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Made this tonight after a trip to some apple orchards in Wisconsin with my sister and mom. For such a simple recipe, the results were amazing! Love this recipe, and the story behind it (I use my grandmotherβs recipes all the time). Thank you for sharing this!
Itβs really hard to forget about this kind of stuff.
Itβs also hard to forget about these, even though that has nothing to do with apples or Fridays.
And as long as weβre going down this road, Iβm having a very very hard time not thinking about this show all the time. Itβs borderline obsessive. And by borderline, I mean full-blown
I wouldnβt be mad at you if you clicked that link and got sidetracked for a few hours. It might be simultaneously the best and worst thing thatβs ever happened to you.
But donβt leave forever, because I am giving you something valuable today.
Itβs my Grandmaβs recipe for homemade applesauce.Β Let me just say β donβt mess with my Grandma. She knows how to make a killer applesauce, and applesauce is just one of her many delicious treats that will make their appearance on Pinch of Yum as soon as she sends more food my way (hint, hint).
Did you know you can also make applesauce in an Instant Pot? Itβs my new favorite way to do it with my kids. Magic!

Classic Homemade Applesauce
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
My grandmaβs recipe for her classic homemade applesauce. Just Granny Smith apples, sugar, water, and cinnamon. Thick, sweet, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 12 Granny Smith apples
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- cinnamon to taste, or red hot candies
Instructions
- Peel and slice the apples into small pieces. Put apples in a pot.
- Add water to pot and bring to a low boil over medium heat, mashing apples as they cook down. Keep the pot covered.
- When desired consistency, add sugar, cinnamon and/or red hot candies. Bring to a boil and then recover and remove from heat. Let cool in the pot and then refrigerate.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Snack
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: homemade applesauce, applesauce recipe
Grandma, I love you.Β Thanks for being smart, loving, and always ready with snacks.
What about you?Β Do you have any cherished family recipes?
Mmmk, I feel a little weird that I just used the word cherished, but youβll forgive me because itβs Friday. Fridays make everything better.


Iβve been wanting to try to make homemade apple sauce for a while nowβ Iβm marking this recipe!!
Itβs seriously really good. Like, dessert-worthy.
Grandmaβs recipes are always the best! This looks delicious and I love the pictures!
Thanks Kathryn!
I love that the apple sauce is so thick that the spoon stands up in it. Amazing. Great photos too!
It is super thick! Just how I love it. π
I love family recipes like this! I have a few from my grandma β my other grandma was a baker and unfortunately I missed all of those genesβ¦.
Hahahaβ¦ maybe it skips a generation? π
what a beautiful picture of itβ¦and it looks sooo perfectly simple yet amazing. Yum!
I wish I had a dish of that right now! π I think Grandmaβs recipes are the best. Theyβre not afraid to put an extra dash or cup of the good stuff in.
Exactly!
I ran out of stars! These did βpuffβ in the most delicious way. As I was saying, before I hit the wrong button ( typical) I intended not to eat these, but to send them off to Colorado in a care package for Hannah. Then, when they came out of the oven so perfectly puffy, I had to try oneβ¦then another! These are absolutely deliciousβ¦ I did recall you kindly sharing them with me on the first day of school.
They were well worth making, and hard to pack up⦠but I did it as a good mom should. Now Hannah can share ( or maybe not share ) some homemade treats from MN!
Aw, good! Iβm glad they turned out! And I hope Hannah likes them, too! You are a good mom to pack them up and send them all away. I think I would have had to make a double batch in order to do that! π
This does look yummy⦠sorry I posted my comment on the wrong page! See peanut butter choc. chip cookies for this to make sense!
π Luckily I found all the comments on my wordpress page (all in one spot) so they were easy to read! Have a great last day of break β see you soon!
I love homemade applesauce! delish!
This looks so delicious!!! Do you know if it would freeze well for future use in baking?
Your applesauce looks wonderful! My grandmother passed down the best recipe for ginger snaps. Iβll never find a recipe that more people love!
I need to make some homemade applesauce pronto! My grandmaβs homemade was always the best but Iβve never tried my own, youβve inspired me β thank you! π
Aw, applesauce recipes just have to be from Grandmaβs, donβt they?
My grandma has a killer steak marinade recipe, and lebkuchenβdelicious cross between molasses and gingerbread cookies. SO good. But Iβm a jerkβ¦and I keep them for myself. You have to be with me when theyβre made or you donβt get to experience them. Hooray for family secrets.
i took the kids apple picking and i have been searching for a good and easy applesauce recipe..and this is it β¦.it is so good the kids are going to love it..thank u
How fun!
Made this tonight after a trip to some apple orchards in Wisconsin with my sister and mom. For such a simple recipe, the results were amazing! Love this recipe, and the story behind it (I use my grandmotherβs recipes all the time). Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks Kate! Iβll be sure to let her know. π Glad youβre enjoying the apple season!
Hi, this looks yummy! How much does this make? Trying to make some to freeze, so just wondering how to adjust it accordingly. Thanks!
First I must say how much I LOVE the way you write!!! You crack me up on a daily basis. Iβm pretty sure if we were friends we would be in deep trouble eating dark salted chocolate (for breakfast when the kids werenβt looking) on a regular basis, trying to convince those around us that it is a breakfast foodβ¦okay, okay, maybe we would have a piece of peanut butter toast on the side. Anywayβ¦.I just scored 2 huge bags of apples from my girlfriendβs tree. Time to try out your Grandmaβs applesauce. Pretty sure it will be one of my favorite thingsβ¦with the chocolate on the side. π
PS. I made your recipe for the salted caramel apple upside down cake yesterday. Gone already. Mmmmm Mmmmm good!!!
Glad to hear it! Thanks Vicki! π π
I love homemade applesauce but I do a time saving change and no need for water. I do have an apple peeler that peels, Cores and slices an apple in seconds so make a lot of applesauce when in season. BUT to save time and cooking I microwave the 5 lb bag of apples after sliced for 20 mins. Then in food processor adding the sugar ( I use Splenda ) cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste. Then canning as many jars as applesauce I made. My family and friends always ask for my applesauce when I come to dinner. My grandson wonβt eat anything on his dish unless It is has a pile of applesauce. You can pulse it for chunky or smooth. Takes only mins to process applesauce skipping all the cooking and no need to add any water. Just microwave apples and add your spices. Bingo, best applesauce ever!!!!