Homemade Applesauce

Many people buy prepackaged fruit cups and assume they contain the same nutritional benefits as a piece of fruit. However these products are made with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and food coloring. Even fruit cups or cans found at the health store contain similar ingredients to stay fresh on the shelf.

Avoid eating prepackaged fruit products by making your own!

Applesauce is the first recipe I made with the crockpot because it was quick and easy. I was hooked on the fresh flavor and soon my natural food journey began. Without corn syrup and other additives the pure taste of real food is amazing. 

I hope you have the same experience! 

You will need:

Apples, peeler, apple slicer (or knife). 

Not pictured: Crock pot and half cup water. 

Optional: Stevia (or sugar) or cinnamon. 

Step 1: Peel the skin off the apples.

Step 2: Cut the apple into pieces and remove the stem and seeds.

Step 3: Put the sliced apples in the crock pot and add 1/2 cup of water for every 10 apples. If you like your applesauce a bit less chunky add 3/4 cup. 

Optional: Add cinnamon and/or sugar to your taste. 

Step 4: Set crock pot to cook for 5 hours on low.

Once in the crock pot your house will smell wonderful like warm apples! 

Step 5: Use a fork to mash apple pieces. 

Step 6: Scoop into a jar once cooled.

Great for snacking! You can make your own individual serving snack cups with this recipe. Just fill small reusable containers and store in the fridge. This saves money and the environment. 

Animal lovers will love this recipe too! Most dogs like apples so it is easy to hide their medicine in applesauce.  Crush their medicine and mix well with the applesauce. This trick works well with children too. You can also add applesauce to your dog’s food or serve as a snack. 

I love applesauce mixed with oatmeal and over my homemade waffles. 

Add applesauce to a fruit or vegetable smoothie or make frozen ice pops!

Applesauce freezes well so you can make a big batch and freeze extras in an airtight container. This is a good idea when apples are in season or if you need to use up apples before they spoil. 

Enjoy!

Check with your vet if it is okay to feed your dog apples and the other ingredients used before feeding them applesauce.