Easy Slow Cooker Chunky Applesauce

Now that it’s getting closer to fall time, I am in the mood for all things fall! And that includes recipes. Y’all may remember a couple of weeks ago, I made these delicious Apple Butter Cookies. So this week, I thought it would be fun to make this easy cinnamon slow cooker chunky applesauce.

In my apple butter cookies post, I explained the difference between apple butter and applesauce more in depth. So be sure to check that out if you have any questions.

But, for today we will be sticking with just plain homemade applesauce. Which is so, so easy to make! And again, the homemade version of applesauce is so much better than store-bought! It’s fresher and you can control the ingredients.

That way you know exactly what is going into your applesauce. And this slow cooker applesauce recipe makes it easy to throw it all together and then step back and do something else while it is cooking!

So if you have some extra apples hanging around this apple season, you should definitely make your own delicious homemade applesauce too! 

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Which Apples Should I Use To Make Homemade Applesauce?

Typically the best variety of apples to use for homemade applesauce are as follows:

1. Cortland

2. Golden Delicious 

3. Gala

4. McIntosh 

5. Granny Smith

However, I did not have any of these on hand unfortunately. I did have some extra honeycrisp apples leftover from a trip to the apple orchard. And normally, I like to just eat honeycrisp apples raw as a snack because they are so good.

But, they were getting kind of soft and I figured instead of them going bad, I could try to make a crock pot applesauce with them instead. And I’m so glad I did because it turned out to be amazing! You could even combine apples too if you had different apple varieties on hand.

Ingredients Needed To Make Slow Cooker Chunky Applesauce

6-7 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)

1/2 cup sugar, optional 

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

Regarding the sugar mentioned above, it’s a personal preference as to whether or not you should add it in. If you don’t want any added sugar in your applesauce, you don’t have to add it in.

Sometimes, the apples are sweet enough and you don’t need to add in any extra sugar. Then you can keep it as an unsweetened applesauce.

But, if you’re using more tart apples, such as Granny Smith apples, you may want to add a little sugar in. You could also use alternative sweeteners too such as maple syrup.

Also, if you wanted to make a big batch of applesauce, you could always double this recipe too! 

Homemade Crockpot Applesauce Recipe 

Now, for the fun part! Let’s make our applesauce! All you need to do is peel, core, and slice the apples first. Honestly, this is the most tedious work to this super easy recipe.

And it’s not even that hard. If you’re worried about the slices turning brown while you cut and peel the apples, you could always throw in a little lemon juice and a little bit of water to the slices too.

But really, it doesn’t take that long to slice them and throw the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot so you don’t have to worry about it. After you have your apple slices ready, throw them into the crockpot. And if you’re looking for a great crockpot, I’ll link mine below:

Then, sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar around on the slices. Stir until the sugar and cinnamon have coated the apple slices nicely.

After that, pour in the 1/2 cup of water on top. Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Your cooking time can vary based on the types of apples you use so it can vary by a couple of hours.

Once the apple slices are cooked down, you can stir the sauce until your desired consistency. As the title of this recipe suggests, I like to keep mine a little chunky!

So I just used a potato masher to mash my apples to my desired consistency. But, if you prefer a more smooth applesauce, you could also use an immersion blender as well. And that’s it! This definitely takes the cake for an easy slow cooker applesauce recipe! 

How To Serve Applesauce 

This applesauce is great not only as a healthy snack, but a side dish as well. For example, homemade applesauce pairs really well with some pork chops!

You could also pour some over vanilla ice cream for a sweet treat! I think this applesauce is best served warm, but it is also delicious cold.

Again, it is just a personal preference as to how you like it. You could also use this applesauce in any apple recipes too. Such as applesauce muffins or applesauce cake.

Really, the possibilities are endless when it comes to different ways to serve this delicious applesauce. 

How To Store Applesauce 

You can store the cooled applesauce either in the refrigerator or freeze any extra applesauce you may have. If storing in the fridge, place applesauce in an airtight container.

Applesauce should last in the fridge anywhere from 4-6 days. If you want to freeze it instead, you can always place it in a freezer-safe container or freezer bags too.

You can even place applesauce in a mason jar and freeze it that way. But, just make sure you don’t fill it too full since glass can expand and crack if so! Frozen applesauce can last up to 6 months. 

​Enjoy Your Applesauce! 

Well, as you can see, this is the best applesauce you can make with using just simple ingredients you probably already have on hand!

So if you’re going apple picking this season, be sure to get some extra fresh apples so you can try this applesauce recipe out too. It’s a favorite way of mine to use up any extra apples I may have!

And this is a super family-friendly recipe, so I am sure every member of your family can enjoy this! Let me know what you think of this chunky slow cooker applesauce recipe below! 

And if you’re looking for some more yummy apple recipes, I will link them below for you too:

• Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Easy Apple Dumplings
• German Apple Pie
• Fresh Apple Walnut Cake With Caramel Glaze
• Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice Copycat Recipe
• Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies