Homemade Apple Sauce is so much better than out of a jar. Traditionally eaten with meat, pancakes, ice cream, french fries and a host of other dishes, depending on the country you happen to be in!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Apple Sauce
Apple Sauce is an extremely popular condiment, being especially popular with pork, here in the UK. Much like most jams and preserves, it’s an extremely easy recipe to make and needless to say, homemade is far superior to what one gets out of a jar.
All you do is cook some apple down with a little added liquid which can be (hard) cider, water or apple juice. Sugar is added and some spice for aroma, done in 15-20 minutes!
Apple Fun Facts
Apparently, there are over 7 500 varieties of apples in existence, some are sweet, some are tart, from Braeburn to Golden Delicious to big old Bramley. How many can you name? I don’t think I managed quite a dozen off the top of my head!
How to use Apple Sauce
- as a meat accompaniment as mentioned, not just pork but great with game too, like this Pot Roast Partridge
- drizzled over vanilla ice cream
- mixed into pancake batter for apple pancakes
- as a topping for said or other pancakes
- eat it straight up, the way I love to do!
- mix a little into the next Indian curry you make – zing!
You can use whatever kind of apples you prefer, sweet or otherwise, peeled or not, and the final flavour is really a matter of personal preference. I love using Bramleys, or cooking apples for the amount of sourness they impart.
White or brown sugar – again, a matter of preference. Brown sugar will always give you a touch of caramel, I definitely prefer white for the “clean” taste.
Spices – you can use whole ones or ground, just don’t forget to fish the whole ones out before serving.
Liquid – I love using either (hard) apple cider or apple juice for extra flavour.
How to Store Apple Sauce
Your homemade apple sauce will keep in the fridge for 7 days.
You could also give it a water bath for 20 minutes and it will keep for a year if left unopened. Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within 7 days.
Apple Sauce can also be frozen for up to 3 month. Just remember to place a clingfilm directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent freezer burn and crystals. I like to freeze it in small freezer bags, squeezing out all the air, before placing the bag in the freezer.
And there you have it, homemade apple sauce.
So, shall we get our aprons on?
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Lin xx
Apple Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 Bramley apples or similar tart, cooking apples
- 60 g salted butter
- ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- 60 g white sugar
Instructions
- Peel, core and slice the apples into wedges about. Then halve these wedges into 2.4 Bramley apples
- Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook away for 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the apples are soft and broken down into pulp.Add a splash of water if it's getting too dry.60 g salted butter, ½ Tbsp lemon juice, ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon, 60 g white sugar
- Stir a few times to help break up the apples and to stop it from catching. I usually cook it for 10 minutes, and leave the odd chunk in there. Cooking for 15 minutes will leave you with most of the apple chunks cooked.
- Taste and add a little more sugar if you think it needs it. Apple sauce should be tart with a hint of sweet.
- Transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to 7 days.See other storage advice above.
What volume can I expect to fill with what weight of apples? I have the Bonne Maman jars, the typical 324ml ones (11 fl oz, which I once saw someone thought was a special “Florida ounce”) and really only want to fill three, I just don’t use that much apple sauce.
Hi Jeremy, perfect timing, I am just in the process of updating this article.
So 4 large Bramley/cooking apples, weight about 1 kg (2.2 oz) will give you enough to fill 2 Bonne Maman jars, perhaps just under the 324 ml.
This will depend on how big your apples are, and how much goes to waste after peeling and slicing off brown bits.
I fill 2 Kilner jars with this recipe. The jars have a capacity of 300 ml, which is 10.5 fl oz.
So to fill 3 jars, you’re looking at 6 large apples.
I hope that helps.
ps: florida ounce is the funniest thing!
Nice and easy. I have a small dinner party this weekend. I’m thinking this as a canape topping, maybe small pieces of broiled duck breast. Will that work?
Absolutely. That’s a great combination.
Thanks Chef. I noticed you have apple cider and apple juice. What’s the difference?
Hi Jay, here, in Europe, cider refers to the alcoholic version, what you’d call hard cider. I know in the US, it’s apple juice, isn’t it?
Hello, just saw this on G+. I have never made my own apple sauce or cranberry sauce. But looking at your recipe, it sounds pretty easy and quick. Can I use eating apples, if I can’t get bramley?
Hi Nancy, sure you can. Try and get apples that are slightly tart, I think they make better sauce.
Thanks Chef, I love this lightly spiced apple sauce. On my list for Thanksgiving.
Cool, thanks for letting me know.
Nice & easy, I will stop buying preserves.
This is wonderful, thank you. I’ve never made my own, I’ll give your recipe a try.