The recipe prices will vary based on fluctuating grocery costs. Please use what is posted as a guide.
This Homemade Chunky Applesauce recipe is easy to make and always a family favorite. It is great for snacks, breakfast, and even canning. You can make it on the stovetop, slow cooker, or pressure cooker.
For only $8.32, you can make this easy homemade applesauce recipe. It makes 6 servings, which is only $1.38 per serving.
This recipe is great served alongside our Baked Pork Chops any time of the year. Or as a side dish during the holidays alongside our Instant Pot Turkey Breast or our Christmas Beef Chuck Roast.
When we buy a jar of applesauce from the store, it usually sits in our fridge for a long time before it gets thrown away. This is because no one seems to like it.
But when we make it homemade, we can hardly keep it in the fridge for a few days. Everyone in the family loves it, kids and adults alike!
We love having our kids help with this recipe, especially when prepping the apples. They love to core and peel the apples while using our apple peeler corer.
You can see a demonstration of one of our kids using it in a video about our Favorite Kitchen Tools. But, seriously, it is a must-have!
Homemade apple sauce is a fall-time classic that we enjoy year-round. It is perfect during the fall when apples are in abundance and always on sale! The seasonings are reminiscent of an apple pie, and it has the best chunky texture.
Kids enjoy it as an after-school snack. But, of course, we all love it as a topping on our ice cream.
You can also serve it as a side dish for a weeknight dinner or holiday meal. Additionally, you can even put it in mason jars and deliver it to friends and neighbors.
This Homemade Applesauce is a versatile recipe that uses a handful of ingredients with minimal effort, resulting in such an easy recipe to make!
Ingredients and Cost
RECIPE COST: $8.32
PRICE PER SERVING: $1.38
- 6 pounds apples – $7.02
- 1 lemon – $0.48
- 1 cup apple juice – $0.15
- 1/2 cup brown sugar – $0.24
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – $0.04
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg – $0.39
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
Instructions
- First, cook the apples in a large pot. Squeeze the lemon over the apples and toss to coat.
- Next, stir in the apple juice and spices.
- Cook the apples for 20-30 minutes. Then smash the apples to your desired consistency.
- Finally, serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Recipe Variations
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: You can also make this recipe in the slow cooker. To do this, place all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Then smash the apples to your desired consistency.
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: You can use the Instant Pot by placing all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 8 minutes with a quick release. Then mash the apples.
Storage Tips
Serve: Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Store: Store in an airtight container or Mason jar for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Place the homemade chunky applesauce in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Cook’s Tools:
- large pot
- apple peeler corer
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- potato smasher
- wooden mixing spoon
Recipe FAQs
A softer variety of apples works best since you will be cooking down the apples. Our favorites to use include Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, or a mix of these.
It is actually a little bit cheaper to buy a bottle of applesauce at the store than making it fresh at home. However, the difference is pennies per ounce. The taste of homemade applesauce is leaps and bounds better than store-bought, so the few pennies more than it costs to make it at home is worth it, in our opinion.
Yes! Once you open a jar of applesauce, you have about a week (when stored in the refrigerator) before it goes bad. Our homemade applesauce will last for about a week in the refrigerator.
Our homemade applesauce it! It has just six ingredients: apples, lemon juice, apple juice, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg.
Get Kids Involved
Ages 2-3: Give them the potato smasher to help you smash up the apples after cooking them. The littles ones love helping with this part!
Ages 4-5: Set up the apple peeler corer and let them crank it after you put the apple on for them.
Ages 6-8: This is a great recipe to let them try independently doing most of the recipe. It uses a handful of ingredients, is easy to make, and will help build their confidence in the kitchen.
Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!
Budget Tips
Buy apples when they are on sale in the Fall and make several batches of this applesauce. You will not regret it!
More Side Dish Recipes
- 1 Hour French Bread
- 5 Bean Salad
- Asparagus in the Oven
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Caesar Salad
- Easy Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Fresh Green Beans Almondine
- Green Bean Casserole
- Large Batch 1-Hour Dinner Rolls
Homemade Applesauce – Made on the Stovetop
Equipment
- large pot
- Apple Peeler Corer
- measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- potato smasher
- Wooden mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 6 pounds apples golden delicious, honeycrisp, granny smith, Fuji, or a mix, peeled, cored and cut into slices
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup apple juice or apple cider
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
COOK APPLES:
- Place the peeled, cored, and cut apples into a large heavy-bottomed pot.
- Squeeze the lemon over the apples and toss to coat.
- Stir in apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Cook apple mixture over medium heat, stirring often, for 20-30 minutes or until the apples are tender.
SMASH OR PROCESS APPLES:
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Smash the apples with a potato masher, or process with an immersion blender or food processor.
SERVE:
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
- Store in an airtight container or Mason jar for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
don drouin says
What do you have to do to process the apple sauce for canning?
Jess Jankowski says
Hi Don, we have not yet created steps for canning for our recipe but after you make the recipe you can follow any other favorite blogger’s directions for canning. Let us know if you would like a recommendation.
Hanna says
We just moved into a house with a big apple tree. I can’t wait to make this. I’m collecting apple recipes now!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family