Super Easy Homemade Applesauce Recipe with Canning & Freezing Tips

homemade applesauce recipe - Ball Jars

Our family recipe for homemade applesauce could not be yummier or easier! Learn how to make your own applesauce for less than it costs to buy at the grocery store & it’s so much healthier & delicious! Step by Step Instructions & Tips on canning & freezing our recipe for homemade applesauce too with pictures.

Easy Homemade Applesauce Recipe

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Prep Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30-40 Minutes

Serving Size – 6- 8 quart size mason jars

Our family recipe for homemade applesauce could not be yummier or easier!  Learn how to make your own applesauce for less than it costs to buy at the grocery store & it's so much healthier & delicious! Step by Step Instructions & Tips on canning & freezing our recipe for homemade applesauce too with pictures. #homemadeapplesaucerecipe #freezerrecipes #canning https://lehmanlane.net

I had never had homemade applesauce before meeting my husband Jason & in my opinion there is no going back to store bought! 🙂 

A few years ago Jason’s mom gave us her old applesauce maker & the kids & I have been making applesauce every fall since.  

It is a great family tradition & everyone in our family just loves the taste of warm homemade applesauce. 

I always have a lot of helpers in the beginning and then they start to dwindle after their tummies have been filled!

Jason’s parents picked up our apples this year at an Amish farm in Ohio.

Three bushels worth of Honey crisp apple seconds for less than $13 a bushel.

You just can’t beat that price!

homemade applesauce recipe - bushels of apple seconds

How many bushels of apples to buy for a year’s worth of homemade applesauce

3 bushels of apples for our family of six is enough to make homemade applesauce to last a year while still leaving some for dried apples & apple crisp!  

The only way to get apples any cheaper would be to pick from your own tree.

It has always been m dream to havea home orchard. Stop by to see how we started ours! #orchard #homeorchard #homegrown http://lehmanlane.net

We are hoping to have our own apples in a few years.

We planted a small home orchard a few years ago and I can’t wait to harvest our own apple trees in a few years. 

You can read more about starting an orchard (HERE).

What kind of apples to buy

We always buy seconds of apples because they are cheaper & the apples don’t need to look perfect if you are just making applesauce or using it in other recipes. 

In the past we have used Ginger-Gold, Golden Delicious, Summer Rambo, Mcintosh, Cortland, Jonagold & Honeycrisp for applesauce.  

It’s amazing how each apple has a different taste. 

Some are good for applesauce & some aren’t. 

I always ask the farm what they suggest & usually buy whatever they suggest.  

However, we LOVE Honeycrisp & Summer Rambo the best.

It takes me about two full days (with normal activities going) to make all the homemade applesauce.  

Cutting & coring apples is a great workout for your arms.

Ingredients & Tools Needed for 1 Batch of Homemade Applesauce

  • 1/2 bushel of apples (we love Honeycrisp & Summer Rambo apples)
  • water
  • 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
  • large stock pot
  • cutting board, knife or apple corer
  • food strainer or applesauce maker
  • mason jars & lids

Step by Step Instructions for How to Make Homemade Applesauce

Step ONE – Prepare the Apples

  • 1) Wash, cut and core apples (enough apples to 3/4 fill a stock pot)
homemade applesauce recipe -bushel of apples

Thankfully my applesauce maker doesn’t require me to peel the apples or this process would take a lot longer! 

You can also make tomato sauce or baby food with it. 

Below is the link to the applesauce maker (food strainer) we have…

Deluxe Food Strainer and Sauce Maker by VICTORIO VKP250

Our applesauce maker (which Jason’s mom bought in 1989), has definitely stood the test of time and made lots & LOTS of homemade applesauce over the years!

homemade applesauce recipe - coring apples

Step TWO – Add Apples to Large Pot with an Inch of Water

  • 2) Throw them in stock pot with about an inch of water.  Some apples are more juicy than others…it is just important to make sure there is enough water so the apples don’t burn.  If that happens forget about your house smelling nice…it will stink for a good full day.
homemade applesauce recipe - apples baking

Step THREE – Add Cinnamon (Optional)

  • 3) I add just a teeny bit of cinnamon to the top of the apples about a 1/2 teaspoons worth because we like cinnamon but the cinnamon is not required to make good applesauce.

Step FOUR – Cook the Apples

  • 4) Cook the apples for about 30-40 minutes on medium high.  Stir apples often to bring soft apples on the bottom up to the top.
homemade applesauce recipe - cooked apples go through the strainer
homemade applesauce recipe - baked apples and peels in strainer

Step FIVE – Run Cooked Apples Through Applesauce Maker or Strainer

  • 5) Run the cooked apples through your apple strainer or homemade applesauce maker.
homemade applesauce recipe - making applesauce

This is a good time to elicit help from the kiddos or your significant other. 🙂 

Also if you have a spill mat or an old towel, I would recommend putting one down to protect your floors especially with kiddos helping.

homemade applesauce recipe - helper

Homemade Applesauce Tip to Make more Homemade Applesauce

*this year thanks to my father in laws advice we ran the apple skins back through a 2nd time & got even more homemade applesauce*

homemade applesauce recipe - aple peels after going through the strainer

Step SIX – Add Homemade Applesauce to Ball Mason Jars or Tupperware

6) Put the applesauce in jars or tupperware containers. 

Leave about an inch of space if you are canning or freezing them & make sure to get out any air bubbles before adding the lid. 

Canning the Homemade Applesauce Instead

If you chose to can the homemade applesauce, add the quart jars to your canner & boil for 20 minutes making sure there is enough water over the lids.

homemade applesauce recipe - applesauce in hot water canning pot

How long will Homemade Applesauce Last

I usually freeze most of the applesauce because it takes less time & if you have the freezer space, its definitely the easiest way to store homemade applesauce.

I only can what I have/ need to after my freezer is filled.

Homemade Applesauce will last a month in your refrigerator & at least 1 year when frozen or canned.

homemade applesauce recipe - apple sauce in canning jars

It’s that easy to make homemade applesauce& no sugar is needed to make it taste delicious!!!

homemade applesauce recipe - in canning ball jars

Our family, especially Jason, loves warm applesauce on brownies…try it & you’ll see!

I hope our homemade applesauce recipe answers all the questions you have about making applesauce and inspires you to make some for your family!

by Tara Lehman

Don’t forget to pin and save my easy homemade applesauce recipe to your favorite recipe page on Pinterest!

Making your own applesauce couldn't be simpler! It is delicious and is a lot cheaper and healthier than store bought! Stop by to see how to make your own #recipes #applesauce #applerecipes https://lehmanlane.net
Yield: 6-8 quart size canning jars

Homemade Applesauce

homemade applesauce recipe - in canning ball jars

Our family recipe for homemade applesauce could not be easier. Learn how to make your own for less than it costs to buy & it’s so much healthier! Tips on canning & freezing our recipe for applesauce too.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes 30 seconds
Additional Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes 30 seconds

Ingredients

  • 1/2 bushel of apples
  • 1 inch of water in the bottom of your stock pot
  • 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon

Instructions

    1. Wash, cut and core apples (enough apples to 3/4 fill a stock pot)

    2. Throw them in stock pot with about an inch of water.  Some apples are more juicy than others…it is just important to make sure there is enough water so the apples don’t burn.

    3. I add just a teeny bit of cinnamon to the top of the apples about a 1/2 teaspoons worth because we like cinnamon but the cinnamon is not required to make good applesauce.

    4. Cook the apples for about 30-40 minutes on medium high.  Stir apples often to bring soft apples on the bottom up to the top.

    5. Run them through your apple strainer.

    6. Put the applesauce in jars or Tupperware containers.  Leave about an inch of space if you are canning or freezing them & make sure to get out any air bubbles before adding the lid 7 boil them in a water canner for at least 20 minutes.

Homemade Strawberry Jam (HERE)

Homemade Apple Crisp (HERE)

Fall Decorating Ideas from Our Farmhouse

Some More Apple & Fall Ideas you might enjoy

7 Fall Mantel Decor Ideas from our Farmhouse - I am sharing our fall fireplace along with a 6 of my favorite fall mantel decor ideas from the past! #fall 3fallfarmhouse #fallmantel https://lehmanlane.net
Sharing all the tips & tricks I learned planning, planting & starting a small home orchard with apples, peaches, plums, pears, cherries & fig trees next to our raised vegetable garden & chicken coop. #homeorchard #gardeningforbeginners #orchardtree #fruittree https://lehmanlane.net
Hands down this is my favorite fall cocktail or drink! Our caramel apple cocktail was my staple drink to serve both on Halloween & Thanksgiving & I have a feeling after a long week of virtual school now. #fall #drinks #cocktailrecipes #fallrecipes #vodka #vodkacocktail https://lehmanlane.net

Comments

  1. This is a great recipe! I’ve made applesauce similarly for many years. If you family likes apple butter, follow the same recipe cooking it longer so it thickens. Then can it I pint jars. I add more cinnamon for the butter.

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my homemade applesauce recipe Patti! I will defintely think about trying to make some apple butter this fall.

  2. I,am 75 years Young remember as a child canning apple sauce with Nana. We spent one week in fall canning for winter. Your receipt is right on except we peeled the apples so we could make apple jelly out of peels. Apple butter is so good in the winter too. Saraann

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my recipe for homemade applesauce Saraann! What sweet memories to have with your Nana. I will have to save our apple peels this year to try & make some apple jelly.

  3. This is the same way I make my applesauce… I have the same strainer and it makes it so much easier…and, YES, homemade is amazing. We never buy store applesauce anymore. We have an apple tree so I have apples every fall to make applesauce…besides just eating it, we use it in baking in place of oil and I add some to my oatmeal. YUM! We also have an Asian Pear tree and I sometimes mix the pears in with the apples when making my sauce.

    1. So fun that we have the same apple strainer Bobbi! We are hoping to get to the point that we have enough apples on our apple trees that we won’t need to buy any to make homemade applesauce. Love the idea of adding Asian pears to the applesauce too.

  4. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing it with us.
    “This is a good time to illicit help from the kiddos or your significant other.” I smiled when I read this! I believe you meant elicit, not something illegal. 🙂

  5. Hi There! I’ve never made applesauce, this is my first time! This recipe seems so easy. When im cooking apples in the water, do I wind up putting the water into the fruit strainer as well as apples? Or do I leave liquid behind? (I have a new kitchenaid veggie/fruit strainer that we just used for tomato sauce, so excited to use for applesauce as well!). Thanks for the help in advance!

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by to check out our homemade applesauce recipe Alicia! I put the entire pot of cooked apples & liquid through our strainer. If it looks like there is more liquid than your would prefer after straining, you can spoon off the excess before putting in canning jars or Tupperware. Have fun making the applesauce!

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