Easy Homemade Applesauce
The apple harvest is plentiful this year so we are making applesauce! We grow two varieties on the farm: Chestnut & Zestar. You can read up on these MN varieties here.
Tailoring the sweetness, tartness, and spice levels to your personal taste is always a bonus when making your own. Freshly made applesauce often has a richer, more vibrant flavor because it’s made from fresh apples and doesn’t contain preservatives or artificial additives.
Homemade applesauce has a special quality that sets it apart from store-bought versions in several ways:
Texture: You can choose the texture that you prefer, from smooth and silky to chunky and rustic. Homemade applesauce allows you to control how finely or coarsely the apples are processed.
Nutritional Value: Without added sugars or preservatives, homemade applesauce can be a healthier option. You can also use organic apples and avoid any unwanted chemicals.
Customization: You can experiment with different types of apples and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves to create unique flavor profiles. You might even add other fruits or ingredients to make it your own.
Freshness: Homemade applesauce is made from fresh, in-season apples, which can make it taste fresher and more vibrant compared to products that have been sitting on shelves for a while.
Sense of Accomplishment: There’s something satisfying about making food from scratch. The process of cooking and creating something delicious with your own hands adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the final product.
Add the 4 Tbls of lemon juice and jar them up! Process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes, cool, label & store.
Here are some delicious ways to use it:
As a Snack: Enjoy it straight from the jar, either plain or with a sprinkle of cinnamon. It’s a healthy and tasty treat on its own. (My personal favorite!)
As a Side Dish: Serve it alongside pork chops, roasted chicken, or turkey. The sweet and tangy flavors complement savory meats beautifully.
In Baking: Substitute applesauce for some or all of the fat (like butter or oil) in recipes for cakes, muffins, and quick breads. It adds moisture and a subtle apple flavor while reducing the fat content. It’s also great in recipes for applesauce cake or oatmeal cookies.
On Breakfast Foods: Use applesauce as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or oatmeal. It adds natural sweetness and a bit of fruitiness.
In Smoothies: Blend applesauce into smoothies for added fruit flavor and a smoother texture.
In Sauces and Dressings: Incorporate it into sauces and salad dressings. For example, you can mix applesauce into a vinaigrette for a touch of sweetness or use it as a base for a fruity barbecue sauce. Delish!
In Yogurt or Cottage Cheese: Stir it into yogurt or cottage cheese for a quick and nutritious snack.
In Frozen Treats: Freeze applesauce in ice cube trays and then blend the frozen cubes into a refreshing sorbet or popsicles.
As a Baby Food: It’s a great, natural first food for babies. Just make sure it’s smooth enough and free of any added sugars or spices if you’re serving it to an tiny human. 🙂
Hopefully, these ideas will spark some ideas for using your delicious homemade applesauce!
Enjoy!
Links to my favorite equipment:
Homemade Applesauce
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare water bath canner, about 8 pint jars & lids
- Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice with 4 cups water in a large bowl and set aside. This will be used to treat the apples for browning.
- Wash, destem and quarter apples. Place in lemon water.
- After a few minutes, remove the apples from the lemon water and place in a stainless steel pot (I used an 8 quart). Barely cover apples with water.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and boil gently until apples are just fork tender (about 8-10 min). Using a slotted spoon or spider scoop, remove the apples from the water and allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer apples to a food mill, working in batches. The food mill will remove the skins, cores and seeds and you’ll be left with a nice apple puree.
- Place your apple puree back in stainless steel saucepan. At this time, you can add sugar, if you are using it. (I do not use additional sugar)Add the remaining 1/4 cup of lemon juice to the apple puree. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Make sure to stir frequently to keep the applesauce from burning or sticking. Reduce heat to simmer and prepare to fill jars with the simmering sauce.
- Ladle hot applesauce into your pint jars, leaving 1/2″ headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Add/remove applesauce to reach 1/2″ headspace.Wipe rims with a clean towel moistened with a little vinegar. Center lid on jar and add ring. Screw down to finger-tip tight.
- Place jars in water bath canner and cover with at least 1″ of water. Bring to boil. Process pints for 20 minutes.
- Once the 20 minute processing time is up, turn off heat, remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool for 16-24 hours.
- Remove bands after cooled and wipe jars to ensure there is no residue on them before storing them.
Notes
