Easy Homemade Apple Sauce
Homemade apple sauce is one of those simple recipes that's always worth making from scratch. Crisp, sweet apples, warm spices, and fresh orange zest come together to create a delicious fall favorite that tastes so much better than store-bought.
The orange zest adds a bright citrus flavor that complements the apples beautifully, but you can easily leave it out if you prefer a more traditional applesauce.
Naturally sweet and perfectly spiced, this versatile recipe is smooth enough for baking, delicious served alongside pork, and makes a wonderful dessert topping. If you'd like to make apple pear sauce, simply replace one or two apples with ripe pears for an equally delicious variation without changing the cooking method.
Looking for more ways to use it? Try serving the applesauce with my Brown Butter Sugar Cookies, Apple Pie with Canned Apple Pie Filling, or as a topping for Cookie Butter Ice Cream for an easy fall dessert.
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Reasons To Love This Apple Sauce Recipe
Whether you're making it for a crisp fall afternoon or meal prepping for the week, this homemade applesauce is incredibly versatile and easy to customize.
- It is ready in about 30 minutes.
- Naturally sweet with warm cinnamon and allspice.
- Deliciously enough as a snack, a dessert topping, or a side dish.
- It is perfect for baking, serving with pork, or enjoying on its own.
- Easily adapted into apple pear sauce by replacing one or two apples with ripe pears.
📃Ingredient Description
Regular room-temperature water is all you need.
- Apples: I like using a mix of Golden Delicious, Mutsu, McIntosh, and Fuji for the perfect balance of sweetness and flavor, but any good baking or eating apples will work.
- Apple cider: Adds extra apple flavor and enhances the natural sweetness.
- Granulated Swerve: Sweetens the applesauce without added sugar. Feel free to substitute your favorite sweetener or regular granulated sugar.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and allspice blend give the applesauce its classic fall flavor with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Adds warm, classic fall flavor.
- Orange zest: This brightens the applesauce with a hint of fresh citrus. You can leave it out if you prefer a traditional applesauce.
- Butter: Adds richness and gives the applesauce a silky, smooth finish.
Please refer to the recipe card for the exact measurements.
Best Apples for Applesauce
Not all apples cook the same. Sweeter apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and McIntosh break down easily and create a naturally sweet sauce. If you prefer a slightly tangy flavor, mix in Granny Smith apples.
Can I Add Pears?
Absolutely. Although this recipe uses only apples, replacing one or two apples with ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears creates a delicious apple-pear sauce. The pears add natural sweetness and make the sauce extra silky without changing the cooking time.
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Detailed instructions are outlined in the recipe card below, but here are a few steps with visuals to guide you:
Step 1: Prep the apples by peeling, coring, and chopping the apples into chunks.
Step 2: Add the apples, cider, water, sweetener, cinnamon, allspice, and orange zest to a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes, or until fork-tender.
Step 3: Mash the apples with a potato masher for a chunkier texture, or blend with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth.
Step 4: Stir in the butter, then serve with yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, pork, or your favorite baked goods.
Top Tip
Here are some tips to make this recipe without fail.
- A mix of sweet and tart apples creates the best flavor.
- Taste before adding sugar since some apples are naturally sweet. I recommend adding towards the end.
- Leave the sauce slightly chunky if serving with pork. If it is for baking, then blend until smooth.
- If you'd rather have an apple pear sauce, replace up to two apples with ripe pears for a naturally sweeter variation.
- Don't overcook the apples. Cooking too long can make applesauce watery and dull the fresh apple flavor.
Ways to Use Homemade Applesauce
For Baking
Homemade applesauce is an easy way to replace part of the butter or oil in many baked goods, adding moisture while reducing fat. Try stirring it into muffins, quick breads, cakes, pancakes, and waffles. It's especially delicious in recipes like my Oat Flour Pancakes, Cottage Cheese Waffles, or Blueberry cottage cheese Muffins. Start by replacing up to half of the butter or oil with applesauce to maintain the best texture.
With Savory Dishes
Applesauce isn't just for sweet recipes. Its naturally sweet, spiced flavor pairs beautifully with savory dishes, especially pork. Serve it alongside pork chops, pork tenderloin, or roast pork for a classic combination, or spoon it over roasted chicken, turkey, or ham for a touch of sweetness that balances rich, savory flavors.
✅Recipe FAQS
Although both are made from cooked apples, they have different textures, flavors, and uses. Applesauce is lighter, softer, and cooked for a shorter time, making it perfect for snacking, baking, or serving with pork. Apple butter is simmered much longer until thick, smooth, and deeply caramelized, making it ideal as a spread for toast, biscuits, or muffins. If you're looking for a spoonable sauce, applesauce is the better choice, while apple butter is best when you want a rich, concentrated apple flavor.
Yes. Replace one or two apples with ripe pears. The cooking time stays about the same, and the pears add natural sweetness.
Applesauce pairs well with roasted chicken, turkey, ham, and even grilled sausages because its natural sweetness balances savory flavors.
Try These Sauces Next
Have you given this recipe or any other from my website a try? Please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and sharing your experience in the 📝 comments section. Your feedback means the world to me, and I'm excited to hear from you!
PEACE & LOVE
Maureen
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📖 Recipe
Zesty Spiced Applesauce
Equipment
- Food processor or hand blender
Ingredients
- 3 Medium Apples I used a combination of golden delicious, Mutsu, McIntosh, and Fuji.
- 3 tablespoons Apple cider
- 3 tablespoons Water room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Granulated swerve ( any sweetener is fine)
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ½ teaspoon Orange Zest
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Peel the apples, remove the cores and chop the apples into chunks.3 Medium Apples
- Place the apples, apple cider, water, sweetener, ground cinnamon (or sticks), allspice, and orange zest in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until they are fork -tender.3 tablespoons Apple cider, 3 tablespoons Water, 2 tablespoons Granulated swerve, 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Allspice, ½ teaspoon Orange Zest
- Mash the apples with a potato masher for a chunkier texture, or blend with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth. Stir in the butter, then serve with yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, pork, or your favorite baked goods2 tablespoons butter
Oh my goodness it's making my mouth water. Thanks for the fun recipe, will be trying it out soon!
It's always my pleasure. 🙂
This looks nice and simple to put together but so delicious! Perfect for a weekend treat!
Thank you, it's indeed easy.
Thank you for sharing this recipe- I adore this but have never tried to make it myself. I will now, seems more simple than I thought and how stunning is yours!
Right! Don't be intimidated, Alexandra, I hope you give it a try soon. Thanks!
Oh this apple sauce recipe sounds so great! I really love consuming this for my pancakes and oatmeals..
Yes, Geraline! They are a perfect pair for Oatmeal and pancakes
It seems so tasty! I will try those recipe out and make a nice snack at home.
This looks amazing, and I would love to try it. Is the other version made with yogurt or is it cream?
Hi Taryn,
I am not sure I understand your question, are you referring to the white substance sandwiched in the applesauce? It's yogurt. I hope that helps. Thanks for stopping by.
This looks so delicious! I’ve never had anything like this and can’t wait to try it. 😀
Thanks, Christa, I hope you give it a try soon.
I've made applesauce before using Gala and plain old gold and delicious apples and it was pretty good. I'm going to try your twist of adding lemon zest and allspice to see how that turns out. Sounds like that might be good.
Thanks, Kisha, you can't go wrong with added flavor. I hope you try this version soon. Oh, it's orange zest, but lemon zest would be awesome too.
Love how you amped up the flavor profile of regular apple sauce! I need to give ir a go.
Thanks, Neha! Variety they say is the spice of life. I hope you give it a go. 🙂
This recipe sounds so delicious! I love apples and I could see myself topping a Greek yogurt with this sauce, for a healthy dessert.
Oh yes! Joanna that hit my sweet food spot. 🙂
I am drooling over this recipe. Can't imagine how delicious it will be to taste.
So delish! Kalyan 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe for spiced apple sauce . It looks good
Wow, this looks so great! I dont eat sugar, but my kids would absolutely love this! I will have to try it!
Hey Melissa, I used an all natural sugar, so it's perfectly okay. I hope your kids love it. Thanks
This looks absolutely AMAZING!!! Maybe because Im preggo... but looks super delicious <3
Yay! Congrats beautiful. Wishing you some delicious food cravings on your journey. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.. It looks great!
Great recipes, we always have a lot of apples in the fall. But have never made apple sauce, might try this year
It seems so tasty! Thanks for the fun recipe, will be trying it out soon!
Looks absolutely appetizing. I can't wait to try it out. I am trying to do a lot of Homemade cooking from here on out. glad your recipes are here to help and very original.
feedback: can you please take photos of the ingredients you use like the spices so i have a visual picture for when i go o look for them in store. You know how sometimes the name alone doesn't quit cut it when you you out shopping. Sometimes if you know what the item looks like you can easily save time. Also some stores label differently.
Thank you!
That's great, Maria. Homemade foods are great, and it doesn't hurt to know what ingredients are on the menu. Now and then I add a picture for ingredients when it is necessary or a link on where to get the exact one I used in a recipe considering most of my viewers are outside the United States. Unless otherwise stated, any brand works for most of my recipes. Thanks again for stopping by beautiful.
This really looks good and tasty. I would love to try this recipe at home someday.