How to Make Water Bath Canned Applesauce

Fall is just around the corner, which means it is about time for all the apple goodies to get restocked on my shelf! Fresh apple pie, fresh apple sauce, apple juice, and some ooey gooey fresh apple butter to enjoy long into the winter months, is what my heart is set on! For beginner canners, let’s start with how to make water bath canned applesauce.

Here on the homestead we have two type of apple trees. One that is a granny smith tree, these are good for apple pie and apple butter. They are a tart apple but the sugar in the recipe makes them oh so delicious.

We also have a golden delicious apple tree. I use these apples for just eating as snacks and to make apple juice and applesauce with! 

If you don’t have an apple tree in your yard, don’t fret. There is still good ways to get your hands on some delicious apples to make all the goodies with, that you don’t have to spend an arm and leg for.

Find a local orchard or apple farm close to you and ask for “seconds”. These are the apples that may have some bruises and aren’t shaped perfectly so they don’t put them out to sell at regular price. You can usually get them for really cheap and they are perfect to make apple goodies with. 

Up until we moved here to Missouri and I had my own apple trees, this is what I did!

One of the main goals I have for all my apples is to make enough applesauce to last us all the way until next fall, when apples are in season again. My girls LOVE applesauce and what better snack is there, then some freshly made applesauce from good apples!

You can also cook with it to make moist pastries and to cut down on sugars. Applesauce is definitely a staple here!

How I got started canning.

Now when I first got the homesteading bug years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about canning! I always liked experimenting in the kitchen and making some things from scratch but the whole canning world was foreign to me. However, I was really eager to learn and the more YouTube videos I watched the more excited I got to try it!

So, one day I decided to give it a go, and the first thing I tried was applesauce!

I was so nervous. I didn’t want to screw anything up and more importantly I didn’t want my family to get sick!

So, I watched youtube video after youtube video and read a lot of books before I got started. What I learned was, if you follow an approved canning recipe, the risk is very very minimal. And to be honest, cases of botulism or someone getting sick from home canned food is almost not existent any more because of the new safe practices that are taught.

Every canning recipe I share on here is from an approved canning source. So you can feel safe following the recipes you find on here!

To save you time on watching all those YouTube videos and reading all those books, I will walk you through how to make water bath canned applesauce from an approved recipe.

​Water bath canning is the perfect canning project to start with.

One thing to note here. I am not a canning expert, nor do I claim to be! I have learned all that I know from watching YouTube videos and an online canning class I paid for. Along with reading a ton of approved books on how to can successfully. The instructions I provide below are based on my own research and how I was taught from approved sources. If anything is unclear or you don’t feel comfortable, please make sure to do your own research using approved sites and books.

Equipment needed to make water bath canned applesauce.

Disclosure: My posts contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You won’t pay a penny more, but I will receive a small commission.

Ok now let’s get started! Apples are a high acid food so you do not need to pressure can them. They can be canned in a water bath canner. 

For this reason, it is a perfect beginner project. You can buy a water bath canner for relatively cheap or even just use a large stock pot, if you have a rack or something to keep your jars off of the bottom of the pot. 

The other thing you may want to get is an apple corer, slicer, and peeler. It is not necessary, and I have done a lot of applesauce by hand, but if you are making large quantities it will make your job easier and quicker! 

If you are planning to make apple juice as well to can, this juice steamer is so handy. I just got this last year and it is a game changer! You can juice your apples while they cook and then can the juice and mash the apples into applesauce in one sitting. 

Two birds, one stone! I love projects where I can get multiple things done at a time. 

If you are going to use the steamer juicer method, you will skip the step of cooking your apples in a pot with some water. You will place your sliced, peeled, and cored apples into the top of the steamer. Add water to the center compartment. Let the apples cook and juice for as long as they need. 

Then you can can the juice in quart jars and use an immersion blender to make applesauce with the cooked apples that were on top!

Ingredients:

This recipe is for 12lbs of peeled, sliced, and cored apples. You can definitely half this if you wish. The recipe below make about 6 or 7-quart size jars of apple sauce. I do not use any added sugar. I find it doesn’t need it as long as you are using sweet apples and not tart apples.

12 pounds of apples that are peeled, cored, and sliced (we used Golden Delicious from our tree)

1 cup Water (more or less, so your apple slices don’t burn)

4 tbsp lemon juice

4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

How to make applesauce:

1. First step you are going to wash apples and then peel, slice, and core all of them. This is where the handy little tool comes in. I was able to cut my work time of slicing, peeling, and coring in half by using my new tool. The applesauce cooked down faster because all the slices were uniform! As you are slicing and peeling them, place them in a large bowl with water and a splash of lemon juice to help prevent them from browning. During this step you also want to remove any bad spots.
2. Once all your apples are cut and peeled throw them into a large pot with enough water, so they don’t stick or burn. I ended up starting with a little bit of water and adding some as I went to ensure they didn’t burn. 
3. Make sure to stir and turn your apple slices so the bottom ones come to the top and the top move to the bottom, so they all get nice and soft. Once all the apple slices are soft and mushy turn off your stove and remove them from the heat. The amount of time it takes to cook will differ for everyone. It will depend on how thick your apple slices are.
4. If there is too much water in the pot, pour some out. Using an immersion blender, blend all the apples until you have smooth applesauce. You can also do this by transferring in batches to a food processor or blender. I personally use an immersion blender in the pot they cook in, to minimize dishes. If you don’t have any of those options, you can use a potato masher. It may be more of a chunky applesauce though.
5. Add in the lemon juice and the cinnamon if you choose and give it a good stir to incorporate it all. Your applesauce is now ready to eat or can! If you are planning to eat it right away, it will store in the refrigerator for a week or 2.

Canning water bath canned applesauce:

1. You may use quart or pint jars for this. I like to use quart because we can eat a whole jar in one sitting with my girls! You will also need brand new jar lids for each canning project you do. You can reuse the rings because they will be removed after the processing time and your jars are sealed, but as for the lids you need to use those only once and throw them away after each use. I use Denali Canning lids and rings. They have a preserve lock seal and always give me a wonderful seal. Use code STEPHANIEHAGLUND for 10% off your purchase.
2. Wash your jars, lids, and rings in warm soapy water so they are nice and clean and place the empty clean jars into your canner on medium heat so that your jars stay warm. I fill each jar with a little bit of water from the canner, so they stand up and don’t float, when placing them in it. 

Filling Your Jars:

1. One at a time take the hot jars out, dump out any water in the jar back into the canner. Ladle the hot applesauce into each jar, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Use a wide mouth canning funnel for easy filling!
2. Use a rubber spatula or some other kitchen utensil and poke it into each jar a couple times to remove any air bubbles. If needed add a little applesauce to jars to reach a 1/2 inch head space after removing air bubbles. 
3. Dip a clean towel in some white vinegar and wipe each rim of the jar to remove any food particles that may be on the top of each jar. If there are any particles left on the jar rim, you will not get a good seal. 
4. Place a lid and ring on each jar, screwing down finger tip tight. Do not crank your rings down too tight or your lids will bow in the canner. As soon as you get resistance when screwing the rings down, stop.
5. Place each jar into your canner and adjust water so that each jar is completely covered with water by about 2″. Put your lid on the canner and process jars for 20 minutes adjusting for your elevation. You can find a canning elevation adjustment chart online or in any canning/preservation book! 
6. Start your timer of 20 minutes ONLY when your water has reached a full boil. If at any time your water stops boiling during the processing time, you will need to get the canner back up to a full boil and restart the timer. Your jars need to process in a full rolling boil for 20 minutes in order to be safe!

Removing and storing jars:

1. Once the timer goes off, turn off your heat and remove the lid. DO NOT TAKE THE JARS OUT YET! Let them sit in the canner for about 5 minutes so they are not shocked with the change of temperature when you remove them from the canner. This will help them not to break.
2. After the 5 minutes, remove each jar and place on a towel on the counter. Make sure each jar has space in between them so air can move freely around the jars as they cool. Let jars sit on the counter undisturbed for 12-24 hours. As they are cooling, you will start to hear the sweet “pop” of the jars sealing!
3. Once jars are completely cool, check each lid by pressing on the center to make sure it does not bounce back. This means your jar has sealed correctly and is ready for storage. Now remove the bands and wipe down thoroughly! Label your jar lid with the contents and the year and you are ready to place on a pantry shelf for later use! 
4. Always store your jars without the ring on. The ring is no longer needed once you have processed correctly and gotten a correct seal. By storing the jars with the ring on you risk getting a false seal, which will result in your food not being safe and you wouldn’t know it.

It is best to store all canned jars in a cool dark place that doesn’t have major temperature changes.  I have turned my hall coat closet into a canning pantry closet in my old house and have turned a dead space in my mudroom into canning shelves in this house. You can get creative even in the smallest spaces!

Homemade applesauce all year long!

No more running off to the grocery store for applesauce. You can make an easy applesauce recipe right in the comfort of your own home. Applesauce makes the perfect snack, to bake with, or even as a side dish with sandwiches!

Now you can enjoy this homemade applesauce all year long and feel that wonderful sense of accomplishment when you are feeding your family something good while getting back to your old fashion roots! 

Other Water Bath Canned Recipes:

Pickles

Homemade Ketchup

Lemonade Concentrate