Applesauce Recipe – 2 ingredients!

Two ingredients and a variety of apples are all you need to make the best homemade applesauce recipe! This simple recipe can be made in large or small batches, chunky or smooth, and I include additional instructions for making it cinnamon applesauce! 

At its core, applesauce is so simple that you don’t even really need a recipe. The most important component of the flavor is the apples that you choose! I usually make applesauce and my grandmother’s Jewish apple cake after our annual apple picking adventure for the most concentrated flavor, thicker sauce, and tons of variety !

What are the best apples to make applesauce? 

With only 2 ingredients: apples and water, the quality and variety of the apples becomes the most important decision. 

Choose at least 5 varieties of crisp, sweet apples like Honeycrisp, Macoun, golden delicious, gala, fuji, cosmic crisp, Mutsu, Jonagold, etc. Then choose 2-3 varieties of crisp, tart apples like Pink Lady, Cripps Pink, Braeburn, Cortland, Envy, or Empire. 

I typically do not include Granny Smith because they are too tart; nor do I use Red Delicious or McIntosh apples because they typically have a mealy texture that I find unappealing.  

How to use applesauce? 

Think outside of simple snacking and use applesauce as a versatile sweetener, oil substitute and flavor powerhouse! 

• Use applesauce as an oil substitute: You can substitute applesauce for oil in most  quick bread recipes like apple bread, healthy pumpkin muffins, and banana bran muffins. The resulting pastry will not be as moist and it will be much easier to overbake, but they will be super healthy! 
• To boost the apple flavor of cakes, pies, cobblers & more: My applesauce cake uses 1 ½ cups of applesauce for a spiced apple flavor, but you can also stir it into the fresh apple mixture for added moisture in easy apple crisp, apple cobbler, or even mini apple pies! You could add up to ¼ cup to this easy apple compote for even juicier apple hand pies or super moist apple cinnamon rolls!
• Use applesauce as a shortcut to apple butter! While I have the best apple butter recipe (it starts with caramelizing the sugar), you could also use homemade applesauce in place of the pumpkin puree and half the apple cider in this pumpkin butter recipe for a 15 minute apple butter recipe. 
• Use applesauce as a natural sweetener to make healthier breakfasts and snacks. I am always looking for ways to make healthy breakfasts and snacks for myself and my toddler. I stir applesauce into yogurt for breakfasts and freeze into bars for snacks. You can use it along with apple pie spice in oatmeal or to make apple pie overnight oats! It is the only sweetener in these healthy apple crisp energy bites and you can use it in place of pumpkin puree in these gluten-free pumpkin bars. 

Professional Tips for Making Homemade Applesauce

• Start with just enough water and add from there. Different apple varietals have different water content and apples picked late in the season and stored tend to be more watery than those picked during early Fall harvests. They also are less flavorful, but don’t let that stop you!
• I use about a 3:1 ratio of sweet apples to more tart varieties, but you don’t need to be as precise about it! I go into more detail about the specific varietals in the section below.
• Don’t stress too much about the precise amount of apples after peeling & coring. Weigh the apples at the store, farmers market or in your kitchen with a kitchen scale, then peel, core & quarter them and put them in the pot. It doesn’t matter; your applesauce will be perfect. 
• Mash the apples while they are hot for the best texture and flavor (& ease). I break up the apples while they cook with a wooden spoon because I don’t have a potato masher. Then I puree it in the pot, while still hot, using an immersion blender to the desired consistency. Mashing or pureeing releases flavor and it is best to allow those flavors to meld while cooking! 

How to Make Simple Applesauce

Use these instructions to make a simple apple sauce with just 2 ingredients! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Peel, quarter and core apples. I typically leave my apples at this stage, but you can cut them smaller if you need them to fit into a smaller pot (photo 1). 

Step 2: Place apples in a saucepot or Dutch oven that has a capacity of at least 7 ¼ quarts and has a tight fitting lid. 

When I first start cooking, my apples mound up slightly on top and I just press them down with the lid. 

Step 3: Add water and cook. Pour 1 ½ cups water into the pot along with the apples and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Cover with the lid and continue cooking for 2- 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally to make sure they aren’t burning (photo 2). 

The apples will begin to break down naturally as they cook and stirring will help break them up. You can also use a potato masher to squish them. 

Step 4: Reduce the heat. Once they start to soften, I reduce the heat to low. This is usually after about 30 – 45 minutes. 

You may need to add a little more water, about ¼ cup at a time, during the cooking process. The first step is to turn the burner down as much as possible. If it is still sticking, add water, a little at a time. 

Step 5: Blend for texture. The applesauce is technically done at this point. But, I prefer a super smooth, silky texture, so I blend mine with an immersion blender while hot in the cooking pot. Do be careful not to splash yourself (photo 3). 

You can also do this in batches with a blender or in a food processor with the feeder cover removed to allow steam to escape. You can also leave it chunky! 

Step 6: Cool and store in clean, sanitized, airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or frozen for up to a year (photo 4). 

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this easy recipe. You might also want to peruse all our apple recipes (both sweet and savory!) or lean into dessert with our 21 Best Apple Dessert Recipes!