Homemade applesauce has a depth of flavor that can't be replicated, and it's one of the easiest fall recipes to make. Here's how to make the perfect unsweetened applesauce this season and how to store it for the next year.
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- How to make unsweetened applesauce
- Tips for making homemade applesauce
- Recipe for unsweetened applesauce
- How to can applesauce in a water bath canner
- 📖 Recipe
- How many quarts of applesauce do you get from a bushel of apples?
- Is lemon juice necessary for applesauce?
- What is the best apple for homemade unsweetened applesauce?
- How do you keep apples from turning brown when making unsweetened applesauce?
- What is the best way to preserve applesauce?
- Can you overcook apples for applesauce?
- How do you thicken homemade applesauce?
- How long does homemade applesauce last?
- 💬 Comments
How to make unsweetened applesauce
Making applesauce at home takes four ingredients and about an hour. In fact, the most time consuming part is peeling, coring, and dicing the apples.
Here's the TLDR version: after peeling, coring, and slicing the apples, put them in a pot with water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Leave them on high heat until they begin to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Once the apples can be easily smooshed against the side of the pot, remove them from the heat and puree them using either a food processor or immersion blender.
If you've got the desired consistency on the first go, you're done! If it's too thin, just add the applesauce back to the pot and heat it on low, stirring constantly, until it's right. Keep in mind that the applesauce will thicken once it cools.
That's the overview, and it's really as complicated as making applesauce needs to be. But there are a few tips that might make your applesauce come out a bit tastier.
Tips for making homemade applesauce
The key to making good unsweetened applesauce is dicing the apples finely to begin with. Cut the apples into large chunks, and you may have to overcook them to get the right thickness-- leading to a sauce with a fine consistency, but depleted flavor. Finely diced apples means less cooking time, which means better flavor and no need for added sweeteners.
Another factor: choosing apples that cook down well. If you have a few varieties to choose from, go for one with a sweet flavor that isn't recommended for baking. Baking apples keep their crispness well when cooked, but we want something soft that's going to break down quickly.
An exception to this already loose rule is that sweet, baking variety apples that are bruised or grainy can be great to use for applesauce. In fact, making unsweetened applesauce is an ideal way to use up any sweet-but-damaged apples.
Really, you can make tasty unsweetened applesauce from any not-too-tart apples you have. If you haven't yet bought apples, here are a few good applesauce varieties that lend a sweet and tart flavor to applesauce and cook down quickly:
- Honeycrisp
- Gala
- McIntosh
- Golden Delicious
- Fuji
Recipe for unsweetened applesauce
This recipe is for a small batch of applesauce-- it yields just over two pints, or about nine (9) ½ cup servings. It scales easily, so you can double or triple it to make a batch of applesauce to can for the year.
To make this recipe, you'll need:
- 6 medium apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- pinch of salt
This comes out to about ¼ peck of apples and the juice of ½ lemon. Adding a pinch of salt helps the apples to soften and break down quickly.
The water should just cover the diced apples, as any extra can lead to an overly runny applesauce. To avoid this (as well as browning), add the lemon juice and water to a large mixing bowl. Add the apples as they are diced-- the lemon juice will delay browning. Once all the apples are diced, pour them into the pot you'll be using first. Then, transfer only as much water as needed to cover the apples. This will likely be no less than 1 ½ cups and no more than 2 cups.
Supplies for this recipe are minimal. Here's what you'll need to make the applesauce, plus a few supplies for canning it:
- Medium-sized pot (or a stock pot, for large batches)
- Mason jars and new lids
- Water bath canner
How to can applesauce in a water bath canner
Canning homemade applesauce is straightforward and takes not much longer than making applesauce, so it's a great storage option. If you've canned apples, apple butter, or other acidic fruits before, this will be similar. Apples don't need citric acid or lemon juice to be canned, and you'll need to process them for long enough that there's no need to sterilize the jars beforehand.
To start, fill the water bath canner and bring it up to temperature. The applesauce should be poured into the jars while still hot, so heating up the canner in advance will ensure that the sauce doesn't cool in the meantime.
Once the applesauce has reached the desired thickness and while it is still hot, funnel it into the pint or quart jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe down the rims of the jars with a clean, dry towel and screw on the lids until 'fingertip tight.'
How long you process the jars for will depend on two factors: your elevation, and whether you're using pint or quart jars. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, here's how long to keep your jars in the water bath canner:
- 0 - 1,000 feet above sea level: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- 1,001 - 3,000: 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
- 3,001 - 6,000: 20 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
📖 Recipe
Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
A delicious, simple, and naturally sweet homemade applesauce made with just four ingredients
Ingredients
- 6 medium apples (peeled, cored, and diced)
- 2 c water
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Peel, core, and finely dice the apples into a bowl with 2 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- Add the apples, to a medium pot and cover with just enough water and lemon juice to cover the diced apples. Heat, uncovered, on high
- When the water reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer
- Cook down, stirring occasionally, until apples easily disintegrate when pressed against the side of the pot. Remove from heat and puree using a food processor or immersion blender.
- Return the applesauce to the pot and heat on medium-low, stirring regularly, until it reaches the desired consistency. Keep in mind that it will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Once you've achieved the consistency you like, remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge, or can in a water bath canner for a longer shelf-life
Notes
- Apple varieties that are well suited to making applesauce include Honeycrisp, Gala, McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Fuji
How many quarts of applesauce do you get from a bushel of apples?
A bushel of apple can weigh 40-48 pounds and have 70-100 medium sized apples. Apple sizes and densities vary greatly, but you can generally expect to make 12-15 quarts of applesauce per bushel of apples.
That means that a bushel of apples would make anywhere from 96 to 120 ½ cup servings of applesauce.
Is lemon juice necessary for applesauce?
Lemon juice helps the apples to keep from browning before they cook down, but it's not a necessary ingredient for canning apples. Most fruits, including apples, are acidic enough to be canned without the use of citric acid powder or lemon juice.
If you don't have any lemons or lemon juice at hand, you can make this recipe without it.
What is the best apple for homemade unsweetened applesauce?
Really, any apple can be used to make applesauce-- which variety is best comes down to taste. Generally, look for a sweet variety that cooks down easily; Honeycrisp, Gala, McIntosh, and Golden Delicious are all good options.
How do you keep apples from turning brown when making unsweetened applesauce?
To avoid browning, peel one apple at a time and add the diced apples to a bowl of water and lemon juice as soon as they're cut. This recipe uses a ratio of about 1 tablespoon lemon juice per cup of water.
What is the best way to preserve applesauce?
Applesauce can be kept in the fridge or frozen, but canning will allow it to keep much longer. Canning applesauce is easy enough with either a water bath canner or pressure canner-- see the above recipe for more in-depth canning instructions.
Can you overcook apples for applesauce?
It's certainly possible to cook applesauce for too long. Though the texture won't necessarily be worse off, overcooking applesauce will gradually detract from its flavor. The best way to avoid overcooking is to dice the apples into small pieces so that they can break down quickly and use a soft apple variety.
If it takes longer than half an hour for your applesauce to be ready for the immersion blender (or food processor), the chunks of apple might have been too large. Take a little bit more time on the front end to dice the apples into pieces no bigger than 1" to avoid a long cooking time.
How do you thicken homemade applesauce?
Homemade applesauce doesn't require any added thickening agents like homemade apple pie filling does. But, if you've made yours with too much water, just cook it down on low heat, stirring frequently, until it's reached the desired consistency. Keep in mind that it will thicken considerably once cooled.
How long does homemade applesauce last?
If stored in the fridge, homemade applesauce will generally keep for about a week. If canned and stored in a cool, dry, dark place, it can keep for up to two years.