I agree -- homemade applesauce is one of those deceptively simple luxuries. But, sugar? Who needs it? I make a wonderful sauce using unpeeled, cored & quartered Cortlands and a bit of apple cider to get them started. Then I put it through my Foley food mill...the results are a lovely pink sauce that's sweet and tangy. Freezes beautifully and is a favorite among neighbors and friends and family when I bring a quart along to picnics or holiday dinners.

I used to make a sweetened, cinnamon'd sauce, but when I discovered these local Cortlands cooked up so deliciously, it just wasn't worth bothering with the extras.

This was a really easy recipe and tasted yummy. I even canned some for later :)

I tried this for the first time after apple picking in September, making it every month since! My 2 year olds love it, and I also made it to bring to my parents' for Thanksgiving this year, and everyone loved it!

Excellent recipe, and so easy to make! I made this recipe with a bag of McIntosh apples, and used 1/4 cup of cinnamon, and it came out perfect! Thanks for posting it!!

I am a divorced Dad & I had a request for apple sauce the way I use to make it when my children were young..this one hit the nail on the head ..thanks..it`s great just the way it is.

I followed this recipe exactly, with only one minor change - instead of lemon juice I used pineapple juice as I didn't have lemons on hand; and the combination of sweet pineapple and apple turned out amazingly :)

I can't believe I even looked elsewhere for an applesauce recipe! I always check your site first! What a dunce. This looks fantastic. I recently bought a pressure canner to can meats and fruits for a home storage project and, with apples being so cheap and delicious right now, I really wanted to can some of the good stuff. Thanks so much for your recipes and your time in putting them up for the rest of us.

This was simply delicious. received RAVE reviews. I used three sort of apples: 1/2 granny smith, 1/4 golden delicious, 1/4 some other sort and believe that the mix really makes the difference. You could taste the apple goodness. taster loved the rougher texture too.

Thanks for this recipe, a real winner.

When the world gives you lemons, make lemonade.
When the world gives you apples, make applesauce!

I'm a teacher and as many teachers I get apples from time to time. However, when one of my students arrives, she brings 10-pound bags of apples. I might be exaggerating a bit, but there are at least 30 apples in each bag.

I can't eat that many apples. Twice now, however, I have used your recipe to make applesauce. I eat it chilled and it's delicious. It's a sweet alternative to processed sugary sweets that most of us eat too much of.

Thanks Elise for the great recipe. Whenever you're in Hollywood, California, stop by, you can some of my applesauce at my Hollywood Apartment Farm.

Zach (Zachary means sugar in Greek)

I love applesauce, and I think this recipe is great. Thanks for the idea.

I love homemade chunky applesauce, I'm going to make a big batch and put some in the freezer. Thanks, I really enjoy your blog :)

I was making 2 Qts. of apple sauce with Cortland and Delicious apples from our own trees, however, the red delicious apples are not really good for sauce. So after reviewing comments here, I saw someone suggested adding lemon peel at the end. I didn't have a fresh lemon, but did have a lime. I tried a few strips of lime peel and the lime juice from one lime. It was amazing. A slight bit tart, like applesauce should be, and very refreshing, with just a hint of Key Lime pie! ( I also included 1 tsp cinnamon, and brown sugar to sweeten my recipe.) Try some lime peel- you'll be surprised!

Homemade applesauce rules, I made some just a little while ago.

That seems like a lot of sugar. I like to use apple cider instread of water, really boost the flavor.

What if I served this applesauce warm on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a graham or whole wheat cracker? might it remind one of apple pie?

I think the closest thing to that apple pie feeling is my mom's baked apple slices. Even easier to make than applesauce. ~Elise

Thank you for reposting this classic fall recipe. It jogged childhood memories of my sister and I peeling apples with my grandma's old crank-style apple peeler. We had so much fun eating all those stringy pieces of peel! I don't recall my grandma using lemon peel (or lime peel, as Mary suggested) in her applesauce, but I'm anxious to give it a try in my next batch.

I am a BIG fan of your site! So pleased to see your applesauce recipe tonight as we have 3 bags of yard apples in the fridge and I've never tried using lemon or peel.

Wondering if you or other readers ever just quarter the apples and cook -- I catch all the seeds and skins when I run it through the food mill.

Is my laziness costing me in terms of flavor? I don't know. I think it tastes great.

I don't call it lazy to run all that through a food mill! That's a lot of work in my opinion. I do it that way when I'm making apple butter, because you want the pectin from cores to help it thicken. But you can make apple sauce this way too. ~Elise

I made the sauce tonight, and it is perfect! I used a bit less of sugar, and Jonathan apple.
Could someone give me ideas what can I use it for?
I found a recipe for a cake, and of course it tastes good with a spoon ;) anything else?

Thanks for the recipe, Elise, not the first one from your site which I found delicious!

We usually just eat it straight. I love applesauce over cottage cheese for breakfast. You can also easily freeze it (just leave some headroom in the jar to prevent it from breaking when it freezes). Much of the applesauce we make during apple season we freeze and eat all year. ~Elise

If you want smooth apple sauce that is sublime then may I suggest you use Bramley apples - they cook down to a pulp and have a superb flavour - but don't let them any where near a tarte tatin or similar. They also work really well with blackberries and in crumbles and best of all in blackberry and apple crumble.

I do understand that they can be difficult to obtain in the US as according to Wikipedia there is only one supplier. The good news is that the supplier is located in Philo, CA and they do sell cuttings.

BTW, which cupcake did you have and would you have shared it with Mr Lebovitz?

Chocolate and yes, if I had even for a moment thought about it. But his rocky road cupcake looked pretty good, didn't it? ~Elise

Perfect. I keep avoiding the 4-5lb bags of Gala apples at the produce stand because I just can't eat that many apples. What a terribly simple idea, and the texture is the same after being defrosted?

Yep, texture is the same. :-) ~Elise

I make a really quick and easy applesauce, and usually just eat it as is, or mixed with home made, unsweetened yoghurt.

1) Take a number of largy granny smith apples, leave the skin on and chop, removing the core and seeds, into rough chunks.

2) Place the apples in a large microwave safe bowl and place the apple chunks in it with a splash of water.

3) Cover the bowl with a plate and cook for 5 minutes, stir and recover. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

4) Continue cooking for 3 minutes at a time until the apple is nicely soft.

5) Thoroughly blend.

What I like about this applesauce is that it is simple, and keeps the apple peel (you wont notice after it's blended) which contains much of the nutritional value. Also it has no added sugar. Of course you can add spices, or a little lemon if you like.

Thanks for the reminder! I have a lovely bowl of Ginger Golds, Macs, and an unknown "baking" apple my daughter picked at the apple farm - time to make applesauce. Instead of lemon, I add a cup or so of raw cranberries - it makes it slightly tart, so tasting before freezing is critical. Beautiful rosy color, too.

Awesome! The only way I knew how to make applesauce is by using my crock pot. Looks great, Elise.

Thanks for the great recipe. I only used 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar. I used apples we picked at a local farm. Also I canned the sauce and it worked beautifully. Of course, we will have to see in a few months. :) I am sure the sauce will be great. I also made your apple chutney, which was really yummy and canned that too. I was really pleased to find your site.

Does it matter what type of container you freeze it in? Do you have to use canning jars? Or can you use recycled glass jars (i.e. old pickle jars, salsa jars. etc)?

We use old pickle jars or canning jars. Just leave enough head space (about an inch) so that when the liquid in the applesauce expands upon freezing, it doesn't break the glass. ~Elise

What an interesting recipe!

[...] First, I'd like to quickly introduce myself: my name's Jason, I'm Belgian (so, I normally speak French) I'm 15 and I love the U.S.A., especially their food. I strarted two years ago to be interested in american sweet recipes like Cookies, Brownies, Muffins, Cheesecakes, Pies, Scones, Buns, Cakes & Cupcakes, Breads, Loafs, and so on. It's a real passion and now, I begin to visit some websites in English to find more recipes really American. So, I apologize for my mistakes (spelling? words? ..) but I try to speak as good as possible. :).

I've known your site for a long time, but these days I've tried some of your recipes. I've had some organic Boskoop apples and I've decides to try to make your apple sauce. It was a success! Thanks a lot, it was really delicious ^^

Hi,
Great recipe! I love to add golden raisins soaked in Amaretto Liquor. Just bring several ounces to boil, remove from heat , add some raisins, cover and let sit for 45 minutes or so till plumped; drain and add to applesauce. Delicious on Steel Cut Oatmeal for breakfast. Oven toasted pecans sound good also.
Cathy

I made this applesauce recipe yesterday using 7 granny smith apples.
What a great and simple recipe to put together. I used 3T brown sugar and 2 slices lemon rind along with the cinnamon stick. I, at first omitted the sugar, but after an initial taste when this was simmering away I added the sugar and I am glad I did because the sugar is just what it needed. I also ran it through a Foley food mill and the outcome is velvety and buttery.
I cannot wait to get some North Carolina mountain apples for this recipe.
Thanks for sharing.

What a great recipe! Loved the added lemon. I plan on using this to make my Zucchini Bread. Thanks for sharing. Seattle, WA

I just made this and it turned out Great ! Thank you so much !

I love homemade applesauce, and make a huge batch every year for canning and freezing and a lot of eating. I prefer to use a mix of apple varieties, and very little (if any) sugar. I also like it really chunky, so I don't smoosh any of it at all, and just let it exist at its natural cooked down consistency. My other little secret is to use apple cider instead of water- its so rich. Making applesauce is something I look forward to every year!

My kids love homemade applesauce - in addition to the above recipe I also include an inch or so of peeled ginger root; and, I also add nutmeg to it - no sugar and use apple juice instead of water. Oh so good!

This is pretty similar to the method I use for making applesauce. A couple of tips for you or anyone to try: Use a slow-cooker to cook the apples. My mom makes homemade applesauce but she has accidentally burned it on the stove before by not putting enough water in and letting it all evaporate too quickly. The slow cooker prevents this (and prevents boiling over, too.) I also use at least 3 and as many as 6 different varieties of apples. The variety is really what gives it the best flavor, I think. Of course, when I make applesauce in my slow cooker, I make a HUGE batch. My slow cooker holds (I think) 8 quarts and I fill it up with raw apples (usually around 10lbs of apples total.) I also use some cranberry juice as part of the liquid. I would use apple juice or cider but I don't keep it on hand as much as cranberry juice. I've already made my huge batch of applesauce 3 times since Thanksgiving. My husband loves the stuff. I added 2 pears the last time I made it, in addition to about 5 or 6 different kinds of apples.