Chunky Homemade Applesauce

Get (apple) saucy.

This easy, chunky homemade applesauce recipe has no added sugar, letting apple’s natural sweetness and color shine. It’s a chunky, cinnamon-kissed applesauce that will spoil you forever and doesn’t even require peeling the apples. 

Why a Homemade Chunky Applesauce Recipe Is Better Than Store-Bought

Homemade applesauce is so easy and so many flavor leaps and bounds above anything sold in a jar that it seems unfair to even compare the two. In fact, it is easier to say what you do not need in a homemade applesauce recipe: no peeler, no list of ingredients, no length of time, no sugar, no masher, no stress.

This sweet but gently tart homemade applesauce recipe cooks itself in no time. It needs only a dash of cinnamon to make it otherworldly good, no sugar necessary because you’ll chose the right apples. The apples break down naturally into thick, soft chunks, which makes for a much more satisfying result than thin, processed applesauce.

Homemade Chunky Applesauce vs. Jarred

We all know bad applesauce: the mushy, grainy, flavorless blob that sits in the plastic container with the foil top. This applesauce is the stuff of school lunch plates, the color reminiscent of expired silly putty or industrial sand before it gets mixed into cement.

But let’s focus on chunky, easy homemade applesauce — applesauce that’s so naturally sweet and satisfying it’s closer to apple pie filling than side dish.

Making Applesauce from Scratch

Homemade chunky applesauce requires little more than the following easy steps:

1. Cut the apples into chunks. No need to peel. The skins will make the applesauce color beautiful and ruddy, and the skins will soften enough in the cooking process to not be tough. Exception: You’ll want to peel tough-skinned Granny Smith or Red Delicious apples.
2. Add a splash of water and cinnamon, and cook in a pot, partially covered, until very soft. Stir well, add a dash of cinnamon to the top, maybe with a pat of butter, and enjoy.

If you choose the right apples, you do not even need any added sugar.

What kind of apples are best for making homemade applesauce?

Choose the right apples for your homemade applesauce. Apples very greatly in texture, skin thickness, and flavor. It’s important to choose the best apples for making applesauce.

The best and worst apples for this chunky applesauce recipe

• The worst applesauce apples: Avoid Red Delicious (the exterior is too leathery) and Granny Smith (too green and tart for applesauce, though I love Granny Smith for pie).
• The best applesauce apples: Choose a crisp, sweet-tart seasonal apple with a pretty pink skin such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, McIntosh, or Macoun.

No Sugar Apple Sauce Recipe

If you choose from the apples suggested above, you should no added sugar to this applesauce recipe is needed. I add only a pinch of salt and some cinnamon. But if you taste it and think it could use a little sweetening, add light brown sugar one teaspoon at a time.

How long will homemade applesauce last?

Unless you go through a full canning and preserving process, this fresh applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for a little over one week or so.

Love this cozy, chunky homemade applesauce recipe? You’ll also like:

• Jewish Apple Cake
• Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
• Easy Stovetop Mac n’ Cheese

Print Recipe

Easy Homemade Chunky Applesauce (No Sugar!)

No added sugar, no fuss. Here's your easy chunky homemade applesauce recipe: thick, naturally sweet, and topped with a pinch of cinnamon.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keywords:: apple, apples, applesauce, cinnamon, easy, fall recipes, side dish

Servings: 5 to 7 people as a side dish

Ingredients

• 6 medium apples, such as McIntosh or Honeycrisp, washed
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch kosher salt
• ¾ cup water
• ½ lemon, juiced (optional)
• Pat of butter (optional), to finish

Instructions

• Chop the apples into a medium dice. Discard the core.
• Place the apples in a pot with the water, salt, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft and melted. The apples should cook at a steady simmer.
• Add the lemon juice, if using. Stir vigorously to emulsify everything into a sauce and taste.
• Serve warm, topped with a pinch of cinnamon and a pat of butter.

Notes

Making homemade applesauce can be done in no time, with little more than a knife, cutting board, and a pot. Once you try this easy homemade applesauce recipe, it's hard to go back to store-bought kind.