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    You Are Here Home » Condiments & Sauces

    Published: Oct 5, 2023 Updated: Oct 5, 2023 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 4 Comments

    Making and Canning Applesauce

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    applesauce with sliced apple in the background

    If you've ever wanted to make homemade applesauce, here's your chance! Making and canning applesauce is a breeze with this simple applesauce recipe with detailed canning instructions. If you have more apples, be sure to try my popular Canning Apple Pie Filling post!

    applesauce with sliced apple and cinnamon sticks

    I recently got a lot of apples from our friends Jim & Laura. They invited us to their lovely home to pick apples... ok, we actually invited ourselves, but why split hairs about the details?

    I've enjoyed making freeze dried apple chips, apple butter, apple sauce, and apple pie filling with the haul so far. This is my second round of applesauce, so I decided to share the recipe with you guys this time around.

    This small batch applesauce recipe makes enough for eight to nine 4-ounce jars, but you can easily double the recipe! If you end up with extra apples, you can always make yourself a microwave apple crisp!

    Jump to:
    • 🧐 Why This Recipe Works
    • 🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
    • 🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions
    • 🔪 Helpful Tools
    • 🍎 How To Make Apple Sauce
    • 🫙 How To Can Applesauce
    • ⛰ Adjust Processing Time For Altitude
    • 🍏 Best Apples for Applesauce
    • 🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs
    • 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
    • 🫐 Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🧐 Why This Recipe Works

    • Making applesauce in a crockpot at home is super easy and makes your house smell amazing as it cooks.
    • Canning applesauce is also super easy so you can enjoy applesauce all year long!
    • Homemade applesauce is much better than store-bought applesauce.
    • You get to control the amount of sugar and what spices to add, if any.
    • I like to use applesauce in baking recipes to cut down on the amount of fat, especially in my pumpkin bread!

    🛒 What You Need For This Recipe

    canning applesauce ingredients

    🔖 Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions

    • Apples: Using a variety of apples makes the best applesauce, but you can use your favorite apple variety. See "best apples for applesauce" section below for some ideas.
    • Sugar: I like to use brown sugar, but you can use white granulated sugar instead. You can also leave the sugar out completely, or add other sweeteners like honey!
    • Vanilla Extract: Add vanilla extract or splurge and add a vanilla bean instead.
    • Spices: Feel free to add any of the following spices or leave out the ones you don't like: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, or ginger.

    *See recipe card on the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients & measurements.

    🔪 Helpful Tools

    • Apple peeler/corer
    • Slow cooker
    • Food mill or strainer
    • Immersion blender
    • Waterbath canner with canning funnel, jar lifter, etc
    • Eight 4-ounce canning cars, or four half-pint jars

    🍎 How To Make Apple Sauce

    Step 1: Peel and slice apples either by hand or with an apple peeler/corer. Add to a large crockpot.

    peeling and slicing apples
    sliced apples in a crockpot

    Pro Tip: If you're not worried about a smooth texture, you can leave the skins on for extra fiber.

    Step 2: Sprinkle brown sugar over the apples then add cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract, salt, and spices. Cover with the lid and set the dial on low. Set a timer to 4 hours.

    apples in a crockpot covered with sugar and spices
    applesauce ingredients in a crockpot

    Pro Tip: Since the apples cook slowly, they breakdown and provide enough liquid for the applesauce. However, feel free to add just enough water, apple juice, or apple cider to prevent the apples from sticking.

    Step 3: Stir the apples half way through to distribute the spices throughout the apple mixture. At this point you can also taste it to see if the applesauce needs more sugar or if it needs some lemon juice to make it more tart.

    stirring applesauce ingredients

    Step 4: When the time is up, remove cinnamon sticks and use an immersion blender or a potato masher to get the applesauce to the preferred consistency. I like mine a little chunky.

    removing cinnamon stick from applesauce
    applesauce in a measuring cup

    Pro Tip: I like to pour the applesauce into a large measuring cup so I know how many jars I will need to can the applesauce.

    applesauce in a jar with an apple and cinnamon sticks in the background

    🫙 How To Can Applesauce

    Step 1: Wash lids and collars with hot soapy water and set aside. Sterilize jars by adding clean jars to a cold water bath canner, or a large pot. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least a few inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

    Step 2: Remove jars from the canner. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars leaving ½" headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a knife around the inside edges of the jar. Wipe the rims with a clean paper towel then fasten the lids and collars.

    applesauce being canned

    Step 3: Lower filled jars into hot water-bath canner. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat, then set a timer for 20 minutes. When the time is up, remove jars from canner and wait until all the jars seal before labeling and storing in the pantry.

    adding applesauce jars into waterbath canner

    Pro Tip: Any jars that don't seal should be stored in the fridge to be consumed first.

    ⛰ Adjust Processing Time For Altitude

    If you live 1000 feet or higher above sea level, you need to adjust the processing time for higher altitude! Follow the times listed below.

    AltitudeAdditional Processing Time
    1,001 — 3,000
    3,001 — 6,000
    6,001 — 8,000
    8,001 — 10,000
    5 minutes
    10 minutes
    15 minutes
    20 minutes

    🍏 Best Apples for Applesauce

    You can technically use any apples to make applesauce. Unlike making an apple pie, you don't have to worry so much about the final texture since the applesauce will have a saucy consistency.

    However, you do want the taste to be balanced. It's always a good idea to include some sweet (Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious) and sour varieties (Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jazz). Here are some other options:

    • McIntosh
    • Honeycrisp
    • Gala
    • Cortland
    • Crispin
    • Red Delicious
    • Anna
    apples in a basket

    🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs

    How long do you can applesauce in a water bath?

    Applesauce needs to water bathed for 20 minutes when not being refrigerated. This time will need to be increased for higher altitudes.

    Do you need to water bath canned applesauce?

    You only need to water bath canned applesauce if you don't refrigerate it. If you prefer, you can skip the boiling-water canner and use a pressure canner instead!

    Do you need to add lemon juice when canning applesauce?

    You don't have to add lemon juice, but it would help to preserve the applesauce. It may also help with the flavor of the applesauce if you are using sweeter apples and want the applesauce to be slightly tart.

    Do I have to add sugar when canning applesauce?

    No, you do not need to add sugar to applesauce. It's really a matter of preference. However, you may want to add some sugar to balance out the flavor between sweet and tart.

    👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

    • If you don't peel your apples, you can run the applesauce through a food mill to remove the peels before you can the apple sauce.
    • You can adjust the sweetness of this recipe by decreasing the amount of sugar. However, I don't recommend adding more sugar until after you stir the applesauce halfway through. At that point, you can add more sugar if needed.
    • If you are not using any tart apples, add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture prior to cooking.
    applesauce in a jar with a sliced apple

    🫐 Related Recipes

    If you enjoyed this canning applesauce recipe, you may want to check out these other apple recipes as well!

    • coconut caramel apple
      Gourmet Caramel Apples
    • dehydrated apples, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom
      Dehydrated Apple Chips Recipe
    • pear apple preserves being spooned out of jars
      Pear Apple Jam & Preserves
    • apple dutch baby in a cast iron skillet
      Apple Dutch Baby Recipe

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

    Stay in touch with me through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook. Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    applesauce in a jar

    Making and Canning Applesauce

    Learn how easy it is to make delicious applesauce, then can it to enjoy for months to come!
    5 from 49 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiments
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours hours
    Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 9 4 oz jars
    Calories: 157kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Equipment

    • 1 slow cooker
    • 1 foodmill
    • 1 Immersion Blender
    • 1 canner
    • 9 4-ounce mason jars

    Ingredients

    • 3½ lbs apples
    • ⅔ cup brown sugar
    • 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1½ teaspoon cinnamon)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
    • ½ teaspoon cardamom
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
    • ⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg

    Instructions

    • Peel and slice apples either by hand or with an apple peeler/corer. Add to a large crockpot.
    • Sprinkle brown sugar over the apples then add cinnamon sticks, vanilla extract, salt, and spices. Cover with the lid and set the dial on low. Set a timer to 4 hours.
    • Stir the apples half way through to distribute the spices throughout the apple mixture. At this point you can also taste it to see if the applesauce needs more sugar or if it needs some lemon juice to make it more tart. 
    • When the time is up, remove cinnamon sticks and use an immersion blender or a potato masher to get the applesauce to the preferred consistency. I like mine a little chunky.

    Canning Instructions

    • Wash lids and collars with hot soapy water and set aside. Sterilize jars by adding clean jars to a cold water bath canner, or a large pot. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least a few inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
    • Remove jars from the canner. Ladle hot applesauce into hot jars leaving ½" headspace. Remove air bubbles by running a knife around the inside edges of the jar. Wipe the rims with a clean paper towel then fasten the lids and collars.
    • Lower filled jars into hot water-bath canner. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat, then set a timer for 20 minutes. When the time is up, remove jars from canner and wait until all the jars seal before labeling and storing in the pantry.

    Notes

    • If you're not worried about a smooth texture, you can leave the skins on for extra fiber.
    • Since the apples cook slowly, they breakdown and provide enough liquid for the applesauce. However, feel free to add just enough water, apple juice, or apple cider to prevent the apples from sticking.
    • I like to pour the applesauce into a large measuring cup so I know how many jars I will need to can the applesauce.
    • Any jars that don't seal should be stored in the fridge to be consumed first.
    • If you don't peel your apples, you can run the applesauce through a food mill to remove the peels before you can the apple sauce.
    • You can adjust the sweetness of this recipe by decreasing the amount of sugar. However, I don't recommend adding more sugar until after you stir the applesauce halfway through. At that point, you can add more sugar, if needed.
    • If you are not using any tart apples, add up to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the mixture prior to cooking.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 94 oz jars | Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Please leave A Star Rating!Mention @HildasKitchenBlog or tag #HildasKitchenBlog!

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    Sharing is caring!

    158 shares
    • Share152
    • Yummly
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hilda Sterner says

      November 09, 2023 at 2:48 pm

      Thank you for the review!

    2. Linda J Mcintyre says

      November 09, 2023 at 9:09 am

      5 stars
      Thank You!!

    3. Hilda Sterner says

      October 09, 2023 at 10:21 pm

      I've been enjoying adding a few tablespoons to my yogurt in the morning.

    4. Kelly Methey says

      October 09, 2023 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to make this! I just have to get some apples…

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