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Home / Recipes / Homemade Chunky Applesauce

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Homemade Chunky Applesauce

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Get sauced.

copper pot with diced apples and cinnamon for applesauce

Homemade chunky applesauce is so simple and so many 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 cooks itself in no time. It needs only a dash of cinnamon to make it otherworldly good.

You’ll Also Like: Jewish Apple Cake and Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

whole apples for applesauce with copper pot

Let’s Talk Homemade Applesauce vs. the Other Kind

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 homemade applesauce — applesauce that’s so naturally sweet and satisfying it’s closer to apple pie filling than side dish. Homemade applesauce requires little more than cutting apples into chunks, adding a splash of water and cinnamon, and cooking it down. If you choose the right apples, you do not even need any added sugar.

bowl of cooked homemade applesauce with cinnamon on top

Recipe Notes: Homemade Chunky Applesauce

  • You can peel the apples, but I recommend leaving them on. The color will be beautiful, and the skins will soften enough to not be tough.
  • Choose the right 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). Choose a crisp, sweet-tart seasonal apple like Honeycrisp, Fiji, McIntosh, or Macoun.
  • If you choose from the above apples, you should not need any sugar. 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.

What do you like to serve with applesauce? Share below!

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

copper pot with diced apples and cinnamon for applesauce
Print Recipe

Homemade Chunky Applesauce

No sugar, no fuss. Soft, delicious applesauce 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
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced (optional)

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.

Filed Under: Easy, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian + Vegan Tagged With: apple, apples, applesauce, easy, side, vegan, vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

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