Easy Homemade Apple Chowder Recipe

I have fond memories of making my homemade apple pie for the kids every year. I don’t live in a place with apple trees (too hot here!) but I still love making mine. Unlike some canning adventures, I feel that homemade applesauce is worth the effort. Plus it makes the house smell great!

A word of caution though…your family will never want to eat store-bought applesauce. Quality will not!

Easy Recipe for the Best Apples

There really is no comparison between homemade applesauce and watery, store-bought applesauce. Homemade applesauce tastes so much better. And I skip the store-bought applesauce with added sweetness.

Although it’s easy to whip up a small batch when needed, we often make a large amount of canning. If you want the short and sweet version, I’ve included instructions on how to make applesauce in the Instant Pot. It tastes amazing with some apple spice and fresh lemon. My kids can’t get enough!

How to cook homemade applesauce

Here’s what we do…

Step 1: Make a Plan to Cook

Making and canning applesauce can probably work well on a weekend if you have a few underfoot. We usually take a nice fall weekend and make it a family event. (Extra hands make work easier and all!)

Go to the farmer’s market or apple orchard together and make a day of it. Children get the sights and sounds (and the taste!), and you can generate a low price of organic local production.

Step 2: Estimate the quantity

How much to do will vary by family, but it is an important step to consider. Nothing kills the joy of cooking from scratch and canning like taking too much at once. (Ask me how I know…)

In my experience, one bushel of apples yields about 15-16 cups of applesauce. I usually go for 2 bushels to keep our family of 7 going for about 6 months.

Similar and useful things to remember:

• 21 pounds of apples = about 7 quarts of processed applesauce (one can of water bath is full)
• 1 bush = 40 pounds of apples

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to buy extra for snacks, baking, or hydration. We love to make seasonal dishes like apple cinnamon muffins, apple pie, apple cider, apple butter, and side dishes like another shaved apple salad.

Step 3: Buy Apples (preferably local and organic)

Making homemade applesauce may not save time, but it does save money. The first year I tried making applesauce I was able to get organic applesauce from the CSA for only $20. (A crazy good deal!)

Step 4: Wash and prepare

Although I make sure to get apples that are insect-free and wax-free, I recommend soaking them in vinegar. I fill the vase with vinegar and water and let it soak. This will remove any dirt or debris from the harvest. After washing, rinse thoroughly with clean water.

You can use a peeler to remove the skin from the apple, but I prefer to leave it. Cut the apples into quarters and remove the core before cooking. (If you have a KitchenAid, these attachments are easy for you).

Step 5: Cook until soft and stir

You can use a slow cooker, the Instant Pot, or just a large pot on the stove to cook applesauce. Boil the apples covered and over medium heat with a little water (less than a cup of water) in the bottom of the pot. I usually add a few teaspoons of cinnamon to each pot full of apples.

Since I leave the skin on the apples, once they are soft I use an immersion blender to blend them evenly in the pot. A large mixer, food processor, or food processor also works. The aim is to blend the skin so that it is not even noticeable. You can mix the sauce regularly and make a smooth or soft apple sauce.

Step 6: Freeze, Cook, or Just Eat!

At this point, the applesauce is ready to eat! This is a great time to prepare some warm applesauce for the kitchen helpers before canning. If you’re new to canning, this handy FAQ is a great place to start.

Here’s a new fall tradition. I hope you love it as much as we do!

The Best Apple Varieties for Apples

The key is to ask organic growers for “seconds” (apples that aren’t too pretty and have minor visual defects). This is not a problem with applesauce since the apples are cooked and blended anyway. It makes the process very cheap. We get a variety of apples every year depending on what is available from local growers. That also depends on which apple trees grow best in your local climate.

In the past, we regularly used McIntosh, Jonathan, Gala, Fuji, and Ida Red. The key is to use 3 or more types in combination. When you combine tart apples like Granny Smith apples with sweet apples, like Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious you get a great flavor.

Have you ever made applesauce? How did it happen?