Can I officially say it’s fall in Texas if we’ve had 2 days of cool weather?? Two of my favorite things about fall are the flavors and the smells: pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, apples, cider…..what’s not to love? Luckily with this easy Crockpot applesauce, you kill two birds with one stone: flavor and smell!
Easy Crockpot Applesauce
I first experienced Crockpot applesauce exactly 10 years ago when I first started teaching! We were teaching a unit on Johnny Appleseed, and my mentor teacher always brought her Crockpot to school and made applesauce for the kiddos to go along with the unit. I thought it was the most amazing thing, and the kids just ate it up (literally and figuratively). I ended up making applesauce for my students for the next 8 years, and it’s something I still do at home.
First off, if making your own applesauce sounds insane…then let me give you a few reasons to try.
- Apples are in season in fall, making them c-h-e-a-p. At Aldi you can get a 3 pound bag of apples for less than $2 most weeks during the fall. The last several weeks I’ve made applesauce, I’ve gotten a 3 pound bag for $1.29.
- It’s beyond simple. Don’t believe me? Keep reading to see.
- Not only does it taste yummy, but it smells delicious. No need for fall scented plug-ins or candles when you’re whipping up a batch of this stuff! It fills your whole home with this apple, cinnamon aroma.
Ok, are you sold yet? If not, let me tell you how easy it is.
What Kind of Crockpot Do I Use?
I use this Wifi enabled Crockpot, but any Crockpot will certainly do. This Crockpot allows you to place your ingredients in the pot, and schedule a start time from your phone. Now that I have this, I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. There have been many times when I’ve been out and about and have needed to start it from my phone to have a meal ready by supper. Plus, I consider this essential if you’re in charge of dinner every night, AND you go to work everyday. Throw your ingredients in the Crockpot before work, turn it on or schedule from your phone at noon….boom. Dinner is ready when you get home.
You Only Need Two Ingredients
Like I mentioned, you only need two ingredients: apples and cinnamon. I suggest using at least 3 pounds of apples, but you can certainly use however many you want…there’s no strict measuring here.
Next, peel and core all your apples. You can leave the skin on, if you’re into that kind of thing, but definitely make sure you remove the core. You can use an apple corer, or just cut the apple away from the core. I almost find the latter method easier.
Then you want to roughly cut your apple pieces into chunks. Nothing fancy. My chunks are actually pretty big.
After that, add about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of your crockpot, toss in the apples, and sprinkle with a good amount of cinnamon. You don’t really need to measure the cinnamon…..just sprinkle to your heart’s desire!
Finally, put the lid on your crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. I like to check mine after 4 hours and give it a good stir. Most of the apple chunks will still be intact, but if your take a fork you’ll see you may be able to start “smooshing” some of them. If the apples still seem too firm, let them cook a little bit longer. You’ll know it’s ready when you can smash the apple pieces with a fork.
Now at this point, you can make your applesauce as “chunky” or “soupy” as you want it. If you like a chunkier applesauce (like myself), smash about half of the pieces and stir it around. If you like a more pureed applesauce, you could really go to town on those pieces with a potato masher until it’s the consistency you like.
And that’s it! So easy and delicious! And guys, it 100% absolutely tastes the best when you eat it warm out of the crockpot. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the finished product since about half of it disappears as soon as it’s done cooking. But I’ll be making another batch next week, so hopefully I can snag a picture.
Enjoy!
Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Make delicious appleasuce the easy way, using only 2 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs apples
- cinnamon
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
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Wash, peel, and core your apples.
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Cut apples into large chunks.
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Place 1/4 cup of water into your crockpot, along with the apple chunks, and a generous amount of cinnamon (based on your liking).
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Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
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After 4 hours, check the apples to see if they are tender enough to be smashed. If not, cook another hour and check again. Smash apples to the consistency of your choice and stir.
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Enjoy!
To check out other things you can easily make to help you stay in budget at the grocery store, check out my first ever post on how I feed this little family on $300/month.
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