making applesauce. Thanks!
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Hi Cara, if you make your Hub and I'll link to it! ;) I definitely think you can go easy on the brown sugar; in fact, I use less than most recipes that I have found. The applesauce as it's made here is almost like eating the filling of apple pie. How wonderful to have fresh apples right off of the tree to make the applesauce. My parents use to have an apple tree and my mom would always make homemade applesauce with the apples. They were pretty tart, so they weren't that great to eat straight. Thanks for reading, and I'll keep an eye out for your applesauce Hub!
Randomcreative, let us know how your applesauce goes. It's so easy to make, and a great thing to bring to a dinner.
Hi Genna, it does seem like a food that our grandmothers made. I bet you could figure out her recipe just by adding and tasting as you make the applesauce. It's a great food to taste as you cook! ;)
My grandmother used to make this, and I often wished I had her recipe…it was marvelous! Thanks for this hub, and I will definitely give it a try. :-)
Great recipe! I haven't had homemade applesauce in a long time, but it is amazing. I'll have to make it again sometime.
You beat me to it!!! :) This hub has been on my To Write list for a while now. My inlaws have a farm with about 20 apple trees of a variety of types. I get a big bucket of them and make, then can applesauce every year. The only thing I add to mine is water and then cinnamon later. I don't add any sugar at all and it tastes fantastic. I think I'll use your suggestion for the nutmeg next time.
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Hi Rebecca, the tart apples are usually the best for applesauce. The tend to be crisper and since you are adding brown sugar, sweetness is not a problem. As for the pig, I know. I wasn't that keen on roasting a pig and although I eat pork, I didn't want anything to do with it! ;)
Great recipe. I never thought of using Granny Smiths for apple sauce. I don't know about that pig!
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Hi Debbie, thanks for the comment and for the bookmark! It is a great Summer and Fall side dish; I hope you enjoy it when you make it!
Love homemade applesauce thank you for the HUB.. I AM BOOKMARKING IT.. I WILL TRY THIS THIS SUMMER.
I VOTED UP
DEBBIE
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It is such an easy thing to make; a lot of bang for your buck! I hope you both try it!
I'm not entirely sure why it had never occurred to me to try to make homemade applesauce, but your Hub has inspired me to give it a go!
This is so cool! My mom made me applesauce when I was a kid, but I refused it being afraid of everything that did not look highly processed and packaged. I think I should give homemade applesauce another try!
Also, that apple peeler really is amazing.
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