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Home » Recipes » Condiments

Easy Homemade Chunky Applesauce

Published: Jun 13, 2023 · Updated: Mar 12, 2025 by Carissa Erzen · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

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5 from 1 vote

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!

a spoon dipping into a jar of homemade chunky applesauce

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!

three jars of chunky applesauce next to a basket of apples

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.

four apples on a cutting board peeled, next to all the apple peels

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.
hand holding a spoon with chunky applesauce

Let's Make Chunky Applesauce on the Stovetop!

  1. Prep: Peel and roughly chop the apples.
  2. Combine: In a large pot, combine the apples with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and spices.
  3. 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.
  4. Mash: Using the back of a spoon, a potato masher, or an immersion blender, mash the apples in the pot.
  5. Enjoy: Enjoy warm from the pot, or let cool completely then store in the fridge.
three mason jars filled with homemade chunky applesauce

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.

Varieties of red and green apples ready to be cooked into chunky applesauce.

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.

peeled apples sitting on a cutting board

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.

View of a mountain behind apple trees.
Wood signs at an apple orchard.
A girl reaching up to pick an apple from a tree.
A hand holding the map of an apple orchard.
Red apples handing from tree branches.
A hand picking a fresh red apple from an apple tree.

More Cozy Fall Recipes

Hungry for more cozy recipes featuring apples and warm spices? Try these!

  • Close-up of a large cookie topped with crumbly streusel and a bite taken out of it.
    Applesauce Cookies with Cinnamon Streusel
  • Three slices of whole wheat bread standing upright on a wooden cutting board.
    Rustic No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread in the Dutch Oven
  • Pear Frangipane Tart (Fresh Pears with a No Chill Crust!)
  • Easy Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Homemade Chunky Applesauce

Carissa Erzen
This chunky applesauce is super delicious and easy to make! The texture stays chunky, so it doesn't feel like you're eating baby food. Enjoy it on pancakes, waffles, oatmeal or on its own!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Recipe Rate Recipe Save Saved Recipe!
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 7 cups
Calories 260 kcal

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 374mgFiber: 8gSugar: 56gVitamin A: 179IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple sauce recipe, best apples for apple sauce, chunky applesauce, homemade applesauce
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!

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About Carissa Erzen

Growing up in Germany, I fell head-over-heels in love with ALL the German baked goods, from Lebkuchen to pretzels. Now I'm the founder, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Humbly Homemade, where I test and share German sweets lovingly created from scratch. So pull up a chair, and stay a while!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. nimabi

    December 05, 2023 at 7:28 am

    Thank you very much for sharing, I learned a lot from your article. Very cool. Thanks. nimabi

    Reply
    • Carissa Erzen

      February 02, 2024 at 10:08 am

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  2. Yum-number1

    November 11, 2021 at 7:27 pm

    Those pictures look so nice! Great job!

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      November 27, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Thank you! We had fun taking a mini photo shoot of all the beautiful apples. 😁

      Reply
  3. Azilde Elizabeth

    November 10, 2021 at 2:42 am

    Delicious 😋 and what a beautiful view! Glad you had a great time apple picking! It's so much fun!

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      November 10, 2021 at 9:56 pm

      Thank you! It was a blast, and we had perfect weather for it! Do you have apple picking available near where you live? 🍎

      Reply
      • Azilde Elizabeth

        November 11, 2021 at 1:56 am

        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! 🍎

        Reply
        • strawberryandcream

          November 27, 2021 at 8:47 am

          Ooh I love apple cider! I haven't ever tried apple cider donuts, but now I will be on the lookout for them!! 🍩

          Reply
          • Azilde Elizabeth

            November 27, 2021 at 3:47 pm

            🍩 🤤!!

            Reply
  4. Jiim

    November 09, 2021 at 8:21 am

    So many delicious apples super sweet right off the tree. Love photos of the mountain.

    Reply
    • strawberryandcream

      November 10, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      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. 🗻

      Reply
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