The perfect multifunctional apple sauce to use in apple cake, carrot cake or savoury dishes like pork belly or baked chicken breast.
Completely natural and takes only a few minutes to prepare. Can be cooked in a slow cooker or simply on the stove. Perfect for canning or storing in the freezer.
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Best apples to use
Any apple will work for this recipe as long as it's fresh and has good flavour.
My favourites are Golden Delicious or Brambly apples but, others like Granny Smith, Pink Lady and Braeburn all work a treat.
Useful equipment
Ingredients
- Apples - You can use any apple, but I find golden delicious to be a nice mix of texture, flavour, sweetness and juiciness. If you have an apple tree then those are the ones you will be using of course. No matter the variety.
- Sugar(optional) - Depending on what you want or how you will use it. I prefer a bit(not too much) brown sugar. You could also use honey, stevia, or any other natural sweetener like maple or agave syrup.
- Spice(optional) - I have a bit of a fetish for spices when it comes to cooking apples in any form. We use cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger in this recipe but you can leave it out or use any single type or a combination of those you fancy.
- Water - Apples release their own juice after a while but adding a bit of water at the start prevent possible burn scenarios and speeds up the process by creating a hot steamy environment in the pot.
- Lemon juice(optional) - If you are using a sweet variety and using sugar you need to balance it with a few drops of lemon juice or lime juice. Balance is key in above average quality cooking. It’s what sets many dishes apart. Little insider secret;)
- Salt - A pinch goes a long way. For balance, and bringing the flavour out, it’s a must.
How to make it
- Weigh out the spices, sugar and water.
- Peel, core and cut the apples into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Place into a suitably sized pot or pan. Cover with a lid and stew on medium heat until the apples are softened.
- If you are using whole spices instead of ground spices then remove them at this stage. You might find a lot of liquid in the pot depending on the variety of apple you used. Don’t worry. All will be cool.
- Use an old fashioned potato masher to roughly mash up the apples. Once mashed and you still have too much liquid, just slowly simmer it a bit to evaporate some of that liquid. Do not throw any liquid away at any stage. It’s flavour and water. We just need to evaporate some of the water and flavour is left behind. Take note that apple sauce thickens a bit when it cools down(there is pectin in apples, a naturally occurring starch that thickens when cooked and cooled down)
- Once you are happy with the consistency, give it a taste and decide if you want a bit of lemon juice in there to balance it. If so, obviously add a bit.
- Let it cool down and then store airtight in the fridge or freezer until needed. It will last for about 10 days in the fridge and pretty much forever in the freezer)
Tips for success
- Pick good quality tasty apples.
- Do not use too much sugar. Taste the apples to judge how much sugar is needed.
- Add a touch of lemon juice for balance.
- Don't go overboard with spices. You want the natural apple flavour to shine through.
- Keep a close eye on it while it cooks. It can catch and burn easily.
- Freeze in small quantities for easy access when needed.
Variations
- Add other fresh fruit - You can add other seasonal fruits like plum and pear. Simply replace a part of the apples with that other fruit and follow the same instructions.
- Other sweeteners - You could replace the brown sugar with any other sugar or sweeteners like agave or maple syrup. If you are watching your sugar intake then use a tiny bit of stevia extract.
- Add Dried fruit - You can add dried apricots, plums, raisins, or figs to this recipe for delicious results.
- Addition of nuts - Add roasted, cleaned and chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts once the sauce is cooked. Walnuts and pecans are amazing in apple sauce.
- Other spices and aromatics - You can change it up to fit the occasion or whatever you fancy. Use cardamom, juniper, fresh ginger, lemongrass, citrus peel or lime leaves.
- Consistency and texture - Sometimes you want a smooth apple sauce instead of a chunky one. In this case, you put it in a stand blender and blend it till smooth. On the other end, if you want it really chunky then mash it a bit less.
How to use it
- In alcoholic or non-alcoholic Cocktails - Use as a flavour enhancer in cocktails along with other mixers. Try putting a spoon full of smooth apple sauce in a shaker along with calvados, fresh apple juice, ice and orange peel. shake up and strain. Delicious cocktail ready.
- In smoothies - Blend with banana, coconut milk and berries for a delicious healthy smoothie. The possibilities are endless.
- In baking and desserts - Like in carrot cake or apple cake to help keep them moist. When making trifle, mousses or even as a filling for doughnuts.
- To make apple fruit roll-ups - Simply spread thin on a silicone baking mat and dehydrate until semi-dried, sprinkle with sugar and roll.
Serving suggestions
This is a must-have sauce over the holidays when you make roasted turkey or crispy pork belly.
If you want to go the extra mile then smoke the apples a bit before you cook them.
When the festivities draws to an end you can serve some of the sauce alongside some vanilla ice cream and brandy-soaked fruit cake.
If you like cheese platters, then serve a little bowl of this sauce on the side with some oat crackers. It goes especially well with well-aged hard cheese and also blue cheese.
The sweetness of the apples contrasting with the rich sharpness and saltiness of the cheese works a treat.
Storage options
- Canning - Details below.
- Vacuum packing - Store in small quantities in the fridge.
- Freezing - Sealed airtight will last for many months.
- Regular container and fridge - Will stay fresh for 2 weeks.
Canning
- Sterilise all equipment by boiling in water for a minute.
- Make sure the canning jars are hot as well as the sauce when filling the jars.
- Do not under or over fill jars. Leave headspace or room at the top so the lid can comfortably close.
- Assure that the rubber seals fit properly and are not damaged.
- Immediately seal and cool down the sauce so that a strong vacuum can form.
- It's always better stored in the fridge but will keep well at room temperature too.
- Once canned preserves are opened it has to be stored in the fridge and consumed within 4 days.
Frequently asked questions
Add acid in the form of lemon juice or ascorbic acid dissolved in water as soon as the flesh is exposed to air. This will stop the oxidation process that cause browning.
I always choose freezing over canning as I believe it stays fresher and more vibrant when store at low temperature.
Apple sauce has an acidic ph so botulism can not survive it.
Sometimes if you didn't cook the apples enough you might end up with some liquid separation in the jar or vacuum bags. Simply mix it back in. There is nothing wrong with the sauce.
Other recipes you might like
If you take pride in making your own homemade sauces from scratch then you will love the following recipes.
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Recipe
The Perfect Apple Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 160 g (⅔ cups) water
- 4 (4 ) large apples - peeled cored and roughly chopped
- 60 g (¼ cups) brown sugar
- 2 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
- ½ g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg
- 2 g (1 tsp) ginger powder
- 2 (2 ) cloves
- juice of ¼ lemon
- 2 g (⅓ tsp) salt
Instructions
- Weigh out the spices, sugar and water.
- Peel, core and cut the apples into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Place into a suitably sized pot or pan. Cover with a lid and stew on medium heat until the apples are softened.
- If you are using whole spices instead of ground spices then remove them at this stage. You might find some liquid pooling in the pot depending on the variety of apple you used. Don’t worry. All will be cool.
- Finally, you use an old fashioned potato masher to roughly mash up the apples. Once mashed and you still have too much liquid, just slowly simmer it a bit to evaporate some of that liquid. Do not throw any liquid away at any stage. It’s all flavour. We just need to evaporate some of the water so the falvour intensifies. Note that apple sauce thickens a bit when it cools down(there is pectin in apples, a naturally occurring starch that thickens when cooked and cooled down)
- Once you are happy with the consistency, give it a taste and decide if you want a bit of lemon juice in there to balance it. If so, obviously add a bit.
- Let it cool down and then store airtight in the fridge or freezer until needed.
Notes
- For an extra delicious condiment for savoury dishes, smoke the apples before you cook them.
- Can be made without spices.
- Add butter for extra creaminess and luxury.
- Store airtight in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and pretty much forever in the freezer.
- For more variations and serving suggestions see post.
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