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    Home » Air Fryer, Instant Pot, & Crock-Pot

    Updated: Nov 1, 2024 · Published: Nov 23, 2020 · by Angela · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

    Jump to Recipe

    This slow cooker apple sauce is so easy and delicious. Fresh apples make a healthy homemade recipe. Make it chunky, smooth, sweet, or tart. 

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce ready to eat
    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce ready to eat

    For this recipe, you can add a lot of sugar, low sugar, or no sugar at all. This applesauce is great either sweetened or unsweetened. When adding the sugar in the final hour of cooking, you can also add ½ teaspoon of each or any combination of allspice, cinnamon, and/or cloves. See adjustments in the recipe card.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce in bowls next to spoon and whole apples.
    Jump to:
    • Best Apples to Use
    • How to Make Homemade Slow Cooker Apple Sauce
    • Set the Crock Pot
    • FAQ
    • How to Store Homemade Apple Sauce
    • What to Serve with Apple Sauce
    • Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

    Best Apples to Use

    You can add more flavor to your applesauce with other ingredients or by using a variety of apples. Like my recipe for Slow Cooker Apple Cobbler, this recipes is great for when you have a bunch of apples to use up.

    For this recipe, I used ½ Fuji & ½ Granny Smith.

    • FOR A SWEETER APPLE SAUCE, use Golden Delicious, Fuji, or Gala
    • SWEET BUT A BIT TART - McIntosh, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp
    • FOR A CRISP OR MORE TART APPLE SAUCE - Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn

    Remember you can also adjust how much sugar you add later too. It is all about your personal preference for a sweeter or more tart apple sauce result.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce apples & crock

    How to Make Homemade Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

    Peel, core, and dice the apples.  The apples should be in large chunks as shown below.   Once they are added to the insert of your CrockPot slow cooker, add the water and a squeeze of lemon.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce apples cut in the crock

    Set the Crock Pot

    You can overcook apples so be careful to watch the time. If you cut the apples to the size, as shown above, set your slow cooker for 3 hours on HIGH.

    Once the 3 hours are up, the apple sauce should look like chunky applesauce as seen below. At this point, stir in the sugar and optional spices. 

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce chunky in crock

    Set the slow cooker for one more final hour and let it cook again on HIGH.  Once that fourth and final hour is over it will be ready.  The apples will be completely cooked, sweetened up even more, and smoother as seen below. 

    If you want it even more smooth you can use an immersion blender in the apple sauce.  If you are making apple sauce for a baby or toddler, oftentimes making it even more smooth with the immersion blender is exactly how they like homemade apple sauce.   

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce ready in the crock

    When the twins were babies, that was the final step and how I would make this recipe. They still love it that way & when I use it to make Homemade Applesauce Muffins. This applesauce recipe for kids and adults is just perfect.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce spoonful

    FAQ

    Why add lemon juice when making apple sauce?

    A squeeze of lemon juice helps to slow down oxidation.  It will help retain the color as much as possible as the apples slow cook in the CrockPot.

    Can I use apple juice as the cooking liquid?

    Yes, if you want more apple flavor you can add juice or cider. I prefer water since our homegrown apples are plenty juicy & flavorful.

    Is this a No-Sugar recipe?

    This recipe can be made with or without the sugar. I can also be made chunky or smooth.

    Why does my applesauce taste bitter?

    Make sure the peels and seeds are removed, a few seeds may add a bitter flavor and are can be poisonous if too many are eaten.

    How can I make the apple sauce thicker?

    If your apples had a lot of juice, it may be a thinner consistency. You can cook it for longer to cook off/boil off the liquids. I do NOT recommend adding any thickening agent.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce in bowl ready

    How to Store Homemade Apple Sauce

    This recipe can be made ahead of time and stores very well.  Spoon apple sauce into an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator.  Homemade apple sauce can store from 7 - 10 days in your refrigerator.

    Can you freeze apple sauce? Yes - freezing applesauce is ok. It can be stored in the freezer for up to a year if stored properly.

    What to Serve with Apple Sauce

    Here are some great recipes that pair well apple sauce:

    • AIR FRYER PORK CHOPS
    • MOCHI WAFFLES
    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce in bowls next to spoon and whole apples.

    Slow Cooker Apple Sauce

    Angela
    This slow cooker apple sauce is so easy and delicious. Fresh apples make a healthy homemade recipe. Make it chunky, smooth, sweet, or tart.  
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Share on Facebook
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 4 hours hrs
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8

    Equipment

    • CrockPot slow cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • 10 C apple chunks peeled & cored (see above for best apple varieties)
    • ⅓ C water
    • 1 TB lemon juice

    For Sweetened Apple Sauce

    • ⅓ C sugar for a sweeter sauce, use ¼ C for a more tart taste (we prefer ¼C sugar for our Fuji & Granny Smith sauce)

    For Spice Apple Sauce

    • ½ tsp each Cinnamon, Clove, and/or Allspice optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Peel, core, and dice the apples into large-sized chunks.
    • Add apples to the insert of your CrockPot slow cooker. Next, add the water and lemon juice.
    • Cook on HIGH for 3 hours in your slow cooker.
    • Add optional sugar to taste. Also if you want spiced apple sauce, this is the time to add the optional spices. Stir to combine and break the apples down more.
    • Cook one more hour on HIGH, for a total of 4 hours.
    • After 4 hours, the apple sauce will be ready. You can cool and enjoy immediately for a slightly chunky apple sauce. For a smoother apple sauce, you can use an immersion blender until it is the consistency you like.
    • Store in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for 7 - 10 days.

    Notes

    If made with ⅓ C sugar and no spices - the nutritional information is as follows 
    Nutrition Facts
    Servings: 8
    Amount per serving  
    Calories 38
    % Daily Value*
    Total Fat 0g 0%
    Saturated Fat 0g 0%
    Cholesterol 0mg 0%
    Sodium 1mg 0%
    Total Carbohydrate 10.1g 4%
    Dietary Fiber 0.2g 1%
    Total Sugars 9.8g  
    Protein 0.1g
    Keyword crockpot, dairy-free, easy, fall, fruit, grain-free, one pot, slow cooker, vegan, vegetarian
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Megan says

      November 23, 2020 at 6:43 pm

      What a fun, fall treat! My son loves applesauce, so we'll have to give this a try!

      Reply
    2. Adrienne says

      November 23, 2020 at 6:45 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love the smell of apples baking. I can't wait to try this recipe!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 29, 2020 at 10:26 am

        I agree, the smell of fresh baking apples is pretty phenomenal. Really makes it hard to wait for the delicious homemade apple sauce but worth it.

        Reply
    3. Sabrina DeWalt says

      November 23, 2020 at 9:38 pm

      This sounds so good!

      Reply
    4. Alexis Farmer says

      November 24, 2020 at 3:15 am

      Aww my husband’s grandma usually makes this and it’s delicious! Since we’re not going there this year because of COVId, I might need to try and make this.

      Reply
    5. Tricia Snow says

      November 24, 2020 at 7:44 am

      5 stars
      I never thought of using my slow cooker for applesauce. What a great idea! It looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 27, 2020 at 9:33 am

        I hope you enjoy it.

        Reply
    6. Elaina says

      November 24, 2020 at 11:18 am

      I never would have realized how easy this is. I love using apple sauce in my banana bread recipes.

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 24, 2020 at 2:55 pm

        You must try this recipe and use the apple sauce in your banana bread, so good.

        Reply
    7. Sandi Barrett says

      November 24, 2020 at 11:46 am

      This is so easy! I always make mine on the stovetop - never considered the slow cooker. Love this.

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 24, 2020 at 2:55 pm

        You totally need to try making homemade apple sauce in the slow cooker - set it and forget it. So easy.

        Reply
    8. Heather Jandrue says

      November 24, 2020 at 1:13 pm

      This sounds so good., I eat applesauce with quite a few things. Very yummy!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 24, 2020 at 2:54 pm

        Thank you.

        Reply
    9. Dee | Grammy's Grid says

      November 25, 2020 at 3:18 am

      YUM, looks good! Thanks so much for linking up with me at my party #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 18, open until November 26 at 12:05 am. Shared on social media. I invite you to check out my themed link parties. Any link you add to my parties can also be added to my Unlimited Monthly for more views and shares!!

      Reply
    10. KENDRA says

      November 25, 2020 at 11:43 am

      5 stars
      Mmmm! I love homemade applesauce!

      Reply
    11. Barbara says

      November 25, 2020 at 3:04 pm

      Yum! Great recipe and idea!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        November 27, 2020 at 9:33 am

        Thanks, Barbara and I hope you enjoy making homemade applesauce.

        Reply
    12. Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says

      November 27, 2020 at 11:28 am

      Looks wonderfully easy!! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Have a wonderful weekend.

      Reply
    13. Danielle Ardizzone says

      November 29, 2020 at 7:12 pm

      5 stars
      Sounds amazing yet doable! I can only imagine how yummy the house would smell with this cooking!

      Reply
    14. Keirsten Morris says

      December 11, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      This is such a great idea. I've never even thought to do this but it makes sense. It's probably so fresh!

      Reply
      • Angela says

        December 12, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        Homemade apple sauce is so easy and so much more healthy and delicious than most store-bought brands. I hope you love the recipe.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Angela I’m Angela, a petite mom that loves to cook, eat, drink, & explore all things food. As a former personal chef & caterer, I specialize in family recipes that taste great & are easy to make. I rely on my trusty stool every day to create & test recipes I know you will love.

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