Easy Homemade Applesauce with Peels (no sugar)
Wanna know a secret?? Making healthy homemade applesauce is NOT hard and it does NOT take a lot of time!! It is so easy to make delicious homemade applesauce WITH peels and then you can feel like a homesteader rockstar mom!!
A few years ago I shared a DELICIOUS crockpot applesauce recipe HERE that has been my tried and true for YEARS!! And I am not gonna lie, it is good…BUT it calls for lots and LOTS of sugar…which is why it is so darn good:). Recently I decided I needed to create a healthier option. I love a good treat now and then, but I also like to wear real pants… occasionally…and sometimes I have to put the leggings away and make a few healthier choices. I am also a bit lazy, and I did NOT want to peel a bunch of apples. SOOOO I did the only thing I could think of…I Googled CAN YOU MAKE APPLESAUCE WITHOUT PEELING APPLES?? And Google didn’t let me down. And now I have a recipe for applesauce WITH peels and WITHOUT sugar.
WHY MAKE APPLESAUCE WITH PEELS??
The easy answer is…that peeling apples is like a form of medieval torture…AND it takes soooo much more time. I don’t really have lots of extra time in this chapter of my life…so I am gonna go with easy EVERY SINGLE TIME!! But besides the fact that it is easier…it is also healthy. My good buddy Google told me that an apple with the peel on actually has 50% more nutrients than one with the skin removed PLUS added fiber! Hot dang!! Give me ALL the extra nutrients and fiber, please!! I am a tired homeschool mom with some strong cravings for junk food. I can use EVERY bit of nutrient I can squeeze into my snack!!
HOW DO I GET SMOOTH APPLESAUCE WITH PEELS??
I know what you are thinking…peels will make the applesauce chunky and weirdly colored. That is where your blender comes in. You blend up the chunky peel/applesauce combo and it makes a DELIGHTFULLY smooth and creamy applesauce. It is like magic. Peels and Apples go in…the most amazingly smooth delicious applesauce comes out. Way smoother than even store-bought applesauce. It just goes all Harry Potter OBLIVIATE and disappears. But we both know that those secret nutrients PLUS fiber are still inside. And secret nutrients are the BEST kind of nutrients in my opinion!!
HOW TO CUT APPLES LIKE A CHAMP
I have had an apple cutter for years that I THOUGHT was great. But guess what?? It was just sub-par at best. I am sure that you…like me…think that it probably doesn’t make THAT much difference. BUT IT DOES!! This apple-slicer-of-my-dreams pops the apples off the blade at the end. It seems so simple…but trust me…it is life-changing!! And as an added bonus, the slices are much thinner. This works out great for my kids, but also for baking. Thinner slices equal quicker cooking time. It is a win-win. You can find my new favorite kitchen gadget HERE.
And there you have it…ALL the info you never knew you NEVER knew about applesauce and peels and how I like to wear leggings as pants. Now grab the recipe and start NOT peeling your apples ASAP.
Applesauce with peels (no sugar)
Ingredients
- 12 apples
- 1/2 cup water (you can use apple juice or cider for a more robust flavor).
- 3 ish TBSP lemon juice I juice ONE lemon and throw it in.
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse your appes in a vinegar bath the REALLY clean those peels…yuk!!
- Cut and core your apples. I use an apple corer/slicer to get the job done quick:)
- Toss apples into a large pot and add about 1/2 cup of water (or apple juice).
- Squeeze your lemon over your apples and stir.
- Heat your apples up to a quick boil, then lower heat and let simmer on low for at least an hour.
- Once apples are soft getting to the mushy stage, remove from heat.
- If you like a chunkier applesauce, you can stop hear and mash with a potato masher. BUT if you want the creamiest most delicious texture, throw your applesauce into the blender (in small batches) and blend until smooth.
- You can stop here for perfectly un-sweetened applesauce OR you can add in some yummy flavor. I like to add at least 1/2 cup of maple syrup (just add to taste), and at least 1 tsp of cinnamon (again…add to taste).
- Enjoy warm, or keep refrigerated for 4-6 days. You can store your applesauce in clean mason jars to last a bit longer in the fridge (not canned…just IN jars). OR you can get your homesteader mom pants on and can this stuff like a champ. I prefer to just eat it up and make more later;)
If you need a few more appley delicious recipes in your life, you should head HERE and HERE and FOR SURE over HERE for more super simple and delicious fall-inspired apple recipes that will knock your socks off AND make your house smell like FALL!! Happy baking and cheers to hidden nutrients and a healthy snack that tastes like a dessert!! —Jessica
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