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A blend of Honeycrisp apples, apple pie spice, and brown sugar simmer in the slow cooker for 5 hours to make this easy and delicious crockpot applesauce recipe. Easily adjust the sweetness and texture to your family’s liking. This is an simple recipe you’ll want to make all fall long!
The moment my kids go back to school, I head straight into apple mode. I whip up a batch or two of my apple pie spice recipe and my slow cooker stays busy for the rest of apple season alternating between batches of my slow cooker apple butter and this crockpot applesauce.
My kids love this applesauce and I do, too. If you’ve never made homemade applesauce, the flavor is so much better than the store-bought stuff. You get rich apple flavor in every bite, plus you can adjust the sweetness and texture to make it exactly the way your family likes it.
This recipe only requires 15 minutes of hands-on time before you “set it and forget it” in the slow cooker for 5 hours. The finished applesauce can be stored in the fridge, but it also freezes beautifully so you can enjoy it for months.
What readers are saying
“I’ve made this recipe countless times already and everyone loves it! I use Honeycrip when they go on sale but have found that mixing several varieties together make for a great sauce as well.” -Andrew
“I made this yesterday, and it was AWESOME! Not sure if I’ll ever make applesauce any other way from now on.” -Colleen
A note from Jamie
2026 update: I first shared this applesauce recipe back in 2013, and it has remained a family and reader favorite ever since. I have updated the post with new photos and additional tips for making the best homemade applesauce—I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine does!
Jamie’s recipe testing tips
- Feel free to leave the peels on the apples if you want. Peeling the apples will give you the smoothest texture, but it’s not necessary if you don’t mind your applesauce not being perfectly smooth. If you use red apples, keep in mind that leaving the skins on can tint the applesauce a light pink shade.
- Use your favorite apples or blend of apples. I love making this recipe with Honeycrisp apples, but you can use your go-to variety. A blend of apples gives an even more robust flavor!
- Taste the applesauce before adding more sugar. I find 1/3 cup to be perfect for Honeycrisp apples, which tend to be a bit sweeter. If you use more tart apples, you may need more sugar, but give the applesauce a taste about an hour before it’s done cooking to decide what it needs.
Ingredient notes
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Fresh apples: As I mentioned above, Honeycrisp apples are my family’s favorite, but you can use any variety you like. Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Cortland apples are all great options. Unless you like a pretty tart applesauce, I’d save the Granny Smith apples for apple spice cookies.
- Light brown sugar: I like the richness that brown sugar adds to the apples, similar to the filling in my puff pastry apple strudel recipe. You could use honey or maple syrup for a different flavor profile or even omit the sugar altogether.
- Apple pie spice: The blend of spices really ups the flavor here. If you don’t have apple spice spice on hand, you could substitute with ground cinnamon.
How to make crockpot applesauce
This recipe is as easy as dump into the crockpot, cook, and purée.
Don’t worry too much about cutting your apples into perfect slices or chunks. You just need to break them down a bit so the slow cooker can do the rest of the work.
Add the apples, sugar, and apple pie spice to the crock of your slow cooker. I like to use my 6-quart slow cooker so the ingredients have plenty of room. Cook on high for 5 hours.
Once cooked, decide how smooth or chunky you want your applesauce to be. For a chunky applesauce, stir the sauce with a large spoon or use a potato masher to break down larger pieces.
If you want to purée the applesauce, use an immersion blender to get it to the texture you like. You can also use a regular blender.
Recipe Tip
If using a regular blender, let the applesauce cool before blending. If you want to purée the sauce while it is warm, be sure to vent the lid, place a kitchen towel over the top, and start slow to prevent from making a mess.
Enjoy the applesauce warm with a dollop of whipped cream or spooned on top of homemade waffles or mascarpone pancakes, or chill it and spoon it over ice cream. (Or dig into it straight from the fridge!)
Storage
Store the cooled applesauce in airtight containers. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Let frozen applesauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
If you like to can, refer to the directions in my post on how to can apple butter. You can use this same method to preserve this recipe as well.
Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Equipment
- Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Honeycrisp apples peeled, cored and cut into thick slices (about 12 medium apples)
- ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoon apple pie spice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.3 pounds Honeycrisp apples, 1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar, 1 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
- If you prefer a slightly chunky applesauce, simply stir and mash the apples with a large spoon or potato masher.
- If you prefer smooth applesauce, use an immersion blender or allow the applesauce to cool before transferring to a blender or food processor to purée until smooth.
- Store applesauce in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.
Notes
Ingredients
- If you don’t have Honeycrisp apples, use any variety or blend of apples you have on hand.
- The amount of sugar you use will depend on the type of apples you use. I recommend tasting the applesauce about an hour before it’s done and adjusting the spices and sugar to meet your taste. I find 1/3 cup light brown sugar to be perfect for sweeter apples.
- Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or your preferred sweetener can be used in place of the brown sugar.
Cooking
- If you prefer to cook the applesauce on low heat, it will need 8-10 hours to cook.
Storage
- This applesauce can be preserved in a water bath canner using the method outlined in my post on canning apple butter.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes! I recommend using a sweeter variety of apple, such as Fuji or Pink Lady, and simply omit the sugar from the recipe.
Yes. You will need to cook it for 8-10 hours if using low heat instead of the 5 hours needed when cooking on high heat.
I am going to try recipe
Awesome! Let me know what you think!
-Jamie
Hi I made the crockpot applesauce recipe and it was so easy! I have some boiled cider that I had from Kaf and added about 2 tsps and that was the only change I made to the recipe. It tastes great! Thank you so much for the recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the applesauce, Suzanne! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
I am going to try this I live applesauce An I live it sweet but not to sweet Thank you Been wanting to try to make home made applesauce for years
Thanks so much for stopping by, Angel! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Found your site and recipe two years ago, and make this every fall. I mainly make it with honeycrsip, but am trying it with Jonagolds this weekend. It is because of this recipe that I got into waterbath canning. For anyone interested this works great with waterbath canning. Thanks for all the wonderful times of applesauce days.
I’m so glad you like it, Katie! I’m sure the Jonagolds will be wonderful. All the best to you!
Jamie,
Thanks for this recipe. I found it thanks to a Google search shortly after you posted it. I’ve made this recipe countless times already and everyone loves it! I use Honeycrip when they go on sale but have found that mixing several varieties together make for a great sauce as well. I always thought that an apple was an apple, but after mixing the different varieties together, and sampling each one, I’ve found they are totally unique and in flavor and texture and the difference make for a better whole. Anywho thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Andrew
Andrew-
You’re very welcome! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!
-Jamie
This looks Amazing!! I made Several Apple Pies last week and was looking for recipes for apples and found this site. I’m so happy I did, I can’t wait to try this recipe. I have quite a few left over apples from Apple picking.
Thanks, Julie
Julie-
Thanks for visiting!
-Jamie
Just those three ingredients no water?
Gregory-
No water is necessary. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
eric is not weird. I drink my applesauce too.
Sheila-
Thanks for visiting.
-Jamie
I made this yesterday, and it was AWESOME! Not sure if I’ll ever make applesauce any other way from now on :) I made it with more apples (closer to 4 lbs.) and still used just the 1/3 cup of brown sugar, which was perfect. I also added a small amount (maybe 1/4 cup) of apple cider. Awesome recipe – thank you!
I’m so glad the recipe was a success for you. Thanks for visiting!
-Jamie
Can you cook it on low instead of high? I was going to have it cooking while I was at work?
Thanks!
Tina-
Yes, that works well too! You’ll just have to cook it a bit longer.
-Jamie