Posted on 10 January, 201131 August, 2015 by Maggie
I made unsweetened applesauce the other day. This recipe turned out to be simple and quick – and very healthy. It’s low calorie, and has just 3 ingredients. Applesauce is great as a snack, a baby/toddler food, or even dessert.
A few days ago I bought a bunch of apples, because I love apples. Unfortunately they turned out to be a little bit mealy. I like apples crisp, don’t you? Fuji and Honeycrisp are probably my favorites. Galas are good too. These were supposed to be Fuji but I think they were past their prime. In any case, I needed a way to use them up.
So I made homemade unsweetenedapplesauce. It turned out to be super-sweet even though it has no added sweetener – just the way I like it!
Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 apples, chopped in fourths
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Add chopped apples and water to a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and let the apples boil for about 10 minutes.
- Some apples may start to lose their skin. You can remove it if you like, and eat it for added fiber.
Mmmm…. Fiber.
- Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix it around.
- Turn the heat down to low, leave the top off the pan, and simmer/low-boil for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Let the apples cool. If you don’t want the skin, you can peel it off once the apples are cool enough. I suggest leaving it on because I didn’t notice any odd flavor or texture from it.
- Puree the apple pieces + leftover water (there shouldn’t be that much) + skins (optional) in a food processor. They should blend easily and turn right into the perfect applesauce consistency.
- Eat the homemade unsweetened applesauce!
***
I use applesauce for cooking all the time. Here are some of my favorite recipes that use applesauce.
- 100 Calorie Cheesecake (fat and sugar free, low calorie)
- Oatmeal Raisin Applesauce Cookies(my hubby’s favorite recipe)
- PBBA Sandwich
- Oatmeal Applesauce Pancakes
- Banana Bread
- Low-Sugar Black Bean Brownies
- Fluffy Waffles
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Raisin Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Trail Mix Cookies
- Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Bake
- Vegan Apple Muffins
- Cocoa Banana Oat Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal
Do you like unsweetened applesauce? Have you ever made an unsweetened applesauce recipe from scratch?
I’ve never made applesauce. I always buy the unsweetened applesauce, but it tastes pretty bland. Your recipe looks amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
never made it but sometimes i microwave steam chopped apples and sprinkle cinnamon on them 🙂
I’ve never made applesauce, but I prefer Galas. I used to love Fujis, but now they taste a bit too watery and tame to me or something. And I think you know how I feel about sweet things, so no question I don’t try and make them sweeter.
See AlsoSuper Simple Whole Roasted Chicken Recipe30+ Must Make Apple RecipesQuinoa beef meatballs recipe - baby finger foodWhich Film Simulation Recipes, When? — Part 1 (X-Pro3, X100V, X-T4, X-S10, X-E4, X-T30 II + X-Trans V)The kind of cool thing is that my company also owns a bunch of fruit/veg magazines, so everyone is really into the latest and greatest with new fruits. Sometimes they get sent new apple breeds that aren’t even in stores yet. It’s a little weird, but I just dig that people like fruit 😉
@Abby: That is awesome (re: new apples). I am always happy when I’m around people that get excited for fruits and veggies. You should check out the breed called Jazz apples – very very good. Crispy and exciting.
We’ve actually had Jazz apples around here for awhile–they’re not bad 😉
Oh the color is gorgeous! It looks like butternut squash puree! 🙂
My 3 fave apples are the same as yours! And I love homemade apple sauce. It’s so easy to make…
@Krista: Check out Jazz apples too! I just discovered them 2 days ago. SO good. They’re similar to Fuji.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhh I do love crisp juicy apples and not mushy ones BLECH.
I make apple sauce for JJ in my crock pot.
Just cube them (skin or not) and add a can of crushed pineapple, butter and brown sugar if you want, vanilla and tons of cinnamon and let it be.
OMG.
YUM.
it never lasts long.@Cindy: Oh my gosh I will have to try that. I bet Bobby would go crazy for it!
My favorite apples are Honeycrisp and Ida Reds. I make my own applesauce, too– it’s great mixed into my morning bowl of oatmeal.
@Melleah: Oo I will have to check out Ida Reds. I’ve never heard of them.
I can’t wait to try this! I have been wanting to substitute applesauce for eggs in my baking, and this seems like a good place to start.
I think people sweeten already delicious things like fruit because “foods” like Sweet & Low have warped our tastebuds into thinking something has to but SUPER sweet to taste good. Thanks for posting this!
@Haughty by Nature: I totally agree! People are conditioned now to think that everything has to be ridiculously sweet. Honestly, I prefer things unsweetened most of the time! I grew up not using much sugar though, so I suppose I am used to it 😉
Apple picking in the fall was one thing my daughter and I did all the time – and I made homemade applesauce and canned it – so good using fresh apples!
Thanks for all your recipes on my giveaway – good luck, I’ll be picking a winner tomorrow! 😀
@Biz: I love apple picking. I missed it this past fall but will definitely go this year! It’s something I always used to do with my mom too. Thanks again for the giveaway! It’s funny that we seem to win each other’s 🙂
Pingback: Jazz Apples and Walking at Home | Say Yes to Salad
Pingback: 100 Calorie Cheesecake. | Say Yes to Salad
Approximately how much applesauce did this yield? Great recipe post!
@Anna: It made maybe 3 cups? It was a decent amount.
Pingback: Souped up Applesauce | Be Food Smart
Great Post and quality information!
Nice pic. great post. Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to try this recipe. : )
mmmmmm tried this recipe with some fresh apples I picked and had no idea what to do with. Delicious! I will be using part of the applesauce recipe to make low fat buttermilk apple bran muffins 🙂
I just made this recipe and it’s more delicious than any store-bought sweetened kind! Thanks for posting 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. It was divine! I used the left over juice from boiling to make an incredible small glass of unsweetened apple juice-added a little stevia and it was wonderful!
How long and how can I store it?
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve made it three times now. I’ve found that 2 apples makes a cup of applesauce. I just smoosh mine with a potato masher ’cause I like the chunkiness of it. I’ve only used it recipes, one for dressing in a slaw and the other two (this is when I discovered that 2 apples makes one cup not two and had to make a second batch – which was so easy to do!) for buttermilk oat apple muffins, just like Amanda.
My husband did eat the leftovers from the slaw and said it was delicious. I ate the big peels that escaped becoming sauce – HOLY MOLY YUM Batman! Seriously delish. I will never buy applesauce from the store again.
Also, I totally agree with you on the sweet front. Things these days are way too sweet. I made a compote that called for 1/2 of sugar. I put it two tbsps of honey, and even that is too sweet. Next time, I will slowly sweeten to cut the edge off the berries so I don’t go over board. 🙂
Thanks again!
@Kelly: Thanks for the great feedback! I should try the potato masher idea because I love it chunky as well. And I have never tried it as a dressing – I’ve used applesauce in baking to make things lower in calories but never dressing before.
Pingback: Applesauce |
Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I tried and it so good. It goes very well with this vegan cake. http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/vegan-chocolate-applesauce-cake-194508. Enjoy it!
Pingback: The Evening Munchies | FRUITY N NUTTY
This recipe is fantastic! I will save this and make it for years to come. Exactly what I was looking for — a healthy homemade cinnamon apple sauce recipe. Thanks!
Comments are closed.
