Home-Made Applesauce in Slow Cooker

homemade applesauce
Everyone appreciates a warm dessert as we head into fall and the cooler weather. Home-made applesauce requires few ingredients, is healthy, and is very easy, especially in the slow cooker. The most important aspect of tasty great homemade applesauce is time, which makes the slow cooker ideal for this recipe. Add the ingredients, set for 4 hours, and enjoy the wonderful smell until it’s time to eat! Here’s our favorite recipe – no added sugar needed. Makes about 4 cups. SKIP DIRECTLY TO EASY PRINT VERSION OF RECIPE

What Kind of Apples to Use for Home-made Applesauce?

That’s really up to you. I like to use delicious apples to make applesauce as they are sweet and soften easily when cooked. Others prefer honey crisp or even tart green apples – and still others use a combination. Your preference!

home-made applesauceIngredients 

  • 3 pounds large apples (about 6), peeled. 
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2(3-inch) Cinnamon Sticks (if you don’t have cinnamon sticks you can add a few sprinkles of ground cinnamon – but know that will darken the color- you can always add later)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

There are a wide variety of apple peelers/corers on the market to simplify the task – like this one: Cast Magnesium Apple/Potato Peeler Corer 

Instructions:

Chop the apples, First, quarter them through the stem, then cut out the cores. Chop the apples coarsely into 1- to 2-inch pieces, depending on how chunky you like the finished product.

Place ingredients into a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Add the water, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on the HIGH setting for 4 hours. Stir twice during cooking. Note: If you’re using an Instant Pot to make this slow-cooker applesauce, set the machine to Slow Cooker once you add the ingredients, increase the heat level to “more,” set the cooking time to 4 hours, then seal the lid.

How do you make applesauce with a texture similar to store-bought?

Yes! I prefer leaving some chunks in my home-made applesauce, but many like the fine texture of jarred commercially made applesauce. If that’s your preference, you can approximate that same texture by pureeing your finished slow-cooker applesauce using an immersion blender. Be careful – hot applesauce can splatter!

Can you make slow-cooker applesauce in an Instant Pot?

Absolutely. Simply use the slow-cooker setting on your Instant Pot or any other multi-cooker.

Do I need to peel and core the apples?

It’s a good idea to core the apples, but you don’t necessarily need to peel them. It depends on your personal preference. Leaving the peel adds a bit of fiber and a rustic look. Delicious either way!

What spices work well besides cinnamon in applesauce?

Cinnamon is a classic choice, but you can also add nutmeg, ginger or cloves for a more unique flavor.   

Simple Home-Made Applesauce

Servings 4

Equipment

  • slow cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs large apples (about 6)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks (if you don't have cinnamon sticks you can add a few sprinkles of ground cinnamon - but know that will darken the color- you can always add later)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best!)
  • 1/4 tsp teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Chop the apples, First, quarter them through the stem, then cut out the cores. Chop the apples coarsely into 1- to 2-inch pieces, depending on how chunky you like the finished product.
  • Place ingredients into a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Add the water, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt. Stir to combine.
  • Cover the slow cooker and cook on the HIGH setting for 4 hours. Stir twice during cooking.
    Note: If you're using an Instant Pot to make this slow-cooker applesauce, set the machine to Slow Cooker once you add the ingredients, increase the heat level to "more," set the cooking time to 4 hours, then seal the lid.

Notes

There are a wide variety of apple peelers/corers on the market to simplify the task - like this one: Cast Magnesium Apple/Potato Peeler Corer 

LEAVE A REPLY

Recipe Rating




Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.