No Sugar Added Slow Cooker Applesauce: 3 Flavor Combinations

Having applesauce on hand is a must in my house. It’s a great snack to send with the kids for lunches, it is awesome swirled on top of porridge in the morning, and I use it as a substitute for eggs or butter in baking or to enhance the flavor of your dish.

This recipe requires NO added sugar, as I have found it is not required if you select the right apples to deliver a naturally sweetened applesauce. In my experience and research in the Old Farmers’ Almanac, here are the best-suited apples for applesauce:

· McIntosh

· Jonathan

· Jonagold

· Winesap

· Cortland

· Braeburn

· Pink Lady

Any apples, of course, make a beautiful applesauce in my opinion but these will give you a really nice sweet flavor. It’s an easy staple to make, as you add everything to your slow cooker, walk away, blend and store. This applesauce will keep in the fridge for 3 weeks, while I offer a quick canning method in the recipe notes section if you are interested in keeping it stored in your pantry for up to a year for all your snacking and baking needs.

Cranberry Applesauce, Spiced Plum Applesauce, and Ginger Pear Applesauce are three flavor variations to “spice” up (pun totally intended) your basic applesauce recipe. Use the basic applesauce recipe and simply swap out the cinnamon for the new spice and add the additional fruit to the slow cooker. Cooking instructions remain the same for all recipes.

No Sugar Added Slow Cooker Applesauce: Plus 3 Amazing Flavor Combinations

Lick the Spoon-worthy slowcooker applesauce. No refined sugar added. Toss it in and walk away method. This applesauce is my favorite recipe (and I have made dozens over the years). 4 flavor's provided to keep it interesting.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

Total Time 9 minutes mins

Servings 8 cups

Ingredients

  

Basic Applesauce

• 4 lbs apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 lemon Juice of one lemon
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean powder liquid vanilla works too

Spiced Plum Applesauce

• 1 cup chopped plums, washed, pitted added to basic applesauce
• 1 tbsp allspice instead of cinnamon

Cranberry Applesauce

• 1 cup fresh cranberries added to basic applesauce
• 2-4 star of anise instead of cinnamon

Ginger Pear Applesauce

• 2 cups chopped pears, washed, peeled added to basic applesauce
• 1 tbsp ginger instead of cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and give it a good stir.
  
• Turn the slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low and slow for 6-8 hours. You will want to stir the apple’s every 2 hours based on the cooking method you use.
• If you like it a little chunky you can be done here. If you want that smooth store bought texture, uses a hand-immersion blender or let is cool slightly and transfer to a blender and process until the sauce is smooth.
  

Notes

Store fresh for 3 weeks in the fridge in a sealed container.

To preserve your applesauce. bring a large pot of water to a boil. Ladle applesauce into mason jars leaving 1/2" space at the top, secure lids firmly. Place your jars into your canning rack and lower into the pot. Process into boiling water for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let the jars rest for 5 minutes in the water.  Remove the jars with tongs and let cool until the next day. Check the seals are secure and store for up to a year in your pantry.