Homemade Applesauce
Lynley Jones
Super simple and tasty applesauce spiced with cinnamon. You don’t even need to peel the apples!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Homemade applesauce made in the Adventure Kitchen
½ cup of water
4 cassia cinnamon sticks (see notes)
5 medium-sized flavorful apples, cored and cut into chunks with the skin on (see notes)
Pinch of salt
Optional: pinch of ground cinnamon
Instructions
1. Put the water in a medium-sized pot and add the cinnamon sticks if you are using them. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat with the lid on. When the water is boiling, add the apples and turn the heat down to medium.
2. Let the pot simmer for 25-35 minutes with the lid slightly askew. You want to allow just a bit of steam to escape, but not too much. Don’t allow the pot to dry out. If the apples begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, add another splash of water. Apples are done when they can be easily smashed with a fork.
3. Remove the cinnamon sticks and transfer the apples into a blender (or use an immersion blender). Add a pinch of salt and blend the apples thoroughly into applesauce.
4. Serve warm or cool to room temperature, then refrigerate and serve cold. Sprinkle the optional ground cinnamon on each serving if desired.
Notes:
I like to leave the skin on the apples when I make applesauce. A lot of the nutrients and fiber of the whole apple are in the skin. Plus, as we all know, I really like to use all the parts of the food. I’m just not the type of gal who’s going to take the extra step of peeling apples, just to end up with an extra ingredient (apple skin) that goes unused*. And, depending on the color of the apple skin, it may turn your applesauce a little pink! Which is always extra fun. But Adventure Kitchen is nothing if not inclusive, so if you’re a peel-the-apples type of applesauce maker, then by all means you do you! All good!
I think cinnamon is delightful in applesauce. And for this recipe, I’ve called for cassia, which is the most familiar type of cinnamon in the US, because I was going for a nostalgic childhood-memory vibe. But Ceylon cinnamon would also be great here! Choose your own adventure!
Newsflash: You can eat applesauce warm, right out of the pot! It’s very homey and nice that way. I have a feeling this is what everyone did before Mott’s and Big Applesauce got involved and applesauce became all corporate and pre-packaged for grocery stores.
You can make a big pot and refrigerate or freeze it for later. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for at least 6 months.
Spices and ingredients used in this dish:
Cassia is the familiar type of cinnamon we grew up with the in United States. Warm, sultry and comforting. Steep it in a hot drink, use it in oatmeal or dessert, or make something savory with it.
We get our organic Ceylon cinnamon straight from Sri Lanka, where it originates. Known as the real "original" cinnamon, it has a bright, mild flavor and is the cinnamon traditionally used in Mexican cuisine and many others.
Cassia is the type of cinnamon we all grew up with here in the US. It’s got that classic “cinnamon” flavor. We chose this cinnamon because it’s very fragrant and flavorful, and it comes from a source in Vietnam that pays its workers a fair trade wage.
1/2-cup sized jar.
We get our Ceylon cinnamon straight from Sri Lanka, where it originates. Known as the real "original" cinnamon, it has a mild, subtle flavor and is the cinnamon traditionally used in Indian and Mexican cuisines, and many others.
1/2 cup sized jar.
This is a lightly-edited update to my original recipe of the same title from 2017.
This recipe was originally created for our Make Your Own Lunch cooking class for elementary school kids.