Sweet and full of cinnamon, you won't go back to the store bought stuff after you try this homemade chunky applesauce! It's a family favorite and a must make during apple season!
It's apple season here in New England and if you need me, I'm home making sourdough apple cider donuts, apple streusel muffins, Instant Pot apple butter, apple cinnamon breakfast bars, cinnamon applesauce pancakes, and all in one apple cake full of apples! How could I forget the applesauce coffee cake too!
Is there anything that feels more comforting and more like Fall than the smell of apples cooking away on the stove? It's the ultimate comfort food and makes your house smell amazing!
When the weather starts to turn, having a big pot of chunky applesauce is a must! My grandfather used to make applesauce all the time. He put so much cinnamon in that they applesauce was almost completely brown, but it was so good! You can never replicate that original recipe that came from your grandparents, but we all try!
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Why You'll Love This Homemade Chunky Applesauce
- It's a chop and drop kind of recipe! You'll peel the apples and place them in a large Dutch oven. Come back every once in a while to stir but other than that just let it sit!
- It's versatile! You can keep this applesauce chunky, or you can puree it with an immersion blender if you want it smoother and resembling the kind you get at the store.
- It's the ultimate comfort food! The smell of apples and cinnamon cooking away on the stove, so comforting!
Ingredients for Chunky Applesauce
- Apples- 8 large apples, Gala, Fuji, or Golden Delicious are best.
- Brown Sugar- Optional, but adds a little more sweetness to the applesauce, especially if the apples are not very sweet.
- Cinnamon- you can't have applesauce without cinnamon!
- Water- To help the apples soften as they cook. To intensify the apple flavor, apple cider or apple juice can be used instead.
Which Apples To Use
The best apples to use are apples you would eat right out of the refrigerator. Gala or Fuji are my favorite, but Honey crisp and Golden Delicious are also perfect for applesauce.
You want an apple that will fall apart easily while cooking. Granny Smith would be too tart on their own, but if you combine them with a sweeter apple, it would make an applesauce that is a little sweet and a little tart.
How to Make Chunky Applesauce
First, you'll need to peel and chop 8 large apples. There are a lot of apple tools out there to use, but I like to use a vegetable peeler and chop them with a knife. I have used this type of apple corer and peeler before and it makes fast work of this process.
Chop the apples into chunks. They don't have to be perfect, but they should be about the same time, about 1 inch chunks.
Add the chunks of apple to a large Dutch oven. You want a heavy bottom pot to distribute the heat evenly under all the apples.
Add the apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, and water to the pot. Cover the Dutch oven and turn the heat on medium low and cook the apples for 45 minutes.
Stir the apples a few times throughout the cooking time to make sure they are not sticking to the bottom of the pot. There's nothing worse than burnt apples!
After 45 minutes, the apples should be mushy and completely fall apart. At this time, you can use an immersion blender to blend it up if you would like it more pureed. Otherwise, a potato masher does a great job of mashing up the apples into the perfect chunky consistency.
This applesauce is delicious warm, room temperature, or chilled! Whichever your family prefers!
This is perfect to swirl into oatmeal, add to baked goods, or use as a condiment for roasted pork. I prefer to just eat it out of a bowl with a little extra cinnamon on top!
Making This Applesauce in the Instant Pot
To make homemade chunky applesauce in the Instant Pot, peel and chop the apples as you would and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and water to the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot and turn it on high for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, release the pressure and mash the apples with a potato masher.
Making This Applesauce in the Slow Cooker
The slow cooker is a perfect tool to make applesauce! Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and turn it on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. After that time, mash the apples with the potato peeler and allow the applesauce to cool. The slow cooker will cause the apples to give off a lot of juice, if you feel like there is too much juice in the slow cooker, feel free to drain some of the juice off.
Chunky Applesauce FAQs
If you want to make this applesauce without peeling the apples, it would be best to puree the applesauce once it is done cooking. The peels can be a little tough, so you would need to blend up the applesauce once cooked.
Yes! Allow the applesauce to cool completely and place the applesauce in a large air tight container. Freeze the applesauce for up to three months. To defrost, place the applesauce in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw.
This will last four to five days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but it likely will be eaten well before that!
Other Recipes To Try!
Did you love this Homemade Chunky Applesauce? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5 star review! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- More Dessert Recipes
- Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
- One Bowl Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- One Pot Chicken Broccoli Pasta
- Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Light and Crisp Sourdough Waffles
- Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles
- Death By Chocolate Zucchini Bread
📖 Recipe
Chunky Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Large Apples Gala, Fuji, or Honeycrisp
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Water
Instructions
- Peel and chop the apples into large chunks. Add the apples to a large Dutch oven.
- Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and water to the Dutch oven and mix well to combine all the ingredients.
- Turn the heat on medium low and cover the Dutch oven. Cook the apples for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- After 45 minutes, mash the apples with a potato masher, or if you want a more pureed texture, puree the apples with an immersion blender. Allow the applesauce to cool before serving.
Notes
- To intensify the flavor, use apple cider or apple juice instead of water.
- If you don't want a sweet applesauce, leave out the brown sugar. It will be just as delicious!
- Make sure to stir the apples frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Feel free to add more cinnamon if you enjoy a lot of cinnamon!
Sachi says
This recipe is just in time for apple season!
laura says
Oh well this is an amazing recipe for apple sauce. Simple and perfect.
Kim says
This homemade apple sauce was so much better than store bought! We all enjoyed it.
Sherry says
There is nothing better than chunky applesauce!! This recipe brings back a lot of memories. My grandma always made chunky applesauce for our holiday dinners. Thanks for the recipe!!
Donna says
Love how easy this is, the best way to use up apples when in season!
Robin Donovan says
So easy! I love this recipe!
Jennifer says
At the rate my kids gobble apple sauce, I need to start making it and I'm going to start with this amazing recipe!
Helen Best-Shaw says
Lovely flavoured recipe - its so much better when it has some texture. So many are over pureed.
Cindy says
Absolutely delicious! I made this recipe in the slow cooker but am going to try my Instant Pot next.
Mandy Applegate says
I've had a lot of apple sauces in the past but this chunky apple sauce is the best by far!