My Mom’s Secret To Making Apple Sauce in Just 20 Minutes

My mom has the best recipe for applesauce, and it only takes 20 minutes thanks to a clever shortcut: the microwave. Your family is sure to love GG’s applesauce as much as mine does.

Sep 17, 2024 - 16:00
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My Mom’s Secret To Making Apple Sauce in Just 20 Minutes
Microwave Applesauce in a bowl with a spoon
Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

It’s not fall until my mother shows up with a quart or two of her homemade sweet applesauce. We affectionately call it GG’s applesauce (GG is what my kids call their grandma). 

As a lover of fall, I welcome this annual tradition as a symbol of the season and a reminder of the autumns that came before. That’s because my mom’s been making this applesauce since I was a kid—ever since she picked up the recipe at a local grocery store.

When my kids first started eating solids, this was an early food for them. They still look forward to it as an afterschool snack or dessert. It’s on the sweet side, so we typically eat it as a side to very savory dishes like pork chops, potato pancakes, or roast chicken; or we savor it as a sweet treat. 

small bowls with Microwave Applesauce in them, spoon and napkin on the side
Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

Make It In the Microwave 

Making use of the microwave to cook the apples, this recipe requires no fancy equipment and hardly any time. All the work comes in the prep: peeling, coring, and slicing the apples. The rest is just a little waiting for the apples to cook, quickly and efficiently in the microwave, and some therapeutic mashing when they come out. 

For home cooks who like to multitask and might have something else going on the stove, and for those who like to limit cleanup, this microwave applesauce is a gift. 

Tips for Making This Easy Applesauce

  • Peel most if not all of the skin, because it won’t mash up with the potato masher. But don’t worry if you don’t get every single piece of skin. It’s easy to fish out larger pieces of skin after you’ve made the applesauce, and a few pieces of tart skin can also add some nice texture if you choose to leave it in.
  • If you’re doubling the recipe and have more apples to peel, let peeled and sliced apples sit in the lemon water as you do the rest. This helps avoid browning. 
  • Use a wide, shallow microwave-safe dish so that all the apples can submerge as much as possible under the liquid and poach evenly.
close up of small bowls of Microwave Applesauce
Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

Microwave Magic

Prepare the apples:

Peel the apples, then slice in half. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the apple core. Then cut the apple halves in half (making quarters). Place them in a wide, microwave-safe dish.

Assemble the applesauce:

Combine the 1 cup water and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar and ground cinnamon. Pour the mixture over apples. Using clean hands or a large spoon, stir the apples to coat in liquid.

Microwave:

Microwave the apples on high for 10 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir. To test if the apples are done, pierce with a fork or cake tester. If you feel any resistance or hear the tester pushing through the apple, microwave in 1-minute increments until you don’t feel or hear any resistance. If you have a lower-wattage microwave, you may need to cook the apples for a few more minutes.

Mash the apples:

Using a potato masher, mash the apples until they break apart and mix fully with the liquid. This may take a few minutes. The mixture will appear watery at first, but the mashing will cause the water to absorb into the applesauce. This is a chunky applesauce, so the final mixture won’t be totally smooth.

Let cool slightly before enjoying warm or cool. To store, cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to a year.

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