Homemade Organic Apple Puree (Chunky Organic Applesauce)
Making your own apple purée recipe at home is super easy—and way tastier than anything you’ll find in a jar. All you need are some apples, a pot, and a blender or masher. The flavor is fresh, naturally sweet, and oh-so-comforting! Plus, you get to skip all the added sugar and weird preservatives that come in store-bought versions.
Gather up a crate of crisp, autumn apples and let’s get this applesauce started! For even more apple deliciousness, you need to make these mini vegan apple strudels and homemade dairy-free caramel apples!
Why This Apple Puree Recipe Is So Awesome
Here’s why we adore this particular recipe so much:
- Fresh Flavor Every Time. Homemade apple purée tastes so much brighter and fresher than the store-bought kind.
- Easy to Make. All you need are apples, a pot, and a masher or immersion blender.
- Healthier Option. No extra sugar, preservatives, or mystery ingredients—just apples and maybe a splash of lemon juice.
- Budget-Friendly. It’s a great way to use up extra apples before they go soft.
- So Many Uses. You can mix it into overnight oats, swirl it into baked goods, or serve it as a side with fruity pancakes or roasted veggies.
How to Make Homemade Slow Cooker Applesauce
There’s almost nothing easier than cooking up this autumn favorite. As soon as you smell this cinnamon applesauce seeping through the lid, your senses will be stimulated and ready for snacking!
Step 1: Prep the Apples – Wash, peel, and chop your apples into chunks.
Step 2: Add Flavors – Place the apple chunks in the slow cooker. Pour in water, then add sugar and spices (such as cinnamon, apple or pumpkin pie spice, orange zest, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon, or vanilla), and give it a good mix.
Finally, Step 3: Cook and Enjoy – Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or overnight. Stir, scoop, and dig in!
Pro Tips and Suggestions
Applesauce is one of those sweet sides that makes any meal taste more mellow. Here are our favorite tips for apple puree recipe pairings:
- Perfect Pancake Topping – Spoon warm apple puree over pancakes or waffles. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and chopped candied walnuts or pecans for an easy breakfast treat.
- Seize the Mac and Cheese – You might not think that these two dishes would make a great partnership, but they really do! There’s something about a rich and creamy pasta paired with a light and sweetly-spiced side that will blow your mind.
- Apple Skin Snacks – Please keep the peels! Instead of throwing them in the compost, you can make a super crunchy apple snack by baking them in the oven.
- Happy Holiday Pairing – Enjoy this apple puree recipe along with vegan potato latkes at Hanukkah.
- Terrific on Toast – Spread apple puree over toast with a little peanut butter or almond butter. The sweet-and-nutty combination is so good.
Best Uses for Apple Puree
There are so many fun (and flavorful) ways you can use this recipe. Here is a list of our favorite ideas:
- Handy as an egg substitute.
- Mix with equal portions of peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter) for a light, sweet, and slightly savory spread.
- An tasty topping for pancakes, waffles, or even hash browns.
- Make a decadent dessert using a serving of warm applesauce and adding a substantial scoop of vegan ice cream, sprinkling the top with candied walnuts or anything you wish.
- Whip up a fantastic fruit gelato using equal parts applesauce, frozen banana, and lemon juice. Blend, freeze, and serve!
FAQs
To store leftovers, you can pop your leftover homemade applesauce into an airtight container or a clean glass jar and keep it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for about 7–10 days. If you want to make it last longer, you can freeze it in small portions (like in freezer bags or even an ice cube tray), and it’ll keep well for up to 2–3 months.
Yes, you can! All three cooking methods result in the most appetizing applesauce you’ve ever tasted!
Stovetop Method: Add an extra ¼ – ½ cup of water with the rest of the ingredients into the pan. Cook, uncovered, on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. When the applesauce is done, follow step 7 to get the consistency the way you like it.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker Method: Prepare the fruit and other ingredients in the same way as above, but place into the liner of your pressure cooker. Cover, place in the sealed position, and cook on the manual setting for 5 minutes. Once done, let the applesauce naturally release for 10 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure, stir well, and enjoy!
For sure! If you use sweet apples instead of sour versions, you can absolutely leave out the sugar. You could also puree a few soaked dates or raisins and add it the mix before cooking. That way, you’ll have added sweetness, but from whole food sources instead.
More Appealing Apple Recipes to Try
Print me! Did you know you can easily print our recipes? Just tap the “Print Recipe” button in the recipe card. You can keep a stack of new recipes to try in your kitchen—or better yet—create a recipe binder where you keep all your favorites!
Homemade Apple Puree or Chunky Applesauce
Equipment
- Potato Masher or Immersion Blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized apples, choose as many varieties as you can and most of them should be tart
- ¼-½ cup sugar or sweetener of choice, to your taste
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground sweet cinnamon, optional
- Pinch nutmeg or apple pie spice, optional
Instructions
- Wash and peel the apples. Cut apples into large chunks. Place in the crockpot.
- Add the sugar, water, and spices. Mix well. Cover the slow cooker and turn the heat lever to low.
- Cook for 8 hours or overnight.
- When the applesauce is done, take off the cover carefully and stir well.
- Drain off any excess liquid if you like a chunkier sauce. (Tip: Save the liquid to use in smoothies.) For a smoother applesauce, use an immersion blender or a potato masher to blend to the desired consistency. Pop it in a high-speed blender of a creamy apple puree that’s perfect for babies!
- Serve warm and enjoy immediately or let the applesauce come to room temperature and then store in a covered container in the fridge.
Notes
- Sugar-Free Version – You can leave out the sugar entirely if you wish or add few tablespoons of agave or maple syrup to the mixture. If you’re not adding in any sweetener at all, use a variety of sweet apples, rather than tart in this recipe.
- No Slow Cooker? – You can also make this recipe using a large saucepan on the stovetop. Add an extra ¼ – ½ cup of water with the rest of the ingredients into the pan. Cook, uncovered, on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. When the applesauce is done, follow step 7 to get the consistency the way you like it.
- Instant Pot Option – A third option to make the applesauce in the Instant Pot. Prepare the fruit and other ingredients in the same way as above, but place into the liner of your pressure cooker. Cover, place in the sealed position, and cook on the manual setting for 5 minutes. Once done, let the applesauce naturally release for 10 minutes. Release the rest of the pressure, stir well, and enjoy!
- Storing Leftovers – Pop into an airtight container or a clean glass jar and keep it in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for about 7–10 days. If you want to make it last longer, you can freeze it in small portions (like in freezer bags or even an ice cube tray), and it’ll keep well for up to 2–3 months.
Nutrition
Thanks to Ruth Havertz for recipe testing!
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Leave a Comment
I LOVE applesauce and it’s hard to get it here in the UK, will happily make my own with this amazing recipe by Gina 😀
Thank you so much, Bea! I hope you’ll love it as much as we do! xoxo
Obsessed with this apple puree! It’s so much better than store bought, and it’s so easy to make .
Yay! So happy to hear it! Cooking a batch makes the house smell amazing 🙂
Homemade apple sauce is the best type! The freshness!
love the chunky apple sauce, it came out delicious.
So happy to hear it! Thank you!
I love how easy it is to make your own apple sauce at home. Nothing beats home made food. It’s perfect for the fall when apples are in season. I love the range of different ways it can be used that you’ve mentioned.
Really glad that our variations helped, Lucy! It’s the perfect season for picking apples and making homemade apple sauce. Yum.
I used to make a batch of apple puree every year. Mostly for topping winter porridge. But I moved and lost my supply of apples. Now you’ve reminded me how good it is, I’m going to have to make some come what may!
Excellent! You can just use apples from the grocery store, if that’s all you have access to at the moment. Using it as a topping for winter porridge is such a great idea. I’ll have to try that!
love this recipe so much! the fact that i can be sure what’s in my apple sauce is the greatest! so easy to make and delicious too!
Love this applesauce recipe. I made it in the instant pot and was delicious.
Really happy that the instant pot method worked for you! I love having different cooking options for recipes, especially during certain times of the year. Thank you!
Loving how simple this applesauce recipe is!
This recipe is awesome! So simple and tasty!
So simple! Love how this apple sauce turned out!
Love making this delicious organic and sugar free apple purée! Love it mixed into plain yogurt.
This recipe has been a long time favorite in our family. Making it every year makes me so happy and makes our kitchen smell like heaven. Yum!
So excited that I can make my own applesauce! And it tastes way better than store-bought! Yum!