Applesauce
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One taste, and you’ll never go back to store-bought! This homemade applesauce is rich, tart and sweet, with an irresistible apple pie flavor that’s sure to become a favorite.
I cannot make homemade applesauce without thinking of my grandmother. No matter what was on her plate, she’d always have it with a side of applesauce—even daring to request it in fancy restaurants, probably to the horror of the kitchen staff! I know she would have absolutely adored this homemade version. It’s richly flavored, tart and sweet—and it blows store-bought applesauce out of the water.
With just four ingredients, this homemade applesauce recipe is a breeze—the hardest part is peeling the apples. While it’s traditionally made on the stovetop, I prefer the baking method. On the stovetop, you need to add water or juice to prevent sticking, but in the oven, no extra liquid is required, so you get a more concentrated apple flavor. And while I may not reach for it with every meal the way my grandmother did, I can see why she loved it so much—it’s perfect as a side dish with pork tenderloin, roast chicken, pierogi or latkes, on its own as a snack, or even spooned over pancakes or vanilla ice cream.
“I had a bunch of apples slightly past their prime and this was a great way to use them. I added a cinnamon sticks and it made the house smell lovely.”
What you’ll need to make homemade applesauce
- Apples – I like to use a blend of McIntosh, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples for a more nuanced flavor. Feel free to use other varieties, such as Jonathan, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Braeburn, Stayman Winesap, Gala, etc.—just keep in mind that super-tart apples will yield a tangy applesauce, and may require more sugar to balance the flavors.
- Butter – Adds richness and helps enhance the natural sweetness of the apples as they bake.
- Brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a touch of molasses flavor. You can choose light or dark depending on how deep you want the flavor to be.
- Ground cinnamon – For sprinkling at the end; adds warmth and spice to complement the apples.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, peel, core and chop the apples into 1-inch chunks.
Place them in a 9×13-inch baking dish and top with brown sugar and pads of butter.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 t0 50 minutes, until the apples are tender.
Using a potato masher or fork, mash the apples to your desired consistency (I like a chunky texture).
Taste and add more brown sugar if necessary. Note that no two batches will taste the same — it all depends on the apples you use. Transfer to a serving dish and add a dash of cinnamon, if desired. The applesauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Applesauce
One taste, and you’ll never go back to store-bought! This homemade applesauce is rich, tart and sweet, with an irresistible apple pie flavor that’s sure to become a favorite.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds apples (about 10), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks (I like a combination of McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch chunks
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
- Ground cinnamon, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the apples in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Scatter the brown sugar and chunks of butter evenly over top. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the apples are very tender.
- Mash the apples with a potato masher or fork. Taste; if the applesauce is too tart, add more brown sugar little by little until the flavors are balanced. (Note that no two batches will ever be the same; the flavor will depend on the tartness of the apples you use.)
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The applesauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 196
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Sugar: 34g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 6mg
- Cholesterol: 11mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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This was so darn good! New favorite dish, especially good served warm. I devoured a serving of it when I took it out of the oven and sort of contimplated not serving it at my brunch the next morning so that I could eat it all right then and there instead. This dish will find its way onto my table many more times, it was very easy to make and I loved it!
I’m wondering if anyone has used a brown sugar substitute?
Personally, Renee, I haven’t, but I will let other readers weigh in if they have.
Made this a day before I wanted to use it to go along with once upon a chef’s latkes recipe. The most time consuming part was the peeling of the apples. Overall this recipe is easy and came out so great, especially served with the latkes!!!!
I loved this applesauce. It came out so much more flavorful than stovetop versions that I have tried. My family loved it so much that I tried experimenting with the recipe to see what other fruits would work. I ended up substituting pear for the apples and white granulated sugar for the brown and it came out fantastic. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I made this for Thanksgiving with my 10 year old boys. It was simple enough for them to make with just a little supervision and straight out of the oven it tastes amazing. The warm, sweetened apples could be a dessert. I used the apple combination you recommended and it was perfect. We had to run back to the store for more apples because they ate so much of it before Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I love the baking method, instead of the stovetop, allows for multi tasking. Chunky is always my preferred method. The cinnamon is an extra health benefit. Love, love. I am with your grandmother, “every meal”! Just enough sweetness to feel like your meal is complete with a dessert. “An apple a day….”. Thanks.
Absolutely love this recipe! So easy to bake the apples.
Hi,
There is a lot of juice at the bottom of my pan. Should I drain it or mash it up with all the juices?
Hi Marci, Definitely mash it up. 🙂
This applesauce is delicious and very
versatile. We used it with plain yoghurt,
pancakes, pork tenderloin, chicken cutlets…
Thanks for this great idea to use up every
apple in the fridge (plus a couple of pears).
Can you store this in mason jars and put it in the fridge? If so, how long do you think it will keep?
Hi Alecia, sure you could store this in mason jars and it will keep nicely for about a week in the fridge. It also freezes well. Enjoy!