Unsweetened Crockpot Applesauce

Name: Unsweetened Crockpot Applesauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 10 medium-size organic sweet red apples such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady; 1 cup water; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/4 cup raisins

by Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition | Dec 2, 2021 (updated: 1/4/22)

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Learn how to make Unsweetened Crockpot Applesauce for a healthy homemade treat that is perfect for fall. This recipe is so easy to make and is a great snack or dessert recipe for kids and adults.

If you have a sweet tooth like me, then one strategy to keep it at bay is to incorporate fruit-based desserts into your meal plan. Fruit desserts tend to have more fiber and antioxidants, so that makes them more nutrient-dense than a cookie.

This recipe for Unsweetened Crockpot Applesauce is really great because it doesn’t even need any added sugars. You don’t have to peel the apples either which means more nutrition gets into the applesauce.

Contents hide

1 Why You Need This Recipe

2 Key Ingredients

3 Recipe Steps

4 Recipes Tips & Substitutions

5 Recipe FAQs

6 More Healthy Apple Recipes You Might Like

7 Unsweetened Crockpot Applesauce

Why You Need This Recipe

This homemade applesauce recipe is so simple and delicious! All you need are fresh, sweet apples such as Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp.
The only ingredients are apples, raisins, ground cinnamon, and a little bit of water, so this is a real food recipe that is vegan, gluten free, paleo, and super clean. You don’t even need any sugar in this recipe.
This Crockpot Applesauce can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 2 months. Just defrost it in the refrigerator and serve it cold.

Key Ingredients

Sweet red apples like Fuji or Honeycrisp are ideal for this homemade applesauce. Cooking them in the crockpot means the natural sugars will concentrate and the apple flavor gets really intense and wonderful.

Ground cinnamon adds so much depth of flavor to the final dish. If you don’t like cinnamon or you have picky kids, just leave it out. I recommend using Ceylon cinnamon which is considered “real cinnamon” and has some nice health benefits. See my recipe for Lemon Cinnamon water.

Raisins add a touch of sweetness to the applesauce. You can leave them out if you’re not a fan.

Recipe Steps

process photos for how to make crockpot applesauce

You aren’t going to believe how easy this slow cooker applesauce recipe is to throw together. I like to get it ready early in the morning and have it done by dinnertime. Or, I’ve also put it together in the evening and then have it ready by morning.

Here’s how to make it.

Step One

Wash the apples and pat them dry. I recommend using between 10-12 whole red apples, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, Gala, or Pink Lady. Stay away from Red Delicious.

The best apples to use for applesauce are ones that are naturally very sweet. You can use green apples for applesauce, but it will be pretty tart.

Step Two

Chop the apples into big chunks, removing the core, and throw them in a large crockpot. If you have a small crockpot, try using only 8-10 apples.

Sprinkle some cinnamon (2 teaspoons or so) on top, add the water and raisins, and set on high for 5 hours with the lid on.

Step Three

Once the applesauce is done cooking, just give it a big stir to help break up the apples and distribute the raisins and cinnamon.

You can serve the applesauce warm or transfer it to a glass container with a lid to refrigerator and serve later.

The applesauce will taste the sweetest when it is chilled.

Recipes Tips & Substitutions

If you have pears on hand, you can do a mix of apples and pears in this recipe.
If your kids don’t like cinnamon or raisins, just leave them out.
Store the applesauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or, you can freeze any leftovers for up to 2 months. Defrost before serving.

Recipe FAQs

Do you need to peel the apples when making applesauce?

The peel has healthy nutrition and fiber so I recommend leaving it on. The apple peel will cook down and you probably won’t even notice it once the applesauce is done cooking. That said, if you prefer to peel your apples, you can do that too.

My kids don’t like raisins. Can I leave them out?

Yes, but the raisins do help add a bit of sweetness to the applesauce. As long as your apples are naturally sweet, I think it will be okay without the raisins.

Can this applesauce be served to babies?

Yes, but you may need to leave out the raisins as they can be a choking hazard for babies. You may also need to puree the applesauce to make sure it is a smooth texture that babies like.

How do you serve applesauce?

You can serve it plain in a bowl, or you can use applesauce to help offset the oil in baked good recipes. The rule of thumb is to substitute up to 1/2 of the oil in a recipe with applesauce.

More Healthy Apple Recipes You Might Like

Or, see my entire index of clean eating desserts.

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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