Gluten-Free 5-Ingredient Applesauce with No Added Sugar

If you love applesauce but don’t want the added sugar or risk of gluten cross-contamination, try your hand at making homemade applesauce instead. Homemade applesauce is naturally gluten-free, incredibly fresh, and oh-so-delicious. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Making applesauce from scratch is easy. If everyone knew how easy it was, there would never be a reason to buy store-bought applesauce again. Nothing beats the fresh taste and quality of homemade applesauce.

In this article, I’ll show you how to make applesauce at home in less than an hour and using only five simple ingredients.

My homemade applesauce is the perfect topper for gluten-free latkes, which are potato pancakes enjoyed on Hanukkah, and it works beautifully inside my famous gluten-free applesauce cake, a beloved recipe passed down to me by my husband’s grandmother.

Of course, you could also enjoy this simple applesauce as a stand-alone snack. All you need is a spoon and good taste!

Ingredients Needed

Head to the grocery store and grab the following five simple ingredients:

(1) Apples: You’ll need 4 lbs (about 8 medium apples) to make this recipe. I recommend using sweet or semi-sweet crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, and Fuji apples. The natural sugar from the apples will sweeten the unsweetened applesauce. Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples are tart and, therefore, will produce tart applesauce. You could also use a variety of apples to create different flavors and levels of sweetness in your homemade applesauce.

(2) Water: Add 1/4 cup of water to the recipe. The water will aid in cooking down the apples and will eventually become incorporated into the mashed apples.

(3) Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is acidic and will help balance the sweetness in the apples. It also helps to preserve the color of the applesauce and deter browning. Alternatively, you could use freshly squeezed orange juice to achieve the same effect, plus you’ll add a touch more sweetness.

(4) Cinnamon: You’ll need 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick that you’ll remove after simmering the apples.

(5) Vanilla: This recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Vanilla adds another hint of sweetness.

Adding additional sugar is optional. If the mixture is tart, I add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup until it tastes just right.

While you could use brown sugar, I prefer maple syrup (or honey) because it’s less processed than sugar. It also contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and because it’s lower on the glycemic index than refined sugar, it won’t spike your glucose levels.

How to Make Homemade Applesauce

Here’s how to make homemade applesauce in less than an hour:

(1) Peel and core the apples and roughly chop them into large chunks or wedges. Add the apples to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pan. Toss or compost the apple peels.

(2) Add the water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla to the apples, then cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat to simmer the apples. The apples will take about 35-40 minutes to become fork-tender. Allow them to cool slightly before moving to the next step.

(3) Once tender, remove the apples from the heat and mash them with a potato masher for chunky applesauce or use a handheld immersion blender for smooth applesauce.

Alternatively, puree the apples in a high-speed blender or food processor for a smoother texture. This is my preferred texture.

(4) Taste the applesauce. It will be naturally sweet but might also be slightly tart. At this point, you can eat the applesauce as is. Or, if you want to sweeten it, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to taste.

Store the cooled applesauce in an airtight container (i.e., mason jar) in the fridge for up to one week.

For extended storage, portion the room-temperature applesauce into freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 10 months. You could also preserve the applesauce by canning it.

Enjoy this nutritious and delicious applesauce as a healthy snack, or use it to top potato pancakes (latkes) for Hanukkah or inside baked goods like my famous gluten-free applesauce cake. I hear it also tastes great on pork chops.

FAQs

Can You Use a Slow Cooker? Yes, you can use a slow cooker to prepare this recipe, but truth be told, the apples cook down in about 35-40 minutes on your stovetop, so why bother? I recommend using a different recipe if you want to use your slow cooker or instant pot. On the other hand, slow-cooking apple butter enhances the recipe, so making apple butter would be a better time to use your slow cooker.

Flavor Enhancers: You could add more cinnamon, star anise, or apple pie spice to switch up the flavor of ordinary applesauce.

How to Peel and Core Apples: If you have an apple peeler, use it to save time. If not, you can use a handheld vegetable peeler. I also use an apple corer to help remove the core and slice the apples quickly.

Need a Big Batch of Applesauce? This recipe will fill up one 32-ounce mason jar with a little extra to snack on. Double or triple the recipe to make a big batch to feed a crowd.

Additional Recipes

If you like this homemade unsweetened applesauce recipe, you might also enjoy these recipes:

• Slow Cooker Apple Butter (Gluten-Free)
• Warm Butternut Squash & Apple Dip
• Favorite Gluten-Free Chocolate Applesauce Cake
• Glazed Gluten-Free Apple Fritters
• Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Bread (Dairy-Free and Egg-Free)
• Gluten-Free Apple Cake (Perfect for Rosh Hashanah and Year Round)

Check out my list of 10+ Amazing Gluten-Free Hanukkah Recipes, where I feature this recipe on top of potato latkes.