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. 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. 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 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.
