Name: Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 pounds apples (SweeTango, peeled, cored and cut in large chunks); 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 cup water; 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

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A tasty and homey recipe for Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce is ready in less than 30 minutes and only has 5 ingredients.

why I love homemade chunky applesauce

It is easy to just grab a jar of applesauce off the shelf of the grocery store. But why not cook up this quick, tasty and homey batch of Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce? With so much appley flavor and a smidge of cinnamon, you will never want to go back to store bought applesauce again.

which apples are best applesauce?

With so many varieties of apples (there are over 2,500 different kinds of apples grown in the United States!), I asked myself what kind is best for making applesauce?

With the help of the all knowing Google, I researched for the perfect applesauce apple for my recipe. I discovered that there are 100s of perfect apples for an applesauce recipe. To name just a few…

Cortland
Fuji
Golden Delicious
McIntosh
Braeburn
SweeTango
Rome

Each type of apple adds a certain amount of sweet, tart and/or tang to homemade applesauce.

apples and apple peels with a peeler — SweeTango apples make for an applesauce with just the right amount of sweet

I settled on the SweeTango for a couple reasons. Firstly, it got a glowing review from a fellow foodie. Secondly, the flavor is a cross between a crunchy and sweet Honeycrisp (with a hint of citrus too) and a tart and tender McIntosh which are two types of apples I love. The pretty red skin of the SweeTango apple is flecked with yellows and pinks and the flesh has a slight milky hue.

just 5 ingredients

apples
granulated sugar
cinnamon
water
kosher salt

let’s make chunky applesauce

About 1 quart (or 4 cups) of applesauce was the amount I was aiming to make. 4 pounds of SweeTangos (or about 10 apples) was the right number to use in the recipe.

pot with apple chunks, cinnamon and sugar — 5 ingredients are all that is needed for delicious applesauce

The most arduous task of the applesauce recipe is peeling and chopping the apples. I look at it as a few quiet moments as it is a pretty much a simple job that does not require much concentration. My Mom was a champion apple peeler (at least in my eyes). I always try to see if I can peel the whole apple in one strip like she used to do when making her famous apple slices. It was a whole baking sheet filled with a giant apple pie!

Along with the apples, add cinnamon, sugar, salt and water. That’s it!

pot with cooked applesauce — In about 20 minutes, the applesauce is ready.

After bringing the ingredients to a boil, cover the pot and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. The finished applesauce will be a little bit smooth with just enough chunks of tender apples to keep it interesting. Cool the applesauce completely before packaging it.

putting applesauce into glass jars with a wide mouth funnel — A wide mouth funnel makes easy work of filling a jar with the homemade applesauce

a few suggestions

Make sure to remove all the seeds from the apples. No one wants a broken tooth and an emergency trip to the dentist.
Don’t overcook the apples. The applesauce will lose its distinctive apple flavor. It will make the it watery.
Cool the applesauce completely before storing in the refrigerator.

how to store homemade chunky applesauce

I like to store the applesauce in a 1 quart glass jar. A wide mouth funnel works great for keeping the mess to a minimum. Store freshly made chunky applesauce in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. It can also be frozen. Put the applesauce in large resealable freezer bags. Lay flat in the freezer and freeze until solid. The applesauce will keep for up to 1 year.

Is it worth it to make homemade applesauce?

The answer is a resounding yes! Compared to the smooth and chunky texture along with the rich apple flavor that is accented with cinnamon, store bought applesauce is a distant second.

just one more thing

If you make this easy chunky applesauce recipe, I’d love hearing from you. Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ~ I do my best to reply to all your comments. And snap a photo to post to Instagram. I’ll add the photos to my Insta stories as I love seeing all your creations.

Also check out my Facebook and Pinterest pages for lots of fabulous foodie stories, videos, cooking tips, and recipes.

a few more apple recipes I love…