Homemade Applesauce with Maple Syrup 🍏 An easy and simply delicious recipe for preparing the best applesauce you've ever had! Fresh apples, lemon juice, maple syrup & cinnamon are all you need to create this classic comfort food favorite.
A is for apples and this awesome recipe for preparing the simplest, easiest and tastiest applesauce. As one of the first solid foods given to many human babies, applesauce is a comfort food in the truest sense. There are good reasons why people of all ages enjoy it. It's easy to eat, it's delicious and nutritious! Plus it's oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free and 100% vegan!
Applesauce is the key ingredient in my scrumptious Old-Fashioned Applesauce Cake and adds beautifully to the perfectly moist texture of this recipe for Applesauce Pumpkin Bread. You can also use it to make one of my favorite Thanksgiving and holiday side dishes, Homemade Cranberry Applesauce.
Table of Contents
Why use maple syrup in applesauce?
Most traditional applesauce recipes require white or brown sugar. Personally, I prefer to sweeten mine with pure maple syrup. The combination of fresh apples and maple are like a match made in heaven. Since maple syrup tends to be sweeter than sugar, you can use less of it. I like my homemade applesauce to be on the less-sweet side, but if you want yours sweeter, simply add more maple syrup to taste. You can also omit adding any syrup at all if you prefer unsweetened applesauce.
🍎 Why you will love this recipe
- It's a great way to use up a lot of apples.
- So easy to prepare!
- Kids love it.
- You can freeze applesauce up to 3 months.
- Only a few basic ingredients.
- Sweetened with maple syrup
Want to know how to make the best homemade applesauce?
If you haven't tried making homemade applesauce, you're in for a treat. I think you'll be amazed how fresh and good it tastes. It's so simple and easy to prepare, chances are, you might not use store-bought applesauce again!
🍎 Applesauce Tip
The key to creating the best applesauce is by combining 2 or 3 varieties of tart and sweet apples like Granny Smith, Fuji, Honey Crisp, Rome, Red or Golden Delicious, etc. For the homemade apple sauce with maple syrup I prepared here, I used Granny Smith & Honey Crisp apples. It was scrumptious!
🍏 Ingredient Notes
This recipe makes approximately one quart or 32 ounces of applesauce.
Apples - a variety is best. I like to use a combination of tart and sweet apples.
Lemon juice - fresh is preferred, but bottled juice will work too.
Water - Spring or filtered water preferred since the apples cook in the water.
Cinnamon - ground
Maple syrup (optional) or homemade vegan apple honey
See printable recipe card below for quantities & complete details
🍏 Instructions
- Peel, core, and slice apples into chunks.
2. Place in a stovetop pot with water and lemon juice.
3. Cook until tender, then add cinnamon and maple syrup.
4. Place cooked apples into a blender. Be careful handling the hot apples.
5. Cover and purée to a consistency you like. That's it!
Tip: If your prefer chunky applesauce, pulse the cooked apples just a few times in a blender or simply hand mash the cooked apples with a potato masher or large fork.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy your homemade applesauce all on its own or with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Variations
Variety is the spice of life and that is certainly true with applesauce. The mellow flavor of fresh apples provides the perfect foundation for the addition of other fruits and spices like: Blueberries, strawberries, apricots, mango, orange zest, nutmeg, cloves, or cranberries - my favorite!
During the winter holidays and on Thanksgiving, I like to serve cranberry applesauce as a side dish. It's so easy to prepare. You can use store bought whole cranberry sauce but I suggest making your own using my recipe for simple cranberry orange sauce (sweetened with maple syrup).
Simply add a few spoonfuls of your favorite cranberry sauce to this homemade applesauce.
Stir or blend to combine. Serve with a meal or enjoy as a light snack!
🍏 Equipment
These are the helpful kitchen tools I use to prepare this recipe:
- Blender
- 5 qt stovetop pot with lid
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Citrus juicer
- Veggie peeler
- Long handled spoon
🍎 FAQ's
How to use applesauce as an ingredient?
Applesauce as a side dish or dessert is wonderful all on its own, but it's also an ideal ingredient to include with lots of other recipes & dishes. It adds flavor, texture, moisture and can be a good substitute for eggs in baked goods. The pectin in applesauce acts like a binder, much like eggs. I love using applesauce as a healthier alternative to oil in baking. Simply replace one part oil to one part applesauce.
Here are just a few of the many food items you can enjoy with applesauce:
Cakes
Cookies
Muffins
Oatmeal
On toast
On potato pancakes or latkes
How do I store leftover applesauce?
Package applesauce in an airtight container and store refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in a refrigerator before using.
If you love this recipe ★★★★★ please be sure to rate it below! Sharing your experience lets me know that you enjoyed it and will help other readers decide if they should give the recipe a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Homemade Applesauce with Maple Syrup
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- 5 qt stovetop pot with lid
- Long handled spoon
- Mesh strainer
Ingredients
Easy Homemade Applesauce
- 3 lbs apples approx 6-8 large apples - washed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup maple syrup add more if desired or none for unsweetened applesauce
Instructions
Easy Homemade Applesauce
- Wash, peel, core and slice apples.
- Place apples in a 5 qt. or larger pot. Add ¾ cup water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir.
- Place apples on stove over med-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow apples to simmer for 12 - 15 minutes, until soft. Cover with lid if needed to avoid splatters.
- Remove from heat. Stir in cinnamon and maple syrup.
- Carefully transfer cooked apples to a blender or food processor. Pulse until pureed or consistency you prefer.
- Cool for a few minutes. Store applesauce in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Dan Kelly says
I put all ingredients into the pot will that work?
Connie says
Yes, you could. I like to add the cinnamon and maple syrup after I take the apples off the stove. I find the flavor and color of the applesauce is a bit brighter doing it that way.
Connie Edwards McGaughy says
When I learned how easy it is to make my own applesauce from scratch I knew I wouldn't be buying it off the shelf anymore. There's nothing quite like a batch of this homemade applesauce made with fresh apples, a splash of pure maple syrup & tart lemon with a sprinkle of cinnamon.