How to Make Applesauce from Whole Apples {No Sugar}
Servings: servings
For a super simple healthy treat your little ones will love, learn how to make applesauce from whole apples! This unsweetened applesauce recipe tastes delicious yet has extra fibre and zero added sugar, perfect for growing babies and children!
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized apples* peels left on or removed
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more to taste)
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Peel (if desired), quarter and core the apples. Then dice each quarter into large chunks.
- Place the diced apples into a Dutch oven or other large saucepan. Add water and cinnamon and toss to combine.
- Bring pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and simmer until the apples are tender and cooked through, about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Allow to cool. Transfer just the cooked apples (not the water) to a blender and give it a few quick pulses for more chunky applesauce. For smoother applesauce, blend until pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more cinnamon or lemon juice, if desired. Serve warm or chilled.
Notes
- *Because there is no sugar added, this applesauce works best with a variety of sweeter apples rather than really tart apples. I used a combination of Fuji, HoneyCrisp, McIntosh and Golden Delicious and it was perfectly sweet. Try to avoid Granny smith since they’re very tart, or red delicious since they have more leathery skin.
- It’s totally up to you whether you leave the peel on or remove it. The peel cooks down so you can barely taste it once blended, but there still will be tiny bits of peel here and there throughout the sauce. If you want an ultra smooth applesauce, you may wish to remove the peel.
- The lemon juice is totally optional. It can add a little extra pop of flavour, but oftentimes I’ll leave it out.
- Don’t transfer the apples to the blender when they’re really hot, otherwise you might run the risk of the blender exploding and splattering the hot mixture all over, and causing a potential burn (and mess)! Wait for it to cool before pulsing in the blender. You may wish to do it in batches if you have a smaller blender.
- If you prefer a less strong cinnamon taste, you can reduce the amount to ¼ teaspoon or leave it out altogether. Alternatively, you can increase it to a teaspoon if you want a stronger apple cinnamon flavour.
- This recipe makes about 6 cups of applesauce or twelve 1/2 cup servings.
Nutrition
Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 66IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg
