How to make Apple Sauce? (With only few basic Ingredients)

• Food: Apple Sauce
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Forget about all your complaints about store-bought applesauce. This recipe for homemade applesauce tastes just like the inside of an apple pie!

Applesauce is simple to create and only requires a few simple ingredients. Apples, water, and a sweetener are all you’ll need in the most basic version.

You might leave out the cinnamon and/or add other warming spices like ginger, nutmeg, or clove instead for a more autumnal flavor.

Then, to brighten it up, add a dash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. That’s it! Meet the most delicious applesauce you’ve ever eaten.

To naturally sweeten my applesauce, I use maple syrup (or honey) instead of regular sugar. Bonus? You may easily add extra to taste using liquid sweetener at the end, so you won’t wind up with overly sweet applesauce.

If you like sour applesauce or if you’re using very sweet apples, you can make no-sugar-added applesauce by omitting the sweetener entirely.

What Can You Do With It?

On its own, homemade applesauce is a nutritious and tasty snack. What else may applesauce be used for?

• Serve it as an apple crisp over ice cream.
• Using almond or peanut butter, spread homemade applesauce on bread.
• Incorporate it into your oatmeal.
• People go crazy when you layer applesauce between yogurt and granola for an apple parfait. My cookbook’s apple crisp parfaits were a hit with my recipe testers.

You can choose between chunky and smooth applesauce.

I prefer chunky homemade applesauce, but if you prefer, you may make it smooth. Because this applesauce is thick, a food processor will work better than an immersion blender.

In the end, making applesauce is a pleasant and simple process. Let’s get started! It’s apple season, so let’s get started!

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE

Learn how to make delicious applesauce at home! Applesauce can be lumpy or smooth in this simple recipe. To taste, it’s also naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey. This recipe makes about 4 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pound Gala apples (or any other variety of sweet red apple, about 4 medium)
• 1 ½ pound Granny Smith apples (or Golden Delicious, about 4 medium)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey, more to taste
• ⅓ cup water
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or 1 tablespoon lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Apples should be peeled, cored, and cut into 2′′ chunks. Combine the apple chunks, water, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a medium Dutch oven or big stainless steel pot. Over medium heat, cover and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring periodically, for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft and falling apart.
2. Turn off the heat in the pot. Use a potato masher, the back of a firm spatula, or the back of a wooden spoon to break up thick applesauce to your desired consistency. Blend the applesauce in a food processor until it is smooth.
3. Add the vinegar and mix well. If you want sweeter applesauce, add more maple syrup (I generally use 2 tablespoons); if you want more spice, add more cinnamon; if you want more complexity, add another teaspoon of vinegar.
4. Serve warm or cold; allow to cool to room temperature before covering and storing leftover applesauce in the refrigerator. Leftover applesauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator and months in the freezer.

NOTES.

• WHY SHOULD I BUY ORGANIC? Apples are number four on the Dirty Dozen list, indicating that conventionally cultivated apples have a high level of pesticide residues.
• MAKE IT VEGAN: Instead of honey, use maple syrup.
• REMOVE THE SUGAR: For unsweetened applesauce, simply omit the maple syrup.
• APPLESAUCE CANNING: According to what I’ve read, applesauce is naturally safe to can in a water bath because of the high acidity and sugar content of apples. This recipe, however, has not been tested for safety.