Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce is an easy homemade applesauce recipe with tender apple chunks, sweet and tart flavor plus a dash of cinnamon.
A homemade batch of applesauce makes an easy Snack, sweet Side Dish, or Breakfast. It’s wonderful recipe to use up lots of fresh apples throughout the Fall. We have easy recipes for Slow Cooker Applesauce, Baked Applesauce and now this cinnamon-spiced stovetop method for applesauce.
If you love a chunky consistency in your applesauce, this is the apple recipe for you! The warm spices and brown sugar, plus the chunky texture of the apple pieces will remind you of Apple Pie Filling, but much less sweet! It’s like having a guilt-free bit of apple pie for breakfast.
Sabrina’s Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe
If you’ve never made homemade applesauce, this recipe is the perfect place to start. The apple mixture is just a few simple ingredients cooked down on the stovetop. You combine fresh apple pieces with warm brown sugar and spices in a large pot. All you have to worry about while cooking them together is stirring the apple sauce occasionally. When it’s done, divide the Homemade Chunky Applesauce into mason jars for canning or storing, or serve it warm.
One of the best parts of this recipe is how the smell of baked apples and warm spices fills the house while it’s cooking. Your mouth will absolutely be watering by the time it’s done. In fact, the hardest part of the whole recipe is having the patience to let the creamy, chunky applesauce cool down before eating it.
Ingredients
- Apples: You will need about 8 medium apples (this should be roughly 4 pounds of apples) to make this batch of applesauce. You can use a variety of apples or use just one type of apple like tart green apples. Since this is a chunky applesauce recipe, stick to firmer apples like you use in apple pies such as Fuji apples, Golden delicious or Honey Crisp.
- Brown Sugar: There is just a ½ cup of brown sugar to help draw out the natural sweetness in the juices and bring a warmer flavor to the applesauce without making it overly sugary. You can sub in regular sugar or try other sweeteners like maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- Spices: To give this delicious applesauce a warm, fall flavor we added a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. The warm spices give it just a hint of apple pie flavor while still letting the sweet, tart apple flavor shine through.
How to Make
Time needed: 35 minutes.
- Prep the Apples
Start the Applesauce recipe by peeling, coring, and cutting them into medium chopped apples. You can use an apple corer or just use a sharp knife.
- Cooking Time
Add the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a large pot over medium heat. The ingredients will cook in the apple juice and begin to break down. Stir the baking apples every 5 minutes.
- Smooth Applesauce
If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can use a potato masher, immersion blender, or food processor to get the desired consistency. The potato masher will still leave some chunks if you want them.
Can Applesauce be made ahead of time?
For this recipe, there aren’t any steps to prep in advance but applesauce can be made ahead of when you want to serve it. It will stay good for a week or two in the fridge and the flavors will deepen overnight so it will be better the next day. You can also can this applesauce recipe, just see the instructions under “Alternative Cooking Techniques”.
Nutritional Facts
1 serving is about 1 cup of prepared applesauce.
Serving Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce
This easy Chunky Apple Sauce is sure to become a favorite recipe. It’s great to store in small containers and send off in packed lunches. You can also enjoy a bowl of applesauce in the morning, as a quick snack, or even as a dinner side dish.
The tart apples, brown sugar, and spices make the applesauce recipe the perfect complement to holiday dinners, Pork Chops, or even served over Buttermilk Pancakes. It’s a truly versatile recipe and the perfect applesauce to serve with your favorite comfort food for any occasion.
How to Store
Store: You can keep homemade applesauce warm for up to 2 hours, but it needs to be chilled for storage. After 2 hours, take the Applesauce recipe from room temperature and put it in an airtight container to store in the fridge. You can put the applesauce in mason jars, a large food storage container, or in resealable freezer bags. As long as it’s sealed it will stay good for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze: To freeze the Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce in the freezer keep it in jars or put it in resealable freezer bags. If you put the applesauce in jars, make sure to leave some room at the top so it can expand in the freezer. The sauce will stay good for 2-3 months.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Slow Cooker Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce
- To make Slow Cooker Applesauce, chop the apples and place apple slices in the slow cooker.
Mix in ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg. - To make the applesauce in the slow cooker, you’ll need to add ½ cup of water, so that there’s enough liquid to cook low and slow.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Stir twice while cooking.
- If you want to make smooth applesauce, use an immersion blender or potato masher to get the desired consistency.
Canning Applesauce
- Start by sterilizing several 12-16 ounce mason jars, lids and rings in boiling water.
- Prepare the applesauce as usual.
- Use a wide-mouth funnel, fill the clean jars with the applesauce, leaving a ¼ inch space from the top.
- Wipe down the rims of the jars and secure the lids with the rings with a fingertip tight seal.
- Place a rack inside a large stock pot and fill the pot halfway with water, enough to be 1 inch over the jars. Bring the water to a boil.
- Using canning tongs or an oven mitt, gently place the jars on the rack with 2 inch spaces so they don’t touch.
- If there isn’t enough water to cover the jars, add more and bring the water to a boil. When the water is at a full boil, cover the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars and place them on a clean towel to dry and cool. Cool overnight. They are properly sealed if you press the lid and it doesn’t pop or move. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
- If the jar didn’t seal properly, you can try processing again or just store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequent Questions
You can use basically any kind of apples for making applesauce since it’s okay for them to break down. However, for chunky applesauce, the firmer apples tend to keep a better texture.
Yes, your applesauce will naturally thicken as it cools thanks to the fruit pectin in the apples. It won’t be as thick as jam though because there isn’t enough added sugar. The juices might also separate a bit, but a good stir will bring it back together and won’t affect the taste.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 4 pounds granny smith apples , about 8
- 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop the apples into large chunks.
- Place the apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large pot on medium-low heat and stir well.
- Cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until they're tender and about half broken down.
Nutrition
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Variations
Flavorings: For some extra flavor in homemade applesauce try mixing in some fresh lemon juice. 1 tablespoon of lemon juice should do nicely for just a little hint of sour flavor. For spiced applesauce mix in some allspice and cloves, to taste.
Apples: The original recipe calls for granny smith apples, which are much tarter apples. However, if you prefer you can use sweeter apples. Most apple varieties from the grocery store will work just fine in this recipe. Try McIntosh, Cortland Apples, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, or other favorite apples.
Sweeteners: If you want to change the sweetener try using maple syrup in place of the brown sugar. Maple syrup is dark and rich like brown sugar, so it makes a good replacement. You could also use coconut sugar, white sugar, or honey for subtle flavor changes.
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