Homemade Applesauce
Apples, a splash of water, and patience — the cleanest-tasting applesauce has two ingredients.
Ingredients
- 6 Apple (tart)
- 1 Cinnamon stick (optional)
- 2 tbsp Sugar (optional)
- ½ Lemon (optional)
- ⅛ tsp Salt (optional)
Method
- Peel and core the apples, then cut them into rough chunks.
- Squeeze the juice from the lemon, fishing out any pips.
- Combine the apple chunks, a splash of water, the cinnamon stick, the lemon juice, and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pan and simmer gently until the apples collapse when prodded, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Lift out the cinnamon stick, then mash the apples to your liking — chunky with a fork or smooth with a whisk.
- Taste, and stir in a little sugar only if the apples need it. (optional)
- Serve the applesauce warm or cold; it keeps a week in the fridge.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Homemade Applesauce
Homemade applesauce is proof that the simplest cooking often tastes cleanest: at its core it is nothing but apples and a splash of water, simmered until they collapse. Tart apples give it brightness and structure, a cinnamon stick infuses gentle warmth without the muddiness of ground spice, and a little lemon juice keeps the color pale and the flavor lively. Because there's no butter, cream, or heavy sweetening, the finished sauce tastes purely of apple — and you control the texture entirely, from rustic and chunky to smooth, depending on how you mash it.
This is a versatile, forgiving preparation, naturally vegan and light, that works as a dessert, a breakfast alongside toast or yogurt, or a companion to savory dishes like pork or potato pancakes. Because it leans on the fruit itself, sugar is added only at the end and only if the apples truly need it — a tart batch may need none at all. Fishing out the cinnamon stick before mashing keeps the flavor clean, and the sauce keeps well and is just as good served warm or chilled straight from the fridge.
Homemade Applesauce: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Homemade Applesauce?
A serving has about 79 calories — 0.5g protein, 21.2g carbs, 0.3g fat, 3.6g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Homemade Applesauce gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Homemade Applesauce has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Do I need every ingredient to make Homemade Applesauce?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out cinnamon stick, sugar, lemon — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Homemade Applesauce make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.