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Home / Recipes / Chunky Homemade Applesauce

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Chunky Homemade Applesauce

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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. 

chunky homemade applesauce recipe no sugar

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.

best types of apples for making easy applesauce no sugar

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.

homemade chunky applesauce recipe no 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.

platter of pork tenderloin with side of homemade chunky applesauce, salad, and biscuits

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
homemade chunky applesauce diced apples and cinnamon for applesauce
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.

Filed Under: Easy, Food + Grief Recipes, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian + Vegan Tagged With: apple, apples, applesauce, chunky applesauce recipe, easy, homemade applesauce recipe, how to make applesauce, side, vegan, vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynne says

    December 24, 2022 at 1:55 pm

    It’s more time consuming than your method, but I cut the unpeeled apples into chunks and don’t remove the core and pips either, then press the thoroughly cooked down apples through a mesh sieve. There’s lots of pectin in the core to help “set” the sauce.
    I’m also more inclined towards adding a small length of cinnamon stick to the pot and then remove it before pressing through the sieve.

    Reply
  2. ali452 says

    September 22, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    5 stars
    Easy, good recipe. It is nice that I did not have to peel the apples, which made a very nice color and much easier for me to make.

    Reply
  3. Kim says

    April 1, 2022 at 10:04 am

    Going to try this. What happens to the skin in this process? Since pesticides are mostly in the skin, does this neutralize any that might be there?

    Reply
    • Unpeeled says

      April 1, 2022 at 11:40 am

      Good question. If pesticides are a concern and you are not using organic apples (which is what I prefer to eat), just peel the apples ad proceed. Rinsing the apples well will remove some percentage of the pesticides, but not all. Cooking will not remove the chemicals, sadly.

      Reply
  4. EMILIE says

    October 26, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    I was wondering if you could do the apple sauce in a slow cooker?

    Reply
    • Unpeeled says

      October 26, 2021 at 8:18 pm

      Hello and absolutely. It should work out fine. Cook it on medium for about 5 hours, more or less, stirring once or twice during the process. Enjoy!

      Reply
  5. L.D. says

    October 1, 2021 at 3:00 pm

    If I made a few batches of this could I place in mason jars for the freezer?

    Reply
    • Unpeeled says

      October 1, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      Absolutely! As long as the mason jars are freezer-safe, the applesauce will freeze well. Let them thaw in the fridge, and stir to re-emulsify in case of any separation.

      Reply
  6. W.T. says

    September 21, 2021 at 3:43 pm

    5 stars
    I am embarrassed that I never knew how easy homemade applesauce was. This is simply delicious and I will never buy again.

    Reply
  7. H.R. says

    September 10, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    5 stars
    This is so easy and I love how it tasted.

    Reply
  8. Greta says

    February 26, 2021 at 11:17 am

    5 stars
    This recipe worked very well and I love that you don’t need added sugar.

    Reply
  9. Trish says

    September 29, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    5 stars
    Yep! A keeper. Love the cinnamon and apple flavor. Thanks for the great recipe!!! 🙂

    Reply
  10. R.S. says

    September 29, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    This is a great, basic recipe for applesauce and could not be more easy. I do not use lemon juice; I think it tasted just right without it.

    Reply
  11. Joy says

    September 29, 2020 at 3:28 pm

    5 stars
    Honestly, I never tried to make homemade applesauce but we went apple picking this past weekend and have so many, and then I saw this! It is so simple and tasted delicious. I am making homemade from now on!

    Reply

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