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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. Hi would you mind sharing which blog platform you’re using? I’m planning to start my own blog soon
    but I’m having a difficult time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique.
    P.S Apologies for getting off-topic but I had to ask!

    Reply

  2. How long can you keep these in the freezer? For use later? Or must they be removed within the 4-6 hours?

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. You can definitely keep them in there longer. Just as long as they don’t get freeze burnt, I’d say they could keep indefinitely.

      Reply

  3. I was specifically looking for a recipe like this. Apples actually lose nutrition when they are heated, so why cook them before freezing? This article is perfect … it points out that this process actually enhances the flavor of the apple … which makes sense since the opposite removes flavor and nutrition. Thank you!

    Reply

  4. So, I’ve been itching to make some applesauce, seeing local apples start to pop up everywhere… meaning CHEAP fruit!! I haven’t made homemade applesauce for several years now, and all of the sudden I feel a very strong need to do so to make up for those years ;P I went fumbling through applesauce recipes on foodgawker.com and found this here blog recipe. I saw it and was like, nooo… really. So real quick like I chopped up 2 apples (one golden and one red delicious) and threw them in a freezer bag with a good dose of cinnamon (last night). I skipped the whole water and lemon juice thing as I figured that step was simply for the ‘no browning’ factor, which makes no difference to me, especially when the cinnamon will make it dark anyways. This morning I took my little goodie bag out of the freezer and it is in thaw out mode on my kitchen counter. I just poked at a few pieces that were starting to thaw and they were all mush like. That made me even more excited. I plan on mushing it all up and mixing it with my oatmeal that I will eat for supper! You are a brilliant human being! Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

    Reply

  6. My son and I actually made this today and it was great! We did a mixture of types of apples and everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  10. Perfect timing! I have a box full of apples to sauce up, and I was hoping to find a healthy way to do it! Can’t wait to try this! Question – after mashing, does it go back in the freezer if you don’t use it right away? Or just the fridge? Like I said, I have a lot of apples… Thanks for sharing your great ideas!!!

    Reply

    1. Yes, I’m with Sunny on that question. I, too, have a huge box of apples.
      I LOVE THIS SO-WAY-EASY IDEA of how to make no-cook applesauce… for nutritional reasons as well as the fact that I’m disabled and I NEED EASY.

      Thanks so much!

      Reply