Make & Preserve Unsweetened Applesauce: A How To Guide

Applesauce is a staple in our house, and today I’ll show you how to make and preserve unsweetened applesauce. I love mine with cottage cheese, and my daughters eat it with their lunch several times a week. It’s one of those simple, wholesome sides that never gets old.

The first time I made applesauce, I couldn’t believe how easy it was, just apples and water! Over time, I’ve picked up a few tools and tips to make the process even smoother, and experimented with fun add-ins like my homemade apple pie spice or fruits for a little twist.

Whether you’re planning to can a big batch or just freeze some for later, this guide will walk you through every step. If you want to know more about preserving food, check out out Food Preservation page for recipes and tips.

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Quick Summary for Making Applesauce

• Step 1: Wash and quarter 14 pounds of apples, removing any bad spots.
• Step 2: Add apples (with peel and cores) to a large pot with ½ cup water.
• Step 3: Heat over medium-high until boiling, then simmer 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Step 4: Run the softened apples through a food mill to separate skins and seeds.
• Step 5: Return applesauce to the pot and bring it back to a boil, stirring to combine.
• Step 6: Add optional spices, lemon juice, or sugar, then turn off the heat.
• Step 7: Waterbath can or freeze applesauce that won’t be eaten within a week.

My neighbor has several apple trees in his yard, so we go over there a few times during apple season and pick apples. We usually end up filling several 5-gallon buckets to make all kinds of goodies, including applesauce, apple butter, pie filling, and crisps.

Free apples are the best kind of apples if you ask me! Getting apples from a local apple orchard or farmer’s market is great too, or even from the grocery store if it is off-season or you don’t have any orchards near you.

Give me the Guide!

Why Make Homemade Applesauce?

There are so many reasons to make homemade foods. First, it is great to have a stash of homemade canned goods at your house for emergencies (hello, hurricane season and dock/shipping strikes). When you make it yourself, you have complete control over your flavors and the ingredients.

There are so many nasty, artificial ingredients and preservatives in canned goods and store-bought foods that you don’t need in your homemade foods. You get to choose what ingredients you put in your food.

Lastly, you can make canned goods based on what is in season to use up your garden crops and save money. Many times, homemade foods are cheaper to make than store-bought, and you can use seasonal ingredients to save even more.

The Best Apples for Applesauce

Canning & Apple Picking Tools

• Apples
• Pint or Quart Jars– I don’t usually buy these from Amazon because they are a lot more expensive, so look for them at Walmart, Farm and Fleet, Menards, etc.
• Lids and Rings for jars- You should use new lids every time you ca,n something new to ensure you get a proper seal.
• Sauce Make/Food Mill: I LOVE this for applesauce, tomato sauce, jellies, and other purees
• Canning Tools: These tools make canning so much easier
• Waterbath Canner– Mine is similar to this one! There are also bundles where you can get your canner and the tools together and save a little bit.
• Apple picking bucket– It was convenient to have an over-the-shoulder bucket for picking apples, pears, and even berries this year!

Instructions for How to Make Applesauce

Making applesauce is ridiculously easy! All you need for ingredients is…well…apples. To make about 9 pints of applesauce, you need about 14 pounds of apples.

Wash and quarter the apples and cut out any bad spots. Add apples (peel, core, and all) to a pot and add 1/2 cup of water. If you’re using a food mill like the one linked above, you don’t need to peel or core the apples because they will all get separated in the mill.

Heat over medium-high heat until the water starts to boil. Let simmer until the apples soften (about 15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally so the apples don’t burn to the bottom.

Put the softened apples through the food mill to separate the seeds, skin, and scraps from the apple sauce. This is a great practical life activity for kids to help with! Both my daughters wanted to help with these, even my one-year-old (who wasn’t very helpful…big surprise there).

Add the applesauce back into the pot and bring it back to a boil. Stir it so all the water and thicker parts of the applesauce will even out. This is where you would add extra ingredients like spices, lemon juice, or sugar. Once the applesauce has come to a boil, turn off the heat.

Waterbath Canning Instructions

While the applesauce is cooking, put water in the canner and put it over medium-high heat to start heating it. A good rule of thumb is you want to put hot jars into hot water so you don’t shock the glass so you want your canning water to be heated.

Fill clear pint-sized jars with applesauce using a funnel until there is 1/2 inch of headspace. Using a knife or canning tool, remove any air bubbles in the jars. Wipe rims with a clean washcloth and put lids and rings on. Tighten rings to fingertip tight.

Once all the jars are ready, put them carefully in the canner. Water should cover the jars by 1-2 inches. Add more water if needed. Put the top on the canner and bring the water to a boil. Once it is boiling, process the jars for 15 minutes (20 minutes for quart-sized jars)

When the timer goes off, turn the heat off and let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and remove jars. Let the jars sit for 12-24 hours and then check for proper seals. Store in a cool, dry place with the rings off. For more on storing your jars safely, learn Why to Store Jars with the Rings Off.

How to Freeze Applesauce

Freezing applesauce is a quick and easy way to preserve it if you’re not in the mood to can. It keeps its flavor and texture well in the freezer, and it’s a great way to have homemade applesauce ready to go for snacks, baking, or meals.

Here’s how to do it:

• Cool Completely: Let the applesauce cool fully at room temperature before freezing. This helps prevent excess condensation and ice crystals.
• Choose the Right Containers: Use freezer-safe mason jars (leave 1–2 inches of headspace), silicone freezer trays, or freezer bags laid flat for easy stacking.
• Label and Date: Mark your containers with the date so you can use the oldest batches first.
• Freeze Up to 12 Months: For best quality, use your frozen applesauce within a year.
• Thaw Gently: Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or reheat slowly on the stovetop.

Whether you’re preserving a bumper crop of apples or just want to keep your homemade applesauce fresh for longer, freezing is a low-effort option that works beautifully.

Applesauce Variations

This recipe is for unsweetened and plain applesauce, but you can add sugar to make it a little sweeter! Adding 1 cup of sugar to this recipe would sweeten up the applesauce. Feel free to add a little less and then taste test! Then you can add more if you want.

Autumn-Spiced Applesauce

You can also add cinnamon or other fall spices to your apple sauce to make it a little more flavorful. We like to add cinnamon when we’re eating the applesauce. That way, each person can add however much they want, or none at all. Grab my homemade apple pie spice or pumpkin spice recipes for a delicious fall twist.

Black Raspberry Applesauce

Something I like adding to applesauce sometimes is fruit. During black raspberry season, I made a batch of black raspberry applesauce, and it was yuummmmmy. I threw peeled and cored apples, along with some black raspberries, in my crockpot and just slow-cooked them for a while until everything was soft.

Since I cored and peeled them, I was able to use my NutriBullet to puree them. Don’t put anything too hot in the NutriBullet because it will pressurize in the cup, and you don’t want anything leaking or exploding out.

I personally like applesauce when it is milled rather than pureed because I like the traditional applesauce texture vs a smooth texture, but the black raspberry applesauce was still delicious.

FAQs about Making, Canning, and Freezing Applesauce

Try Some Applesauce & Other Apple Recipes

I hope you try making some applesauce for yourself this year! Even if you don’t can it and just eat it fresh, I know you and your kids will enjoy the process. Make sure to try some of it a little warm too, because it’s a little different. Here are a couple more apple recipes for you to try.

• Apple Jelly– Made from fresh or store-bought apple juice.
• Apple Butter– Take applesauce one step further and make this spiced apple butter.
• Apple Pie Filling– Can or freeze this delicious recipe to make pie all year.
• Apple Pie Spice– Quit the store-bought spice blends and make your own custom blend.