10 Easy Apple Sauce Recipes for Busy Autumn Weeknights

Easy apple sauce recipes work because apples do most of the thickening themselves. As the fruit softens, pectin released from the peels and cores turns the liquid into something spoonable, while lemon brightens the natural sugars and a pinch of salt keeps the flavor from falling flat. The versions below take that same simple foundation in ten different directions, from chunky skillet batches to smooth blender purées.

Start with the Classic Stovetop Apple Sauce for your first batch. Reach for the Slow Cooker Ginger version on busy mornings, the Red Hot Cinnamon one when you want heat, and the No Sugar Added Date Apple Sauce if you like natural sweetness.

Which Apple Sauce Should You Make?

Classic Stovetop Apple Sauce

This is the one to make when you want apple sauce that tastes like apples, not the jar. A little lemon and a pinch of salt keep it bright, and the skins stay in for a rosy color.

Ingredients (makes about 4 cups / 950 ml)

• Apples, quartered, cored, and unpeeled: 1.4 kg (3 lb)
• Water: 120 ml (1/2 cup)
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Granulated sugar: 2 tbsp
• Ground cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
• Kosher salt: 1/4 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Combine the 1.4 kg apples and 120 ml water in a large pot over medium-high heat. You’ll hear a gentle sizzle as the water hits the bottom, and that’s exactly what you want. Cover with a lid and let the apples steam for 10 minutes, lifting the lid once to stir.

Step 2: Stir in the 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp salt, then reduce the heat to medium-low. You’ll cook it uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for another 15 minutes, and the apples will slump and the skins will start to separate.

Step 3: Mash the apples with your potato masher until you reach a texture your family likes. The sauce thickens as it cools.

Step 4: Taste the sauce and adjust with a little more lemon or sugar if your apples were tart or flat. You want clean apple flavor with a soft cinnamon background.

Step 5: Spoon the warm sauce into a bowl and serve it beside roasted chicken or over your morning oatmeal. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Maple Cinnamon Apple Sauce

This one leans into the cozy end of apple sauce, with maple syrup and a cinnamon stick doing most of the work. Use soft, sweet apples like Gala or Fuji so you can cut back on added sugar.

Ingredients (makes about 5 cups / 1.2 litres)

• Soft apples, quartered and cored: 1.6 kg (3 1/2 lb)
• Water: 60 ml (1/4 cup)
• Pure maple syrup: 80 ml (1/3 cup)
• Cinnamon stick: 1
• Fresh lemon juice: 2 tsp
• Kosher salt: 1/4 tsp
• Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp

Instructions

Step 1: Put the 1.6 kg apples, 60 ml water, and 1 cinnamon stick into a heavy pot over medium heat. You’ll let them come to a gentle bubble, then drop the heat to low and cover the pot for 12 minutes so the apples release their juice.

Step 2: Stir in the 80 ml maple syrup, 2 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt. You want the mixture to cook down uncovered for about 18 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the apples are soft enough to smash with the back of your spoon.

Step 3: Fish out the cinnamon stick and mash the apples to a chunky or smooth consistency, whichever you prefer. If the sauce seems thin, let it bubble for 5 more minutes and you’ll see it thicken.

Step 4: Drop in the 1 tbsp butter, if you’re using it, and stir just until it melts into a glossy sheen. This step is where the sauce goes from fruit to something you’ll want on pancakes.

Step 5: Serve it warm over your favorite waffles or next to a stack of French toast. A spoonful of cold apple sauce straight from the fridge is also fair game.

Slow Cooker Ginger Apple Sauce

This is the set and forget apple sauce for days when you want the whole house to smell like ginger and warm apples. The slow cooker breaks the fruit down gently, and fresh ginger gives it a mellow kick.

Ingredients (makes about 7 cups / 1.7 litres)

• Apples, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks: 2.7 kg (6 lb)
• Fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated: 1 tbsp
• Ground cinnamon: 1 tsp
• Brown sugar, packed: 60 g (1/3 cup)
• Fresh lemon juice: 2 tbsp
• Water: 120 ml (1/2 cup)
• Kosher salt: 1/4 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Toss the 2.7 kg apple chunks into your slow cooker and add 120 ml water, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 60 g brown sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir everything together so the apples get coated before the heat comes on.

Step 2: Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. You’ll know it’s ready when the apples have turned soft and the liquid at the edges looks syrupy rather than watery.

Step 3: Uncover the slow cooker and let the sauce breathe for 10 minutes. The steam will escape, and you can decide right now whether you want to leave it rustic or break out your immersion blender.

Step 4: Use a wooden spoon to crush the apples gently against the side of the slow cooker for a chunky sauce. You want uneven pieces that give each spoonful a little chew.

Step 5: Blend the mixture with your immersion blender in short pulses for a smooth sauce until no big chunks remain. Stop before it turns watery, because over blending can make the sauce thin even after cooling.

Step 6: Ladle the warm sauce into jars or a serving bowl. You can serve it right away over grilled chicken or use it to top your yogurt. Keep the rest in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Chunky Skillet Apple Sauce

A hot skillet gives you apple sauce with toasted edges and real texture. You’ll keep the peels on, so every spoonful has a little snap.

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups / 700 ml)

• Crisp-tart apples, unpeeled and sliced: 900 g (2 lb)
• Unsalted butter: 1 tbsp
• Light brown sugar: 2 tbsp
• Ground cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tsp
• Water: 2 tbsp
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Melt 1 tbsp butter in a wide skillet over medium-high heat and watch it foam. You’ll add the 900 g sliced apples and cook them for 4 minutes without moving them much, so the bottom pieces pick up some brown color.

Step 2: Add 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt, then pour in 2 tbsp water and 1 tsp lemon juice. You’ll stir everything together and keep cooking for another 6 minutes, scraping the skillet so nothing sticks.

Step 3: Break the apples up roughly with your spoon. You want some pieces to stay intact and others to turn soft, and the sauce will look glossy and deep golden.

Step 4: Slide it into a bowl and spoon it over your turkey cutlets or cottage cheese while it’s still warm. The little browned bits are the best part.

Silky Blender Apple Sauce

This one is for anyone who wants no trace of peel or chunk. The blender does the work, and a whisper of cardamom keeps it from tasting like baby food.

Ingredients (makes about 2 1/2 cups / 600 ml)

• Soft apples, peeled, cored, and chopped: 900 g (2 lb)
• Water: 120 ml (1/2 cup)
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Granulated sugar: 1 tbsp
• Ground cardamom: 1/8 tsp
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Place the 900 g peeled, cored, and chopped apples into a medium saucepan with 120 ml water. You’ll bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low for 12 minutes.

Step 2: Uncover and stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/8 tsp cardamom, and 1/8 tsp salt. You want to keep cooking and stirring for 5 more minutes, until the apples collapse completely when you press them with a spoon.

Step 3: Transfer the mixture carefully to your blender and blend it on high until the sauce is completely smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. Hold the lid down with a folded towel and you’ll avoid a hot apple splash.

Step 4: Pour the smooth sauce into a bowl or jar and serve it warm, or chill it for a cool spoonable treat. You can thin it with a little cold water if you like it pourable.

Red Hot Cinnamon Apple Sauce

This is the apple sauce for cinnamon candy people. The red hots melt into the fruit and turn the whole batch a warm pink, with a heat that builds at the back of your throat.

Ingredients (makes about 4 1/2 cups / 1 litre)

• Tart apples, peeled and cut into chunks: 1.4 kg (3 lb)
• Water: 240 ml (1 cup)
• Cinnamon imperials (red hot candies): 60 g (1/4 cup)
• Granulated sugar: 1 tbsp
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Combine the 1.4 kg apple chunks, 240 ml water, and 60 g cinnamon imperials in a large pot over medium heat. You’ll stir once or twice as the candies begin to dissolve, which happens faster than you’d expect.

Step 2: Cover the pot and let the apples cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. The candy will stain the apples pink, and you’ll smell the cinnamon before you even lift the lid.

Step 3: Uncover and stir in 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1/8 tsp salt. You want to mash the apples with a wooden spoon until the sauce reaches a texture you like, then let it bubble uncovered for 5 more minutes.

Step 4: Turn off the heat and let the sauce sit for 10 minutes, because it thickens as it cools. You can taste it now and decide whether you want a bolder cinnamon kick, though it’s already fairly strong.

Step 5: Serve the warm pink sauce next to your favorite roasted vegetables or over a bowl of vanilla yogurt. It also makes a fast filling for your morning toast.

Pear and Vanilla Apple Sauce

Pears make apple sauce feel softer and slightly floral, and a real vanilla bean adds that speckled, fragrant edge. Choose pears that are just ripe, not mushy, so they hold their shape a little.

Ingredients (makes about 5 cups / 1.2 litres)

• Ripe pears, peeled, cored, and chopped: 700 g (1 1/2 lb)
• Sweet apples, peeled, cored, and chopped: 900 g (2 lb)
• Water: 60 ml (1/4 cup)
• Vanilla bean, split lengthwise: 1
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Honey: 1 tbsp
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Put the 700 g pear chunks and 900 g apple chunks into a wide pot with 60 ml water and the split vanilla bean. You’ll set the pot over medium heat and cover it, letting the fruit steam for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Uncover and stir in 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey, and 1/8 tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low and you’ll cook the fruit gently for another 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until both fruits are soft.

Step 3: Pull out the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds back into the pot with the tip of your knife. You can discard the pod or rinse it and drop it into your sugar jar for later.

Step 4: Mash the mixture with a fork for a textured sauce, or use your immersion blender for a smoother one. The pears will break down faster than the apples, so you’ll get a lovely two-tone effect if you leave it chunky.

Step 5: Spoon the warm sauce over your granola or serve it alongside a slice of coffee cake. The vanilla scent is even more noticeable after a night in the fridge.

Brown Butter Apple Sauce

Browning the butter first turns a simple apple sauce into something you’ll want over ice cream. The milk solids toast and the apples cook in that nutty fat, so the whole batch tastes caramelized.

Ingredients (makes about 2 cups / 480 ml)

• Crisp apples, peeled and small diced: 700 g (1 1/2 lb)
• Unsalted butter: 3 tbsp
• Dark brown sugar: 2 tbsp
• Ground cardamom: 1/4 tsp
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tsp
• Water: 60 ml (1/4 cup)
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp
• Flaky salt, for serving: a pinch

Instructions

Step 1: Place 3 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it melt. You’ll keep your eye on it for about 3 minutes as it foams, then turns golden, and finally smells like toasted nuts.

Step 2: Add the 700 g diced apples to the browned butter and stir to coat them. Cook for 5 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, and you’ll see the apples start to soften and take on a golden color.

Step 3: Stir in 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1 tsp lemon juice, 60 ml water, and 1/8 tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low and you’ll cover the pan for 8 minutes, letting the apples collapse.

Step 4: Mash the apples to your preferred texture with a fork or wooden spoon. If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of water and you’ll loosen it without losing the buttery depth.

Step 5: Serve it warm over your vanilla ice cream or folded into your morning oatmeal with a pinch of flaky salt. This sauce is richest on the day you make it.

No Sugar Added Date Apple Sauce

Dates bring the sweetness here, so you don’t need any sugar at all. The sauce comes out a deep caramel color and tastes earthier than a standard batch.

Ingredients (makes about 3 1/2 cups / 830 ml)

• Soft apples, quartered and cored: 1.1 kg (2 1/2 lb)
• Medjool dates, pitted and chopped: 120 g (about 8 dates)
• Water: 240 ml (1 cup)
• Fresh lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Ground cinnamon: 1/2 tsp
• Kosher salt: 1/8 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Place the 1.1 kg apples, 120 g chopped dates, 240 ml water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt into a medium pot. You’ll bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat, then drop the heat to low.

Step 2: Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so the dates don’t settle on the bottom. You’ll see the water turn brown and the apples get soft enough to split with your spoon.

Step 3: Uncover and cook for 5 more minutes, letting the extra liquid bubble away. You can blend the mixture with an immersion blender for a smooth sauce, or mash it by hand if you want a rustic feel.

Step 4: Ladle the thick sauce into a bowl and serve it warm over your plain yogurt or on top of whole grain toast. It tastes even better after chilling, and the sweetness deepens overnight.

Freezer Bag Apple Sauce

Make this big batch once and you’ll have apple sauce waiting in the freezer for pancakes, lunches, and last minute side dishes. The method is simple, but the scale means you can stop buying jars.

Ingredients (makes about 8 cups / 1.9 litres, divided into 2 freezer bags)

• Mixed apples, cored and roughly chopped: 2.2 kg (5 lb)
• Water: 240 ml (1 cup)
• Fresh lemon juice: 2 tbsp
• Brown sugar, packed: 60 g (1/3 cup)
• Ground cinnamon: 2 tsp
• Ground nutmeg: 1/4 tsp
• Kosher salt: 1/2 tsp

Instructions

Step 1: Add the 2.2 kg chopped apples, 240 ml water, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 60 g brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp salt to your largest pot. You’ll stir to combine, then set the pot over medium-high heat.

Step 2: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, lifting the lid to stir every 5 minutes, and you’ll see the apples turn glossy and release plenty of liquid.

Step 3: Uncover and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, stirring often, until the apples are completely soft and the sauce has thickened slightly. You want it a little loose now, because it thickens after freezing.

Step 4: Mash the apples with your potato masher to a texture your family will like. If you prefer a smooth sauce for baking, blend half the batch and leave the rest chunky.

Step 5: Let the sauce cool to room temperature, which usually takes about an hour. You’ll divide it between two freezer safe bags, about 4 cups per bag, pressing out the extra air before you seal them.

Step 6: Label each bag with the date and freeze them flat so they stack neatly. To serve, thaw a bag in the fridge overnight and you can spoon it cold or warm it in a pan for 3 minutes over low heat.

The one technique that matters most is watching for the apples to turn spoon-soft before you decide the sauce is done. Varieties cook at different speeds, so the fruit itself is a better signal than the timer.

Pick a version that fits your evening, set the pot on the stove, and trust the apples to do their work. A warm bowl is closer than you think.