This homemade skin on applesauce with freshly picked apples, sugar, and warm fall spices can be chunky or smooth, just the way you like it!
The best part about making an apple sauce recipe with skin is that it’s so darn quick and easy. Ya know what that means?
You do not have to get your vegetable peeler out of the drawer. Please put it back; you don’t need it.
What Makes this Skin on Applesauce Recipe Work
- Warm savory feel-good fall flavors.
- Only five ingredients (or less if you use one of my recipe variations below).
- You can customize it to be very chunky, slightly chunky or perfectly smooth.
- Absolutely no peeling since it’s an applesauce recipe with skin! You still need to core and slice the apples, but if you use an apple corer/slicer, it takes seconds. This is the exact one I use.
- Apples – A combination of apple varieties often makes the tastiest applesauce, but you can absolutely use one variety if that’s what you have. Great choices include Golden Delicious, Fuji, McIntosh and Pink Lady. Tip: Don’t use Red Delicious. They tend to be flavorless and mealy—does anybody really like them?
- Apple corer/slicer – As mentioned above, this is the one I use. It removes the core and sections the apple in one motion.
- Potato masher with wire head or perforated head.
- High-speed electric blender or food processor – Once the apples have cooked and softened, you’ll puree them to the desired consistency—chunky or smooth.
Step 1: Add water and apple chunks to large saucepan and bring water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the apples, uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until they’re cooked through and tender. Use a wire masher to break the apples down.
Step 3: Stir in brown sugar and spices. Simmer a few more minutes.
Step 4: Puree the apples in either a blender or food processor to reach desired consistency—chunky or smooth. The mixture will be very hot, so I don’t recommend using glass jars unless you cool the apples down first. I have this one with stainless steel mixing jars, so I can puree right off the stove. (Mine took just 5 seconds to get this slightly chunky consistency.)
Variations for this Apple Sauce Recipe with Skin
- Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg, use apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Add a little fresh grated ginger.
- If you love cinnamon, feel free to up the amount a bit.
- Granulated sugar can be used in place of brown sugar.
- Try it without sugar, with less sugar, or substitute honey or maple syrup for the sweetener.
- For a bit of brightness, add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
Making & Canning Homemade Applesauce | EASY METHOD | Water Bath Canning |
Should you leave skins on apples when making applesauce?
So there we have it. Leaving the skins on the apples when making applesauce and apple pies saves time and adds nutrients. Now, on to the Apple Butter… Slowly but surely I’m getting a few things figured out with this applesauce-making business.
Is unsweetened applesauce healthy?
Yes. Unsweetened applesauce is healthy and provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Here is a very simple homemade recipe: 4 apples + juice of 1 small lemon + cinnamon to taste + 1 glass of water. After cleaning the apples, let them cook in a glass of water over medium heat, add the juice of one lemon and cinnamon to taste, cover and let it cook for 20 minutes, then just blend everything in the blender and you’re done.
Should you cook applesauce with skins?
Even better, cooking with the apple skins gives the applesauce a rosy color! The tradeoff is that you’ll have to food process (or blend) and then strain out the skins, or use a food mill. To us, this is worth it and we leave the skins on.
How do you make applesauce without skins?
Once your apples turn soft and mushy, mash them to your desired texture. For the smoothest sauce, transfer the apples to a blender and process on high speed. To make matters even easier, recipes for applesauce with and without skins follow this same, basic process.