Introduction:
Homemade applesauce is one of those simple comforts that instantly makes your kitchen feel warm and cozy—especially when the
whole house starts smelling like apples and cinnamon. The best part? You don’t need to stand over the stove stirring. With
slow cooker applesauce, you can toss everything into the crockpot, walk away, and come back to soft,
perfectly cooked apples ready to mash into a sweet, silky sauce.
This recipe is naturally flexible. You can keep it chunky or blend it smooth. You can sweeten it with sugar, honey, or maple
syrup—or skip sweetener entirely and let the apples do the work. You can add classic cinnamon, warm it up with cloves, or
brighten it with lemon. It’s also a great way to use up apples that are slightly soft or need to be eaten soon.
Slow cooker applesauce is delicious as a snack, a side dish, or a baking ingredient. Stir it into oatmeal, spoon it over
pancakes, serve it with pork chops, or use it to replace some oil in muffins and cakes. Once you try making it at home, it’s
hard to go back to store-bought—because the flavor is fresher, the texture is exactly how you like it, and you control every
ingredient.
Ingredients:
Basic slow cooker applesauce
- 3–4 lb apples (about 10–12 medium apples), peeled and cored (optional to peel)
- 1/4 cup water or apple juice (helps prevent sticking)
- 1–2 tbsp lemon juice (brightens flavor and helps prevent browning)
- 1–2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
Optional sweeteners (use to taste)
- 2–4 tbsp brown sugar or white sugar
- 2–3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Optional spices and flavor boosters
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves (a little goes a long way)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (stir in at the end)
- 1 cinnamon stick (instead of ground cinnamon)
Best apples to use
- Sweet + soft: Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious
- Tart + bright: Granny Smith
- Balanced: Honeycrisp, Jonagold
Tip: Using a mix of sweet and tart apples gives the best flavor.
Instructions:
1) Prep the apples
- Wash apples. Peel if you want a smoother sauce (peels are fine for rustic applesauce).
- Core and chop into chunks (about 1-inch pieces).
