Easy Applesauce
Updated September 09, 2024
Quick Summary
You only need 5 ingredients to make this healthy homemade applesauce! It’s naturally sweetened, spiced with cinnamon, and so delicious. Enjoy as a snack, use in baking to replace oil or butter, or use as a topping for pancakes, waffles, and more!
Homemade Applesauce
One of my very favorite fall flavors is APPLE. Pumpkin gets a lot of love and attention this time of year (and with good reason, you know I am obsessed, hello pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin bread), but apple is a classic for me and I always try to make sure I celebrate apple season too! Every fall, we make homemade applesauce like it’s going out of style. It is a fall staple at our house.
I like to use the Instant Pot to make homemade applesauce because it is SO easy, but you can also use the slow cooker or stove top.
In the Instant Pot, the apples cook SO quickly! When you open the lid of your Instant Pot and see that delicious, cinnamon-y, homemade applesauce…you’ll be amazed. The applesauce turns out perfectly every single time!
I also love this applesauce recipe because it’s HEALTHY! A lot of the store bought applesauces are made with preservatives and added sugars, this recipe only has a small handful of ingredients and they’re ALL healthy. This applesauce has no added sugars and it’s still plenty sweet and super delicious!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
You only need 5 ingredients for this applesauce recipe:
- Apples
- Fresh lemon juice
- Water
- Cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
That’s it! I love that this applesauce is sweetened with just the apples and cinnamon! It lets their natural, delicious flavors really shine. If you want to add a little sugar, honey, or maple syrup, you can, but I don’t think it needs it!
What Kind of Apples Should I Use?
You can use just about any variety of apple to make homemade applesauce. I don’t like to use red delicious because the texture is usually a little more mushy, but any other apples are great, especially during apple season.
My favorite apples to use are a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples. I love the sweet and tart combo! Fuji, Gala, Sweet Tango, Mcintosh, Cortland, Jazz, and Golden Delicious are all good options.
How to Make Applesauce
Really, it’s as simple as peeling and slicing apples and then using your Instant Pot!
- Add peeled apples, lemon juice, water, salt, and cinnamon into your Instant Pot and give it a good stir. Get very, very excited, because you’re only about 15 minutes away from fresh, homemade applesauce!
- Make sure the pressure knob is pointing towards “Seal.” This is super important! Using manual selection, set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Let the steam release naturally for 5 minutes, then use the quick valve to get rid of the rest of the steam. Be SO careful here–that steam is hot!
- Remove the lid and give it all another stir. Now you need to decide how chunky you want your applesauce! You can use a potato masher to break it all up for bigger pieces of apple in your applesauce. Giving it a pulse with an immersion blender will get you smoother applesauce. You can also transfer to a blender if you don’t have an immersion blender. I like my applesauce chunky so only mash it a little bit.
Can I Make Applesauce in the Crockpot?
YES! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, no worries! You can easily make this applesauce recipe in the slow cooker.
Add tall of the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally so the apples don’t stick. Use an immersion blender or pour the applesauce into a blender and blend until smooth. If you want chunky applesauce mash with a potato masher or stir and break up with a spoon.
How to Make on the Stove Top
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium pot and place a lid on top. Heat over medium, allowing the apples to come to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender. The cooking time will vary depending on the variety of apples you use.
- Remove the pot from heat. Mash the apples with a potato masher inside the pot for a chunky texture. Or blend with an immersion blender for a smoother texture. You can let the mixture cool and then transfer to a blender to blend.
How to Store
Homemade applesauce will keep in a sealed container for 7-10 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Go apple picking, make a TON of this Instant Pot Applesauce, and enjoy it all season long!
Ways to Use Applesauce
Applesauce is good on it’s own, but here are a few other ways to enjoy it!
- Spread it on toast, my favorite! Even better with peanut butter toast!
- Use as a topping for waffles, pancakes, and French toast.
- Add applesauce to yogurt, cottage cheese, or ice cream.
- Mix it into a bowl of oatmeal or use it to make baked oatmeal.
- Use applesauce to replace oil or butter in baking recipes.
- Serve with pork chops or pork tenderloin.
More Recipes You Might Like
Easy Applesauce
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples, peeled, seeded, and chopped (I use Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the chopped apples, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the pressure knob is in the sealing position. Select the Manual function and high pressure and adjust time to 5 minutes.
- When it beeps, let the steam release naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully use the quick release valve to release the remaining pressure. Use caution, the steam is hot!
- Remove the lid and stir the applesauce with a wooden spoon.
- You can use a potato masher to break up the applesauce or if you want really smooth applesauce you can puree the applesauce with an immersion blender or blender.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Just wondering when you recommend adding the lemon juice? Is it before cooking or after? Thanks!
Before! Sorry, just updated the recipe:)
my recipe is similar, but I just do it in a saucepan on the stove in about 20 min.
I would love to try this with the big bag of apples a friend gave me! I don’t know how many pounds I have, do you know about how many cups that is? Thanks!
I love applesauce and often there are so many free apples to pick from the roadside or a friend’s tree. A terrific family kid-friendly project. It freezes beautifully! I love to use a food mill as it saves from having to peel apples, it’s also nice to add a bit of lemon juice or ginger to the sauce.
I core but don’t peel my apples. Use a food mill after cooking which leaves the peel in it & nice smooth applesauce in the bowl. I like to add sugar & cinnamon to mine to taste, a personal preference.
Applesauce is also great on potato pancakes with some sour cream. Yum!
I just finished having a bowl and it turned out so delicious without any added sweetener as you said! I put a bit extra cinnamon in so the color is a beautiful Carmel color. So easy – I’ll definitely do it again this week!
The applesauce was the best and easiest to make , and the skillet apples were a hit with all of us , I thought I made enough to freeze , but they finished it in one weekend.
I love your recipes they are wonderful, the chocolate zucchini bread is also a big hit.
Thank you so much for all you do
You are welcome! I am so glad you loved the applesauce. It’s our favorite too.
This is the best applesauce I’ve ever made or tasted.
I have a lot of apples to process and was wondering if I can can this recipe instead of freezing?
I haven’t tried it, but I am sure it would be ok.
This recipe makes me never want to buy store-bought again! I’ve made it twice (but about half the portion) and it is perfect! I originally made it for a baby puree, but ended up making more for myself (even baby loves it).
It is so much better than store bought and easy too!
I made 1.5x the recipe with Gala apples. Delish!
YUM!