Homemade applesauce is one of my kids’ favorite recipes to help with, in the kitchen. My mother-in-law shared this easy recipe with me when my kids were small and we have been making our own applesauce every fall since.
The kitchen skills needed for homemade applesauce are few and the end results are delicious. If you have enough apples, you can reap the rewards of an afternoon’s labor for several weeks to come. If you only have a few apples, you will have enough to make a crockpot full for dinner. As a mom, I love that I am able to control the amount of sugar in the recipe.
I do have an important disclaimer. Since my kids have made homemade applesauce, they really do not care for store-bought. Make at your own risk!
Our homemade applesauce activity always starts with a visit to the local apple orchard. See an amazing local list here! We usually buy a few pecks. This will yield us about nine quarts of applesauce {one peck=2-3 quarts}.
The great thing about this homemade applesauce recipe is that it requires very few ingredients. The only thing you need to make applesauce is apples, sugar, and water. This piece of equipment, below, is completely worth the $20 investment too.
With this apple machine, my kids can help without getting bored. I pop an apple on and away they go. We like to put on a college football game {Go Blue!} and spend the afternoon making our jars. It really is the best tasting applesauce!
Directions:
Prep Apples
- Peel apples and remove seeds {this is where the tool comes in very handy}.
- Chunk or slice apples and place them into a LARGE pot with cold water.
- I recommend doing about 5lbs of apples at a time.
- You will need 3-4 cups of cold water per 5lbs of apples.
- Placing them directly into the cold water bath prevents them from turning brown.
Cook
- Place lid on the pot and cook on medium heat for 1-1.5 hours.
- Stir and mash the apples occasionally. I use a potato masher.
- During this process, you are cooking the apples down to the right consistency. When you are stirring, if you think the mixture is too watery, slide the lid on the pot to allow for more evaporation. If it appears too thick, add a little bit of water. The goal is to get it to your preferable applesauce texture.
- Once the consistency is reached, you can add ¾ cup-1 cup of sugar. Add sugar when there are about two minutes left.
The applesauce is ready! My family loves to eat it with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
Canning
- If you plan on making a large batch, you will probably want to can some applesauce. This process is pretty easy.
- Make sure your canning jars are washed. Boil lids {with the rubber seals} for a few minutes to prepare them.
- Fill jars approximately ½ inch from the top. Secure lid and ring.
- Process the jars in a water bath with a slow boil for about 30 minutes. Basically fill a large pot with the jars, add water up to the necks of the jars, and let the water come to a slow boil. This will make the jars seal.
- These can be kept on the shelf for several months. However, the applesauce is so yummy I always run out of jars before Christmas!
What is your favorite apple recipe to enjoy each fall?
What kind of apples do you typically use?