Forget everything you’ve ever disliked about store-bought applesauce. This homemade applesauce recipe tastes like the inside of an apple pie! Applesauce is very easy to make and requires just a few basic ingredients. In its most basic form, you’ll need apples, water and sweetener. I add cinnamon for some autumnal spice, but you could leave it out and/or add other warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, or clove. Then, add a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to liven it up. Ta da! Meet the best applesauce you’ve ever had.
I use maple syrup (or honey) instead of plain sugar to naturally sweeten my applesauce. Bonus? With liquid sweetener, you can easily add more to taste at the end, so you won’t risk ending up with too-sweet applesauce. If you’re a fan of tart applesauce or if you’re using particularly sweet apples, you can leave out the sweetener altogether for no-sugar-added applesauce.
Uses for Homemade Applesauce
Homemade applesauce is a healthy and delicious snack on its own. What else can you do with applesauce?
Serve it on ice cream like it’s an apple crisp. Pile homemade applesauce onto toast with almond or peanut butter. Swirl it into your oatmeal. Layer applesauce between yogurt and granola for an apple parfait and people go wild. The apple crisp parfaits in my cookbook were a favorite with my recipe testers.
Chunky or Smooth Applesauce, you pick!
I love the texture of chunky homemade applesauce, but you can blend it smooth if you prefer. Since this applesauce is thick, you’ll have better luck with your food processor than an immersion blender.
Bottom line, this applesauce is a fun and easy recipe to make. It’s apple season, so let’s get to it! Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments. Your feedback is so important to me. Extra apples? Check out my apple steel-cut oatmeal, apple muffins, gluten-free apple crisp, and favorite green salad.
Watch How to Make Applesauce
Why buy organic? Apples are #4 on the Dirty Dozen list, meaning that conventionally grown apples are generally high in pesticide residues. Make it vegan: Use maple syrup, not honey. Make it sugar free: Just omit the maple syrup for unsweetened applesauce.
