A childhood classic snack, this homemade Crockpot Applesauce has incredible flavor and is so easy to make. Just a few minutes of prep work, and your slow cooker does the rest of the work. You’ll find all my tips for the best depth of flavor and different spices to use. This recipe is perfect for breakfast as well with your next yogurt bowl or overnight oats. It makes a large batch, so you’ll have plenty meal prepped in your freezer for the future.
Ever since I started making applesauce in the crockpot, I’ve never looked back. It’s incredibly easy to put together, and it cooks while I sleep! Waking up to fresh applesauce for breakfast is also a great start to the day.
Watch How To Make Crockpot Applesauce
The whole house smells amazing, and applesauce tastes so good warm or even hot (which was a new concept for me). If you’ve never made your own applesauce before, you’re in for a treat because homemade is so much more flavorful.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Apples – I’ve used every kind of apple you can think of in this recipe and they all work great. The firmer baking apples, like McIntosh, need to be blended after cooking for the best smooth texture. Softer apples like Gala work great for applesauce. For the best flavor, try a mix of sweet apples like Gala and McIntosh to add zip.
- Juice – I used to use water, which works, but I love adding some orange juice for depth of flavor, and it really helps the flavor when you use all sweet apples like Gala. Orange is my favorite flavor pairing (it’s an idea I got from my mother-in-law’s apple crisp). The depth of acidity really rounds out the applesauce. Apple juice also works.
- Cinnamon stick – a cinnamon stick adds the most subtle flavor over ground cinnamon, but you can use ground as well. I add a small amount of cinnamon flavor to my applesauce to keep the apple flavor shining through, but you can add as much as you’d like. S
How to make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by quartering and coring your apples. You can also peel them if desired.
Step 2: Add the quartered apple to the slow cooker bowl and add the cinnamon stick and orange juice.
Cover and cook Low: 8-10 hours or High: 4-5 hours.
Step 3: When the apples are completely soft and falling apart, remove the cinnamon stick, and transfer them into a blender container and blend in 2-3 batches.
Be very careful to secure the lid because the apples are boiling hot! You can also wait for them to cool before blending.
Step 4: Blend the applesauce in batches until smooth, then continue blending until the whole batch is smooth. Transfer the finished applesauce into containers and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Ways to serve this
- Use this applesauce as a snack or in your favorite baking recipes.
- I like to add homemade applesauce as a side dish to breakfast/brunch when entertaining. Try it with my Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Bake and Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins.
- Homemade applesauce makes a great fruit layer in my Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits. Or spoon yogurt into a bowl, top with applesauce and Homemade Granola, then drizzle with honey or maple syrup if desired. It’s also great as a topping for Overnight Oats.
- For an apple version of my Slow Cooker Pork Roast, omit the potatoes and add McIntosh apples in large chunks instead. Add 1 cup of homemade applesauce to the chicken stock mixture. Serve the finished roast with my Best Mashed Potatoes.
FAQ’s
Yes, you can leave the skins on with crockpot applesauce because they soften enough to be blended into a smooth finished applesauce.
No you don’t have to add lemon juice to your crockpot applesauce. A hint of acid (like lemon juice) helps to preserve the color and add depth of flavor. I personally prefer to use orange juice which is a great flavor combination, but you can make applesauce without either.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place leftover applesauce into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Make ahead – this recipe is the perfect make-ahead recipe because it keeps perfectly in the fridge or freezer.
- To freeze – I freeze most of my applesauce right away in airtight containers. It keeps well up to at least 3 months, defrost in the fridge overnight. If you freeze it in plastic bags (like Ziplock) place the bag into a container to defrost because they will often spring a leak.
Tips & Tricks
- I like to leave the skin on because it saves a ton of time not having to peel the apples, and the long cooking time means the applesauce remains smooth after blending. The other reason I like to leave the skin on is extra fiber, you can lose up to 50% of the fiber from an apple when you peel it.
- Try this with half a vanilla bean, star anise, cloves, cardamom, or any other spice you like. They are nice in applesauce, too, and we love the change of pace.
- Another trick for depth of flavor is to add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the finished applesauce. This is especially helpful if you use 1 type of apple that is more one-dimensional, like Gala.
- My favorite apple to use is Transparent, but you probably won’t see it at the grocery store. It’s one of the first apples of the season, and it’s very soft (perfect for applesauce), but has depth of flavor like a McIntosh. You might find them at your local farmer’s market, or ask your farmer for their recommendation, which could be the closest because there are endless apple varieties.
More Slow Cooker Recipe Inspiration
I really hope you enjoy this homemade Crockpot Applesauce recipe! If you do get a chance to make it, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Crockpot Applesauce
INGREDIENTS
- 5 pounds apples - Transparent, McIntosh, and Sweet Sixteen are all wonderful
- 1 cinnamon stick - or 1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon, add more to taste if desired
- 1 cup orange juice - apple juice, or water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Peel (if desired), core, and quarter your apples.
- Place the apples with the rest of the ingredients into a 6-quart crockpot.
- Turn the crockpot to low and cook for 8-9 hours, (overnight), or cook on high for 4-5 hours until the apples have softened.
- Remove the cinnamon stick or any whole spices you’ve used.
- If you peeled the apples, you can either mash up the applesauce to your desired texture, or blend it.
- If you left the peels on, place the applesauce into the blender, being careful not to burn yourself, and blend in batches until smooth.
- Refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
NOTES
nutrition facts
This recipe was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2025 with new photos, more tips and information, and a video.
I love this recipe. I come back to it every year! The apples from our tree are juicy apples, so I reduce the water to a half cup. And increase the cinnamon to a teaspoon.
I’m so glad to hear you’ve been enjoying it every year and I bet the applesauce is extra tasty with apples from your tree!
We just picked a bushel of apples last weekend and I still have about a quarter of it left – I can’t wait to make my house smell so good with applesauce! Thanks!
The house does smell amazing after a couple hours!
I love homemade applesauce, there’s just nothing like it. You version is lovely and so simple. I love that you can cook it in the slow cooker.
Thank you, and I love it too!
Never tried making applesauce in a crockpot before…. easy and yum!
It’s a game changer for sure!
Love apple sauce. They are so versatile and healthy delicious. I love your version. It looks so creamy and smooth!
Thank you, I love it too!
I’m gonna bookmark this for when I go apple picking. I love how easy it is to make applesauce in the slow cooker!
It’s my go-to the minute apples show up again!