My homemade applesauce is so simple to make, makes the kitchen smell incredible, and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store!
Every time I make a batch of this homemade applesauce, I kick myself for waiting so long to make it again! If you like store-bought applesauce, then this homemade jar is really going to knock your socks off. Seriously, it’s so much better!
This is a stovetop recipe for applesauce, but if you like to use your pressure cooker, look at our Instant Pot applesauce. Or, for something a little different, consider this recipe for homemade apple butter!
Key Ingredients
- Apples: You can use just about any apple for applesauce. So if you’re worried you don’t have the right kind, don’t be! I prefer sweet, crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Pink Lady, but more tart apples like Granny Smith will work, too. You might just need to add a little honey or maple syrup to sweeten them up. I use the same apples for almost all of the apple recipes on Inspired Taste.
- Spices: I use a cinnamon stick, star anise, and vanilla extract for my homemade applesauce. The combination tastes amazing.
- Lemon: Lemon juice keeps the apples from turning brown and balances their sweetness. The best applesauce is both sweet and tart, and lemon juice helps achieve that. If you don’t have lemon juice, use orange juice or apple cider vinegar instead. (I use orange juice instead of lemon juice when making apple crisp and love it!)
How to Make Applesauce
This is such an easy recipe for applesauce! Combine the apples, spices, and lemon juice in a large pot, then add a bit of water. Cover the pot and cook until the apples are very tender.
Once the apples are soft, let them cool slightly off the heat. Now’s the time to taste and see if you need to add sweetener. If you use tart apples, a little honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar can help balance the flavor.
Finally, you can either mash or blend the apples into applesauce. I like to cook my apples with the peel on since it adds color and some extra flavor. Then, I use my food mill to blend, which removes most of the peel. If you don’t have a food mill, blend them in using your blender or food processor, or use a fine mesh strainer to remove the peels after cooking.
Perfect Homemade Applesauce
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This easy applesauce recipe makes the kitchen smell incredible and tastes much better than anything you can buy at the store. Use apples that you enjoy eating. We particularly love using crisp, sweet apples when making applesauce and generally do not add any sweetener. If you feel the applesauce needs some extra sweetness, add a sweetener to taste at the end of cooking. We recommend brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
Applesauce made with apples with the peel left on has more color and flavor. I use a food mill fitted with a medium disk to blend the sauce and remove most of the cooked skins for the best texture. Or, you can blend the skins into the sauce if you do not have a food mill. You can also pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the skins. Use peeled apples if you don’t want to go through any of these extra steps.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
4 pounds (1.8kg) crisp sweet apples, rinsed, 8 large apples
One 3-inch cinnamon stick or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, or apple cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 to 2 whole star anise, optional
Brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, or other sweetener to taste, optional
Directions
1Peel apples (optional, see headnote above). Remove the apple cores and cut apples into large chunks or wedges.
2Place the apples, cinnamon stick, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and star anise into the bottom of a large, heavy pot. Add 1/4 cup of water, then stir the apples around the pot a few times.
3Cover the pot with its lid and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft, 25 to 35 minutes. As the apples cook, check to make sure the pot is not dry. If it is, add more water and reduce the heat slightly.
4Remove the lid, let the apples cool for a few minutes, and then taste the applesauce. If you would like to add a sweetener, add it to taste. Start with a teaspoon and then add more if needed.
5Mash or blend the apples into your desired consistency. If you leave the apple skins on, a food mill fitted with the medium disk quickly separates the applesauce from the skins. You can also pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to separate the skins from the sauce.
6The applesauce will thicken as it cools, but if it seems too watery, return it to a pot and simmer until reduced slightly.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Best apples to use: We use apples we enjoy eating, which means that we usually make applesauce with sweet, tart apples like Honeycrisp, Gala or Fuji. For the most apple flavor, combine two or three varieties of apples.
- Add more cinnamon: One cinnamon stick adds warmth to the applesauce, but it is not overpowering. If you love cinnamon applesauce, use 2 to 3 cinnamon sticks or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Storing: Store applesauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Freeze applesauce for up to 6 months, possibly longer. We do not have instructions for canning applesauce and recommend that you consult other canning resources for tips.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We omitted sugar in the calculations.
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Came out great! Never going back to store bought again. I recommend to double the recipe as it’s super yummy and will be gone quick.
Doubling the recipe is such a great tip, Brianna! Thanks for coming back.
Love your recipe, it is easy and very delicious. I use a 1/4 cup of orange juice instead of water
Great idea! Glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
Made this w Organic Honey Crisp apples and left the skins on. Used 3 pinches of Anise seed (probably about a tsp) since I had no star anise and used peeled, puréed lemon rather than just juice but otherwise followed recipe and it is SO delicious!! Wow! The skins are so soft and thin and barely noticeable so I decided not to remove them. No sugar added. Wow!
Hi Marjorie, We are thrilled that you enjoyed our recipe! I love your use of anise seed. I agree with you on the skins, they really aren’t that noticeable once everything is cooked down.
I made a batch and it’s delicious. I sweetened mine with honey and used an emersion blender on low and the texture was nice. Maybe a little less lemon juice next time. Better than store bought!
Woohoo for being better than store-bought! So happy that you enjoyed the recipe.
Add some red hots candy to the applesauce. I make and can applesauce. I use only apples and red hots candy.
How interesting! We would have never considered this. Thanks for sharing.