I made unsweetened applesauce the other day. This recipe turned out to be simple and quick – and very healthy. It’s low calorie, and has just 3 ingredients. Applesauce is great as a snack, a baby/toddler food, or even dessert.
A few days ago I bought a bunch of apples, because I love apples. Unfortunately they turned out to be a little bit mealy. I like apples crisp, don’t you? Fuji and Honeycrisp are probably my favorites. Galas are good too. These were supposed to be Fuji but I think they were past their prime. In any case, I needed a way to use them up.
So I made homemade unsweetened applesauce. It turned out to be super-sweet even though it has no added sweetener – just the way I like it!
Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 5-6 apples, chopped in fourths
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method
- Add chopped apples and water to a saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and let the apples boil for about 10 minutes.
- Some apples may start to lose their skin. You can remove it if you like, and eat it for added fiber.
Mmmm…. Fiber.
- Add the cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix it around.
- Turn the heat down to low, leave the top off the pan, and simmer/low-boil for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Let the apples cool. If you don’t want the skin, you can peel it off once the apples are cool enough. I suggest leaving it on because I didn’t notice any odd flavor or texture from it.
- Puree the apple pieces + leftover water (there shouldn’t be that much) + skins (optional) in a food processor. They should blend easily and turn right into the perfect applesauce consistency.
- Eat the homemade unsweetened applesauce!
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I use applesauce for cooking all the time. Here are some of my favorite recipes that use applesauce.
- 100 Calorie Cheesecake (fat and sugar free, low calorie)
- Oatmeal Raisin Applesauce Cookies (my hubby’s favorite recipe)
- PBBA Sandwich
- Oatmeal Applesauce Pancakes
- Banana Bread
- Low-Sugar Black Bean Brownies
- Fluffy Waffles
- Vegan Chocolate Peanut Raisin Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Trail Mix Cookies
- Cranberry Apple Pumpkin Bake
- Vegan Apple Muffins
- Cocoa Banana Oat Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal