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Applesauce Recipe: How to Make Homemade Applesauce

Name: Applesauce Recipe: How to Make Homemade Applesauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3 pounds apples (Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, and McIntosh are the best apples for cooking); ½ cup apple cider; 3 tablespoons of lemon juice; ¼ cup white sugar (You can use maple syrup or honey as substitutes. For an unsweetened applesauce, use less sugar or remove the sugar altogether.); ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional for extra spice)

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Jul 16, 2026 • 2 min read

Applesauce is an easy-to-make dish known for having a tangy, yet sweet flavor. The staple side is a great choice for a BBQ or an afternoon snack.

Learn From the Best

What Is Applesauce?

Applesauce is made by cooking apples with water, apple juice, or apple cider. The mixture is boiled down into a purée, creating a smooth or chunky blend. You can use any type of apple to make applesauce, and you can even blend a variety of apples together for a unique flavor.

Applesauce can be sweet or slightly spiced depending on the spices and ingredients you add. For example, adding lemon juice gives your applesauce a citrus tang. This flavoring works well with tart apples. For a spiced applesauce reminiscent of autumn, you can add nutmeg and cinnamon to sweet apples.

In European countries, applesauce is typically served with pork chops or potato pancakes. In North America, you’ll find applesauce at BBQs alongside hamburgers and hot dogs. It’s also a popular side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. While you can purchase premade applesauce at your local grocery store, it is easy to make your own homemade applesauce from freshly picked apples.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

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makes

prep time

15 min

total time

40 min

cook time

25 min

Ingredients

3 pounds apples (Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, and McIntosh are the best apples for cooking)
½ cup apple cider
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
¼ cup white sugar (You can use maple syrup or honey as substitutes. For an unsweetened applesauce, use less sugar or remove the sugar altogether.)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional for extra spice)

1
Rinse the apples under cool water and gently pat dry. Next, peel the apples using a knife or peeler. Some people prefer leaving some of the skin on the apples for an extra crunch. Cut the apples into small pieces, discarding the cores, and place the slices in a large pot.
2
Pour the apple cider into the pot, followed by the lemon juice. Using a large spoon, stir the apples, so all the slices are coated in the liquid mixture. This will help the dry ingredients evenly spread across the apple slices.
3
Mix in the sugar, ground cinnamon, and optional brown sugar. Stir the mixture until all the apple slices are covered in the ingredients.
4
Set the stove to high heat and stir the apples for a few minutes. As the mixture heats up and boils, cover the pot and let it cook on medium heat for 25 minutes.
5
Mash or blend the apples until you reach your desired consistency. For a chunky applesauce, use a potato masher or fork to break the cooked apples up by hand. For a smoother applesauce, blend the cooked apples in a food processor, food mill, or immersion blender.
6
Applesauce can be served warm right out of the pot, or chilled from the refrigerator. If you’re serving your applesauce as a warm dessert, consider adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. As the ice cream melts over the warm, cooked apples, the vanilla bean flavor will mix into the sweetness of the applesauce. If you’re serving your applesauce cold and want to add something extra, you can place a cinnamon stick on top for presentation.
7
To store, place your leftover applesauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Homemade applesauce lasts 10 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze applesauce for long-term storage.

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