Homemade applesauce doesn't get any easier than this! Fill your slow cooker with the season's fresh produce and after a few hours of simmering you will have a sweet, healthy Crock Pot Applesauce ready to enjoy!
Homemade applesauce doesn’t get any easier than this! Fill your slow cooker with the season’s fresh produce and after a few hours of simmering you will have a sweet, healthy Crock Pot Applesauce ready to enjoy. It’s a an easy fall side dish, breakfast, or snack that your family will adore!
My kids are total applesauce connoisseurs! They LOVE the stuff. We’ve sampled more than our fair share of farmer’s market sauces, store-bought jars, store-bought pouches, and homemade recipes. But you know what? This cinnamon applesauce recipe by far their favorite, which works out well for me…because it’s so darn easy!
How to make Crock Pot Applesauce:
This overnight Crock Pot Applesauce requires just a few ingredients (and no lemon juice!):
- Enough fresh apples to fill your slow cooker
- Sugar (optional!)
- Cinnamon
- Water
Here’s what you do:
- Peel, core and slice enough apples to fill your Crock Pot. I have a 6-quart slow cooker, so if I’m using smaller apples that we pick in an orchard, I might need as many as 35 of the little apples. By contrast, if you buy the really large apples from a grocery store, you might only need about 15 apples.
- Stir in the cinnamon and sugar (if using), and toss to combine with the apples.
- Pour water over top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- At the end of the cooking time, give everything a good stir and you’ll find that you’ve got a delicious chunky applesauce ready to enjoy! If you prefer a smooth applesauce, simply use a handheld stick blender to puree the sauce once it has cooled (or process batches of the sauce in a blender).
What to serve with Crock Pot Applesauce:
Applesauce is a delicious snack on its own, but it’s also a nice side dish when paired with a meal. You can stir the applesauce into oatmeal or yogurt at breakfast, or serve it alongside a dinner such as:
- Stuffed Pork Chops
- Beer Brats
- Slow Cooker Turkey Sloppy Joes
- 4-Ingredient Pork Loin Roast
- Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables
- Dump-and-Bake Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes
Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:
- The sauce will be chunky at the end of the cooking time. If you prefer a smooth applesauce, simply use a handheld stick blender to puree the sauce once it has cooled (or process batches of the sauce in a blender) until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Make this Crock Pot Applesauce with no sugar! You can omit the sugar if you prefer unsweetened applesauce.
- Homemade applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days.
- Can you freeze Crock Pot Applesauce? Absolutely! To freeze, transfer the cooled applesauce to jars, Ziploc freezer bags, or other airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- What types of apples are best for applesauce? You can use any apples that are readily available. I often use a blend of whatever we pick from the orchard! That said, soft apples are great because they cook down quickly and don’t hold their shape in the way that Granny Smith or other pie-friendly apples will. Good options include: Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Cortland, Jonathan, Rome and Jonagold apples.
More easy apple recipes that you might enjoy:
- Shortcut Apple Pecan Date Bars
- Light and Creamy Apple Salad
- Slow Cooker Baked Apples
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter
Crock Pot Applesauce
Homemade applesauce doesn't get any easier than this! Fill your slow cooker with the season's fresh produce and after a few hours of simmering you will have a sweet, healthy Crock Pot Applesauce ready to enjoy!
Ingredients
- Enough fresh apples to fill your slow cooker, peeled, cored, and sliced (If using small apples from an orchard, you may need 30-35 apples; however, if you're using large apples from the grocery store, you may only need about 15 apples)
- 1 Tablespoon sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Place apples in bowl of slow cooker until full. Add sugar and cinnamon, stir. Pour water over apples and cover.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. At the end of your cooking time, you should have a chunky applesauce in your pot. If your family prefers a very smooth consistency, just use an immersion blender to puree, or transfer applesauce to a large blender to puree until the sauce reaches desired consistency.
Recipe Notes
- The sauce will be chunky at the end of the cooking time. If you prefer a smooth applesauce, simply use a handheld stick blender to puree the sauce once it has cooled (or process batches of the sauce in a blender) until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Make this Crock Pot Applesauce with no sugar! You can omit the sugar if you prefer unsweetened applesauce.
- Homemade applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days.
- Can you freeze Crock Pot Applesauce? Absolutely! To freeze, transfer the cooled applesauce to jars, Ziploc freezer bags, or other airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- What types of apples are best for applesauce? You can use any apples that are readily available. I often use a blend of whatever we pick from the orchard! That said, soft apples are great because they cook down quickly and don't hold their shape in the way that Granny Smith or other pie-friendly apples will. Good options include: Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Cortland, Jonathan, Rome and Jonagold apples.
Now I’m totally craving applesauce, Blair! I make it just about every fall, but have never tried it in my slow cooker before. This sounds just perfect! And I’m sure your house smells amazing all day long, too!
Thanks, Gayle! This recipe is so easy and you just can’t beat the smell!
It’s been a long time since I’ve made homemade applesauce. I really love the idea of making it in a slow cooker. The aroma must be incredible!
Jen…the aroma IS AWESOME. 🙂
Oh my goodness, this looks absolutely delicious!! Making applesauce in the slow cooker is such an awesome idea–I’m getting hungry just thinking about that heavenly fall scent it would give the house!
Thanks, Anna! It smells awesome and it tastes so good that it’s almost like dessert!
Hi Tobi! If I cram my pot full of apples, I can get 4 full pint jars out of one batch. So I would say 7-8 cups. I assumed 1/2-cup servings when I used the 15 serving number. Hope that helps!?
Can you can this? If so foe how long? Thank you
Hi, Doris! Yes, I’m sure that you could can it, however, I have not tried to do that myself. I’m definitely not a canning expert, so I won’t even pretend to give you advice about how to go about the process. I know that you would just have to follow canning protocol (boiling/sanitizing the jars and lids, boiling the jars to seal, etc.). Once it’s properly canned, I believe that you can leave it on a shelf in the pantry for about a year!
Hi, Misty! It actually doesn’t matter too much for this recipe. I’d go with whatever is available and whatever taste you prefer. If you like a more tart applesauce, go with something like Granny Smith apples. I often use a mix of whatever apples we can get from the local orchards. Sweet is good! Unlike a pie, the texture of the apples doesn’t matter too much since you’ll just be pureeing it all at the end. Hope that helps! 🙂