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Alright, it’s time for me to clue you in on my latest and greatest food obsession—homemade applesauce. I know, you are looking at this and thinking BORRRRINGGG and you probably already clicked that little close button on this browser tab. But I promise you this is worth the quick read. Remember how banana soft serve revolutionized the food world? Well, mark my words, freezer applesauce is next.

I can’t exactly put my finger on what it is about the ‘sauce that has me so enamored. It could be that it felt awesome on my sore throat while I had still have the cold of death. It could be that after weeks of subsisting solely on sugar cookies and eggnog drinks, some real food satisfied my foodie soul. Or it could be that it is obnoxiously delicious, requires no cooking and is stupidly easy.

Oh yes, definitely that last one.

Did you know that apples get all mushy and soft when frozen? Or that they become sweeter and the flavors stronger? How about that all you have to do to make the best applesauce you’ve ever had is to freeze apples, thaw them and then mush the hell out of them?

Welcome to the delicious, delicious world of no-cook applesauce, my friends.

I chose to flavor my ‘sauce with a hefty amount of cinnamon and nutmeg and the end result was mega-sweet, super apple-y, spicy and comforting. Everything applesauce should be. You may be tempted to put sweetener in your applesauce, but I suggest trying it out sans-sugar first. My apples were sweet enough to not need anything extra.

No-Cook Freezer Applesauce

No-Cook Freezer Applesauce

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

This freezer applesauce requires no cooking at all.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Water
  • 4-6 medium apples, cored and cut into eighths (about 2-1/2 pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Fill a large bowl 2/3 with water, add in lemon juice and mix well. Add in apple slices and stir until all apple slices are coated in the mixture. Drain apples well.
  2. Place apples in a large zip-top bag, add in cinnamon and nutmeg. Seal bag and toss to coat.
  3. Place bag in freezer for 4-6 hours or until apples are frozen solid. Remove from freezer and allow to defrost on kitchen counter.
  4. When apples are soft, mash with potato masher or puree in a food processor until desired consistency. Serve cold.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 146Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 7gSugar: 28gProtein: 1g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

© Cassie Johnston
Cuisine: American / Category: Snacks

What food are you really into right now?

Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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34 Comments

  1. How long can you store the frozen apples in the freezer? It sounds like in this recipe you make them into applesauce fairly quickly after freezing the apples. I have a lot of apples and was wondering if they will keep in the freezer for 6 months or maybe even a year.

    Reply

  3. This recipe seems like a great concept! It is actually in the freezer right now. I skipped the lemon juice process, but I did put the apples in the water. Will it work if I skip the lemon juice? Just curious. 😀

    Reply

    1. The lemon juice is mostly there to keep the apples from browning and oxidizing. So it will probably work, it just might be a darker brown!

      Reply

  4. My apples froze on the tree and I have no choice. I am making a lot of apple sauce. I also have a vitamix. Don’t forget that you can replace the butter or oil or margarine by half apple sauce in baking. If you need one cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of apple sauce. I bake a lot and it works very well

    Reply

  6. I can’t stand cooked apples in any shape or form. But I love pureed RAW apples without sugar. I’ve never frozen apples, since I didn’t know how they’d turn out. Apparently, they’re fine. This has opened a new world for me. I have a half bushel to deal with and this is what I will do with most of them. Thanks so much for posting this.

    Reply