No-Fuss Crockpot Applesauce
Bet you’d make your own applesauce often if you knew how incredibly simple it is! Even easier is this crockpot version. Just toss in the ingredients and after a few hours of slow cooking, you will have the most fragrant and naturally sweet applesauce, without the added sugars and preservatives many store-bought varieties contain. Ideal for healthy after school snacking, as a mix-in to yogurt or oatmeal as well as the perfect “side” for your family and holiday dinners.
Yield: about 4 cups
Yield: about 4 cups
Ingredients
- 10 medium apples peeled, cored, cut into chunks (no need to peel and core if you have a food mill)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in crockpot. Stir to coat apples with liquids.
- Cover; cook on Low setting for about 5 hours or until apples are very soft and can be easily mashed. As crockpots vary, adjust cooking time as needed. Remove cinnamon stick. (if used)
- *With a Food Mill: (as done here) process apples discarding remaining skin, cores and seeds.
- Without a Food Mill: using a potato masher, mash apples until they reach desired consistency.
- Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
Make Ahead and Storage Tips: applesauce may be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Choosing Apples: all kinds of varieties of sweet apples make great applesauce, especially fujis, galas, winesaps, cameos and pink ladies. Honeycrisps are incredibly sweet, but do have a higher water content resulting in a thinner applesauce. All of these varieties should not require added sweetening. However, if you prefer to use a tart apple such as Granny Smith, you may wish to sweeten to your taste.
Applesauce Too Watery? Easy fix! Strain applesauce using a fine meshed sieve until reaches desired consistency. (Save the juice for smoothies, marinades, syrups, etc.)
Stovetop Method and Canning Instructions: many websites offer great tutorials such as PickYourOwn.org.
This homemade applesauce would be delicious served with Favorite Roast Chicken,
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