This homemade chunky applesauce is super delicious and easy to make in just one hour. The apples stay chunky, so it doesn't feel like you're eating mushy baby food. And the warm, spiced flavor is great on pancakes, waffles, and oatmeal. Or devour it by the spoonful on its own!
Making Applesauce at Home with Less Sugar
Making homemade apple sauce is surprisingly simple. Just simmer peeled apples with spices and sugar in a pot on the stove. In half an hour, you'll have delicious homemade applesauce, without any preservatives!
Apples naturally release juice as they simmer, so you don't need to add any liquid to the pot. And their natural sweetness means we add less than a cup of sugar to the whole batch.
There's only six simple ingredients needed to make this spiced applesauce. And I promise, it'll taste way better than the store bought stuff!
Endless Ways to Enjoy Spiced Apple Sauce!
This applesauce is delicious on its own, or dolloped as a sweet topping on caramel banana pancakes or a bowl of blueberry almond butter oatmeal.
But did you know that you can also bake with applesauce? It adds tons of flavor and moisture to desserts like my German applesauce cake with streusel and my chewy spiced applesauce cookies.
Notes on Ingredients
- Apples - choose soft, sweet apple varieties like Golden Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Jonagold
- Brown sugar - adds a sweet, caramelized flavor
- Granulated sugar - enhances the natural sweetness of the apples
- Spices - I recommend using ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. But you can also use pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, or allspice.
Let's Make Chunky Applesauce on the Stovetop!
- Prep: Peel and roughly chop the apples.
- Combine: In a large pot, combine the apples with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spices.
- Simmer: Simmer on medium low heat on the stove. Stir often for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the apples have released a lot of their juice and are easily mashed with a spoon. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat.
- Mash: Using the back of a spoon, a potato masher, or an immersion blender, mash the apples in the pot.
- Enjoy: Enjoy warm from the pot, or let cool completely then store in the fridge.
Tailor Your Applesauce to Your Preference
- Less Sweet: You can make this recipe without any added sugar, since apples are naturally sweet.
- Chunkier: You can make your applesauce more chunky by mashing the apples less.
- Smoother: You can make your applesauce smoother by mashing the apples more.
Storing
Allow the applesauce to cool completely at room temperature. Transfer to airtight containers like mason jars and store in the fridge for up to one week.
You can also store applesauce in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of apples are best for making homemade applesauce?
Soft, sweet varieties of apples make the best applesauce including Golden Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Jonagold.
Can you use any apples for applesauce?
Technically yes, you can make applesauce out of any apple variety. However softer apples will break down and cook faster. And you may need to add more sugar to sour apples like Granny Smith.
How much applesauce do you get from one apple?
One medium apple will give you about a half cup of applesauce. So this applesauce recipe makes about 7 cups of applesauce.
Apple Picking at Mount Hood
Two hours from our home are quaint towns, nestled at the base of Oregon's Mount Hood. In early Autumn, the sun shines warmly, and apple picking is in full swing.
We've made it an annual tradition to visit the family-run Kiyokawa Orchards and pick apples. The orchard is home to over one hundred varieties of apples!
If you have extra apples on hand, I definitely recommend making cinnamon apple streusel bread, a fancy apple frangipane tart, or German baked apples with raisins.
More Cozy Fall Recipes
Hungry for more cozy recipes featuring apples and warm spices? Try these!
Homemade Chunky Applesauce
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples, peeled and roughly chopped See blog post above for best varieties for making apple sauce.
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the apples.
- In a large pot, combine the apples with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spices.
- Simmer on medium low heat on the stove. Stir often for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the apples have released a lot of their juice and are easily mashed with a spoon. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the heat.
- Using the back of a spoon, a potato masher, or an immersion blender, mash up the apples in the pot. You can mash them as much or as little as you like, depending on how chunky you want your apple sauce.
- Enjoy warm from the pot, or let cool completely to store in the fridge.
Notes
- Allow applesauce to cool completely, then store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to three months.
- You can make this recipe without any added sugar, since apples are naturally so sweet. But my sweet tooth prefers more sugar.
- You can make your applesauce more chunky by mashing the apples less.
- You can make your applesauce smoother by mashing the apples more.
nimabi
Thank you very much for sharing, I learned a lot from your article. Very cool. Thanks. nimabi
Carissa Erzen
Thank you so much!
Yum-number1
Those pictures look so nice! Great job!
strawberryandcream
Thank you! We had fun taking a mini photo shoot of all the beautiful apples. ðŸ˜
Azilde Elizabeth
Delicious 😋 and what a beautiful view! Glad you had a great time apple picking! It's so much fun!
strawberryandcream
Thank you! It was a blast, and we had perfect weather for it! Do you have apple picking available near where you live? ðŸŽ
Azilde Elizabeth
Yes, we have lots of apple farms. I go twice a year to 2 different farms to pick apples 😆 I love the apple cider and apple cider donuts. A must! ðŸŽ
strawberryandcream
Ooh I love apple cider! I haven't ever tried apple cider donuts, but now I will be on the lookout for them!! ðŸ©
Azilde Elizabeth
🩠🤤!!
Jiim
So many delicious apples super sweet right off the tree. Love photos of the mountain.
strawberryandcream
It was hard not to eat all the apples while out in the orchard!
Thank you! Mount Hood was looking extra photogenic on this sunny Autumn day. 🗻