Craft your own fresh homemade Unsweetened Applesauce with just apples, water, and cinnamon. It’s simple, nutritious, and way tastier than anything from the store.
This Unsweetened Applesauce recipe is a simple, wholesome staple made from cooked apples with no added sugar, allowing the fruit’s natural sweetness to shine. Whether served warm or chilled, unsweetened applesauce adds fresh apple flavor while keeping recipes lighter and naturally sweet.
We love making homemade applesauce because it’s simple and the kids love it! It makes for a great after-school snack, like our homemade snack mix and favorite whole wheat bran muffins.
Table of Contents
3 Ingredients + 5 Minutes
If you have little kids, chances are you go through a lot of applesauce each month. With apple season on its way and back to school in full swing, I thought it would be nice to share a recipe for homemade applesauce.
This was my first time making applesauce, and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes!
We love to eat applesauce with oatmeal, toast, or to use it in some of our baked goods! Be sure to check out our pumpkin applesauce and cinnamon apples too.
Why We Love Homemade Applesauce
- Kids love the sweet, natural flavor of homemade Unsweetened Applesauce.
- Enjoy a pure, preservative-free snack.
- Unsweetened Applesauce is a nutritious snack with no added sugar.
Recipe Ingredients
- Apples: A mix of varieties add a balanced sweetness, tartness, and smooth consistency.
- Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice adds depth to the applesauce.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Apple Varieties: A mix of apple varieties, including Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Macouns, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, and Braeburn, are all great choices for your applesauce.
- Spice Variation: For a flavorful twist, consider adding spices like nutmeg, cloves, or allspice to complement the cinnamon and enhance the taste of your applesauce.
How to Make Unsweetened Applesauce
Step 1: Prepare the apples by slicing and coring them—no need to peel unless you want to.
Step 2: Place the sliced apples, water, and cinnamon in a large pot or saucepan set over medium heat.
Step 3: Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Step 4: Use a potato masher, immersion blender, blender, or food processor to “puree” the apples, keeping them slightly chunky. Let the applesauce cool to room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Uniform Slicing: Slice apples evenly to ensure they cook at the same rate, resulting in a smooth applesauce consistency.
- Achieving Chunky Applesauce: For chunky applesauce, avoid over-blending. Instead, pulse the blender or food processor. You can also use a sturdy spatula, or wooden spoon to reach your desired consistency.
FAQs
It complements pork chops in savory dishes, pairs well with cottage cheese, and is a delightful accompaniment to vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Use it as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or French toast.
Peeling the apples is optional. Leaving the peels on adds extra nutrients and a slightly darker color, while peeling them gives a smoother texture.
Storage Info
STORE your homemade unsweetened applesauce in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can also FREEZE it for up to 2 months in freezer-safe containers.
To REHEAT, simply transfer the applesauce to a saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until warm.
More Applesauce Recipes to Try
Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb apples - I prefer using a mix of Golden Delicious, Fuji, Macintosh, or Gala
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare the apples by slicing and coring them—no need to peel unless you want to.
- Place the sliced apples, water, and cinnamon in a large pot or saucepan set over medium heat.
- Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
- Use a potato masher, immersion blender, blender, or food processor to "puree" the apples, keeping them slightly chunky. Let the applesauce cool to room temperature.
Just wanted to share my experience with 2 different style apples. Cortland and Pink Lady. The Cortland broke down twice as fast as the Pink Lady. If you are using two different kinds of apples, you may want to add the harder apples first and then the softer ones; although I’m not sure if you can overcook apples. Probably not. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Definitely try making your own applesauce. It is definitely awesome and easy.
Yes, Cortlands are VERY soft apples to begin with. Choosing apples that are similar in texture or density is always helpful!
How much does this make? I want to know how many canning jars to prepare.
I used apples my neighbor picked from her tree. Not sure what kind they are, but the applesauce is plenty sweet with no sugar added and has a nice texture after being mashed with a large spoon. Great recipe for the perfect applesauce!
Thank you CeCe!
Would you be able to freeze this? If so how long for?
Thank you
Wonderful and easy recipe! I prepared it with Galas using the slow cooker method, left the skins on, bumped up the cinnamon and used a potato masher to reduce the cooked apples to a nice chunky consistency.