Homemade applesauce is simple to make, 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.
Skin-on or peeled apples? Applesauce made with the peel left on has more color and a bit more 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. If you do not have a food mill, you can puree the skins into the sauce. Or pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to remove the skins. If you don’t want to go through any of these extra steps, use peeled apples.
4 pounds crisp, sweet apples (8 large), rinsed, see tips
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
Peel apples (optional, see headnote above). Remove the apple cores and cut apples into large chunks or wedges.
Place 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, and then stir the apples around the pot a few times.
Cover the pot with its lid, and then cook over medium-low heat, stirring every once in a while until they are very soft, 25 to 35 minutes. As the apples cook, check on them to make sure the pot is not dry. If it is, add a little more water and reduce the heat slightly.
Take the pot off the heat, remove the lid, and then leave the apples to cool for a few minutes.
Taste the applesauce. If you would like to add a sweetener, add it to taste. Start with a teaspoon, and then add from there.
Mash or blend the apples into your desired consistency. If you left the apple skins on, a food mill fitted with the medium disk makes quick work of separating the applesauce from the skins. You can also pass the sauce through a mesh strainer to separate the skins from the sauce.
The applesauce will thicken a little as it cools, but if it seems too watery, place the applesauce back into a pot and simmer until reduced a little.
Store applesauce in an air-tight 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.
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