Looking for Chunky Applesauce Recipe: How to Make Homemade Chunky Applesauce With NO Special Equipment in 2024? Scroll down this page and follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions . There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above. If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days .
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With chunks of apples, natural sweetness, no added sugar or preservatives, this chunky applesauce will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store. By selecting the right apples, it will be so naturally-sweet that you won't need to add any sugar at all.
Here's how to do it without, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated.
If you decide to can the applesauce, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention. & And of course, you can freeze the applesauce instead (it keeps indefinitely in a good freezer). And it will keep a few weeks in a cold fridge.
The most important step! You need apples that are sweet - NOT something like Granny Smith's. Yeah, I know you like them (why do sweet women like sour apples???) and even if I did, they still wouldn't make good applesauce - you'd have to add a lot of sugar.
Instead, choose apples that are naturally sweet, like Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Rome and always use a mixture - never just one type. This year I used
This meant it was so sweet I did not need to add any sugar at all. And the flavor is great! The Fuji's and Gala's give it an aromatic flavor!
You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. Grocery store prices for apples typically range from $1 to $2 per lb. Of course, in larger quantities, they can be had for much less. They were available from late September at $12 to $24 per bushel (which is 42 pounds, so even at $24 per bushel, that's only 57 cents per pound).
If you're only making a small amount, figure about 3 to 4 pounds of apples per quart of applesauce you want to make.
Buying in bulk, you will get about 12 to 14 quarts of applesauce per bushel of apples.
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the apples in plain cold water.
Using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife, peel the apples.
Chopping them is much faster if you use one of those apple corer/segmenters - you just push it down on an apple and it cuts it into segments.
Using a paring knife, be sure to remove any seeds, hard parts (usually the part around the seeds) and any mush or dark areas.
Pretty simple! Put about 1 inch of water (I used either filtered tap water or store brand apple juice) on the bottom of a huge, thick-bottomed pot. Put the lid on, and the heat on high. When it gets really going, turn it to medium high until the apples are soft through and through. As the apples cook, they will release more water (apples are 99% water!).
You need only cook the apples until they become soft, but before they completely fall apart
I usually leave all the water/juice in there, as the apple sauce tends to thicken naturally as it cools, but it there is excessive free water, you can ladle it off (and drink it; it's apple juice!)!
Put the applesauce into a large pot. Add cinnamon to taste. You
should not need to add any sugar.
The applesauce does not need any further cooking; just keep it hot until you get enough made to fill the jars you will put into the canner (Canners hold seven jars at once, whether they are quart or pint size).
Of course, if you are going to eat the applesauce fresh, freeze it, or just store it in the fridge (lasts a week or two) then you're done!
The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle. Otherwise put the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. I just put the lids in a small pot of almost boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" (available from target, other big box stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see this page) to pull them out.
Fill them to within 1/4-inch of the top, wipe any spilled applesauce of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Put them in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. Boil them for at least 20 minutes (and no more than 30 min).
Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
From left to right:
Q. Do I have to use a sieve or food mill, if I peel the apples before I cook them for applesauce? I'm really one of the cheapest people ever and would rather do the extra work than go buy equipment!
A. Nope, if you peel the apples (and remove the stems, seeds, core) you can cook it and just stir it vigorously. It will never be a smooth as regular applesauce made through a sieve, but you can just call it "chunky applesauce"!
Q. Can I use a blender for making apple sauce instead of a food mill or food processor?
Certainly! Of course, you will need to peel, cut, core and manually remove the seeds first, before you cook the apples; unless you want them all blended up into the applesauce. I get letters from people say they prefer it that way. I think I'll keep using the strainer.. But sure, aside from the extra work in preparation , you can use the blender. Some people use a juicer, too. Of course, with a juicer, you will use the juice, not the bits that are trapped in the screen.
See the seller's website for features, pricing and user reviews!
Water bath canner with a jar rack
Pressure canners for gas, electric and induction stoves: Presto 23Qt or T-fal 22Qt
Canning scoop (this one is PERFECT)
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