I love fall – the clothes, the smells, the beautiful landscape… Everything except the cold temperatures! The arrival of fall also means it’s apple season, and that means lots of yummy apple treats! One of our family’s favorites is homemade applesauce. For several years I avoided making homemade applesauce because ugh. all that peeling!
Then one day my mother-in-law got me an apple peeler/corer, and cooking with apples suddenly became a snap! Not only that, but I discovered the slow cooker method of cooking applesauce, and it suddenly became a staple in our house! You won’t believe how unbelievably easy and yummy this applesauce is. And the best part is, if you get the right kind of apple, it doesn’t require any added sugar! (Or any other ingredients, for that matter, except the optional cinnamon. It truly could not get any simpler!)
Seriously, this is the PERFECT applesauce for busy moms (or anyone!)
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First things First – Choosing the Right Apple
Which Apple Do You Choose? <– This is a wonderfully handy chart for deciding which apples are best for eating, baking, or cooking
Our favorites for applesauce have been Jonagold & Pink Lady.
And now, on to the main event!
Homemade Applesauce in the Slow Cooker
There are two methods that I have found, and I’ve tried both. Method 2, which uses a Foley food mill, produces a much finer applesauce, similar to what you would find in the store (but way better!). We prefer Method 1 because we like chunky applesauce!
Method 1: (Using an apple peeler/corer)
- Use an Apple Peeler/Corer
to peel and core your apples.
(Psst, this is the exact peeler I have, and I love it!) - Put the apples in your slow cooker.
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top (Optional! Can also add any other spice you like.)
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Mash (a potato masher works well) until desired consistency, or use an immersion blender
to get really smooth applesauce.
to get really smooth applesauce.
Method 2: (Using a food mill)
- Cut apples into slices, about 1/2” or so.
- Pull all apple slices in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon (and/or other desired spices. Again, this is optional!)
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Run apples through a Foley Food Mill
.
It is seriously that easy! No endless peeling and chopping. No stovetop cooking. No watching the pots. Just throw ‘em in and go! Voila! Easy, simple, DELICIOUS applesauce with NO added sugar!!
Of course, you only save yourself the endless peeling and chopping if you get an Apple Peeler/Corer
Thanks for reading, and enjoy those apple harvests!
As always, feel free to share with your friends! I’m sure you know plenty of busy moms who would love this tip!
****Update!****
Now that I have my super awesome, extremely versatile Instant Pot, I now make my applesauce in that. If you can believe it, the Instant Pot makes it even EASIER to make delicious homemade applesauce. Here’s how:
- Peel/core/slice apples – 10 minutes, tops, with my apple peeler/slicer.
- Put it all in the Instant Pot and add a little cinnamon. (Optional, though highly recommended. 😉 )
- Set the pot to MANUAL for 8 minutes. Yeah … 8 MINUTES!!!
- Release the pressure.
- Smash it up a little & enjoy!
From start to finish, I can make homemade applesauce in about 30 minutes. Maybe 45, depending on how long it takes to reach pressure. How easy is that???
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Yum! Your house must smell wonderful, too. 🙂
Oh, it does!! 😀
I love apple season. We always make applesauce in our crockpot. The apple/corer/peeler/slicer is a life saver. When I’m feeling adventurous we add mangos and cranberries. The kids love the change in flavor. And there really is no reason to add sugar. Our favorite apples are Honey Crisp, but there is never enough left to make anything from it because my children devour them.
I’ll have to try honeycrisp next time. I’ve had fun experimenting with different kinds of apples and trying out their different flavors. I love the idea of putting other fruits in there – I have never tried that!
Woah! I didn’t think it was that easy. And I love that you don’t add any sugar. I’m excited to try it this weekend. Thanks for sharing!
It is SO easy! I love the no sugar part of it, too. If you choose a good apple, the natural sugars make it plenty sweet!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! It looks like something my son would love!
Polly
http://gemsandjoy.com
If he’s anything like my son, he will devour it! 🙂
seems to be yummy !! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
It is, and you’re welcome!
I need to try this. I love apple sauce. Great post. Thanks.
Much love, Ilka x
You should! It’s SO simple, but so yummy!
This is pretty much the method I used (discovered it last year), and I LOVE making applesauce in the crock pot. It makes life SO much easier. And, I have that same peeler/corer thingy, too, and it’s one of my favorite random kitchen tools. I had one growing up and it it was always fun as a kid to get to turn the handle and watch the apple skins magically come off (and then eat the REALLY long strings of peel). Fun times.
Isn’t it wonderful how simple it is? And it makes the house smell so yummy. 🙂
Yay thanks for this! My family received a HUGE bag of apples so I’ve been on a Pinterest search for an easy applesauce I can make. Definitely trying this!
Woo-hoo, glad I could help! Enjoy your applesauce!
This is great. I can’t wait to try to make my own applesauce. I am glad you left the link to the guide to the type of apples to use because that is always the part I get wrong!
It does make a difference! Glad I could help!
This is awesome. I may actually make applesauce now!! ? I’ve always loved homemade applesauce but never even dreamed of making it myself because…..who has time for that?! ?
That’s exactly what I always thought! Definitely give it a go in the crockpot. Just dump in the apples and walk away! Come back 3 hours later to delicious applesauce!