Find out how to make easy homemade applesauce in the crockpot slow cooker! This healthy crockpot applesauce recipe has no added sugar and is a great snack for kids or adults.

 

crockpot applesauce recipe

Homemade applesauce is one of the first things I learned to cook. It’s so simple and healthy, but gives me all the fall feels. Have you tried making your own applesauce? I know it’s not the most exciting recipe I’ve ever posted here, but I wanted to remind you how delicious homemade applesauce is and give you nudge to make it this fall.

It’s so easy, there’s really no excuse not to make homemade applesauce. This is one of those good old back to basics recipes everyone should know. I made you a little video so you can see for yourself just how easy it is.

homemade applesauce recipe

My kiddos love applesauce, and either the little cups or applesauce pouches almost always end up in our shopping cart. Recently I’ve noticed that the girls will go through a 4-pack of applesauce pouches in a single day and I haven’t been happy about the amount of plastic waste left over from such a small amount of food. It felt so much better to make a big crockpot of fresh applesauce and send it to school with them in reusable containers. They got a lot more applesauce and there was no waste. Both my girls loved this applesauce recipe in reusable jars for snack time at school. I love this applesauce for a healthy sweet dessert.

Store bought applesauce is just kind of “meh” in my opinion. But homemade applesauce? Freaking delicious! Homemade applesauce tastes like the center of an apple pie. Especially when it’s still warm. We added pumpkin pie spice this time for those warm and cozy fall flavors and our house truly smelled like we were baking apple pies all day long. Homemade applesauce is versatile – you can add pears, peaches, fresh cranberries… or if you’re a purist don’t add any extra flavors at all. Apples are all you need to make delicious homemade applesauce.

What Type of Apples to Use for Applesauce

I’m a fan of using whatever you’ve got for recipes like this. Have a friend with an apple tree of an unknown variety? Great! If they don’t end up being sweet, add a few Gala apples or cook with apple juice rather than water. Like this Marinara with Fresh Tomatoes everyone is loving using any tomatoes they’ve got growing in the garden! Really, this homemade applesauce is tasty with any variety of apples. If you happen to use very tart apples, you may want to add a splash of maple syrup at the end to sweeten it up. We have never added any sweetener to applesauce though.

Some apple varieties known for making great applesauce include:

  • McIntosh
  • Golden Delicious
  • Gala
  • Fuji
  • Cortland
  • Braeburn
  • Gravenstein
  • Granny Smith

Green apple tree. Find out what type of apples work best in homemade crockpot applesauce.

Healthy Crockpot Applesauce Ingredients

While store-bought applesauce can have added sugar and preservatives, they are not needed at all. All you need for delicious homemade applesauce is a bunch of apples, a squeeze of lemon, and some optional cinnamon. Be sure to check out our Apple Sweetness Chart

How to Make Applesauce in the Crockpot

A crockpot slow cooker filled with warm cinnamon applesauce made with healthy ingredients and not sugar.

Although I have made homemade applesauce in a pot on the stove, the easiest way is in the slow cooker or crockpot. Just peel and chop the apples, toss them in the slow cooker and go about your day while they turn into applesauce.

This slow cooker crock pot applesauce recipe is so easy! Homemade applesauce is so much more delicious than store bought. This easy crockpot applesauce recipe has no added sugar.

 

Yield: about 6 cups

Easy Crockpot Applesauce

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Easy, healthy homemade applesauce in the slow cooker with no added sugar.

Easy healthy slow cooker crockpot applesauce with no added sugar.

Ingredients

  • about 5 pounds apples (I like to use a variety of types)
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Instructions

  1. Peel apples and cut into rough 1-inch chunks. Place in a slow cooker. Add lemon juice, water and pumpkin pie spice, if using. Toss to coat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours, until apples have broken down and are very tender.
  2. Use a potato masher to mash applesauce for a chunky consistency, or an immersion blender for a smooth sauce. Let cool and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 221Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 29mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 9gSugar: 44gProtein: 1g