Homemade Applesauce Recipe – Only 2 Ingredients Required

Now that apple season is here, it is time pull out my favorite apple recipes, including homemade applesauce. It is the perfect side dish, snack or dessert to enjoy this time of the year. And if you have a few extra apples you can even freeze it to enjoy later.

Best of all, it is extremely easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients. And that is only if you want to add sugar.

Because fresh picked apples are naturally sweeter (depending on the variety that you choose) you may not even need to add sugar to the mix. Therefore you would only two ingredients: apples and water.

However, you may be wondering why you would go through the effort of making applesauce when you can buy it at the store. Although it may seem easier to pick up a jar of applesauce off of the store shelves there are several reasons why homemade is much better.

Why Make Homemade Applesauce

Taste: Because you can control the type of apples that you use and the amount of sugar and/or cinnamon that you add, you can make the applesauce exactly how you prefer. When you purchase it at the store, you don’t have that choice.

Texture: Store-bought applesauce is often too smooth or too chunky, depending on your taste preference. However when you make it yourself you can control the texture and even individualize each portion to make it several different ways.

Ingredients: Homemade applesauce contains only apples and sugar (if desired). Store-bought applesauce often contains other ingredients, such as preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors.

Cost: It is often cheaper to purchase the apples and turn them into sauce, especially if you buy apples in bulk. And if you live near an orchard you can purchase seconds which means the apples may not look the best for eating, but are perfect to use in a variety of recipes.

What Type of Apples for Homemade Applesauce?

There are many varieties of apples that you can use when making applesauce. Although you can stick with one single type of apple, I find that the most flavor comes from mixing at least two, or several different varieties.  

Below I have listed the types of apples that make great applesauce:

Fuji Apples 

Fuji apples are firm and they are one of the sweetest apple varieties that are commonly found. Because of their firmness they are the preferred variety of apple to use if you like chunky applesauce.

Pink Lady Apples

Pink Lady apples are also firm apples and they have a great balance of being sweet yet slightly tart. Because of their natural high sugar content you may not need to add any sugar to your sauce.

Golden Delicious Apples 

Golden Delicious apples are both sweet and soft. They cook down easily which makes it ideal for those with like your sauce nice and smooth.

Cortland Apples

Cortland apples are even more soft and juicy than the golden delicious apples. They have a slightly sweet flavor and are great for cooking.

McIntosh Apples 

McIntosh apples are the classic crowd-pleasers. They’re not overly sweet or too sour, which in turns makes a well-balanced applesauce.

Remember, for the best tasting applesauce use a couple different varieties. The flavor and texture will be more complex and therefore more delicious.

To Peel or Not To Peel?

I often get asked whether or not to peel the apples before making homemade applesauce. And I always answer with ‘it depends’.

You certainly don’t have to peel apples before they are cooked. However, some apples have a tougher skin and even though you puree the sauce, you may find bits of apple peels scattered in the sauce.

This is especially common if you prefer a chunkier texture because you won’t puree the mixture as much as when making a smooth sauce.

Therefore, the choice is up to you whether or not you want to peel the apples. However, I prefer to take the extra time and peel them.

I use a standard vegetable peeler when making a small batch of applesauce. Although, if I am making a bigger batch to freeze I will use my apple peeler, corer, slicer. It makes quick work of peeling a bunch of apples.

Ways To Enjoy Homemade Applesauce

Applesauce can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Here are a few ideas:

• Eat applesauce on its own as a snack or dessert.

• Enjoy it as a side dish (pork chops and applesauce are a nostalgic duo)

• Use the sauce as a topping for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, and oatmeal.

• Add applesauce to smoothies and yogurt parfaits.

• Serve it as a savory condiment on top of pork, chicken, and turkey.

• Use it as a substitute for oil in baked goods like in this Banana Muffins Recipe.

• Add applesauce to meatballs or meatloaf to make them more moist and tender.

• Add applesauce to a stir-fry for a touch of sweetness.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound apples, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, more or less to taste (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium saucepan placed over medium heat, add the peeled and chopped apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon (if using).

Next, cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the apples can easily be pierced with a fork.

Then, remove the pot from the heat and allow the softened apples to cool for 15-20 minutes so that the mixture can thicken.

Use a potato masher or an immersion blender to mash or puree the apples to the desired consistency.

Finally, serve warm or let the applesauce come to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze the applesauce in an air-tight container. The frozen applesauce will remain good for up to 3 months.

Enjoy! Mary

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More Delicious Apple Recipes

• Easy Apple Dumplings
• Caramel Apple Pie Bars
• Air Fryer Apple Fritters

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