Slow Cooker Applesauce

I had wayyy too many apples in the fridge. Like, maybe 15? Some of them were getting far too old, and it was time to use them up. Usually with old apples, I would make apple crisp or apple pie, but with robotics season starting I didn’t have time. So my solution? Slow cooker applesauce! It’s great because you can set it and forget it until it’s ready, it tastes great, and it makes the house smell so cozy, which is just what you need in these winter months. (Now the only question is squeezing 10 apples into my slow cooker…)

Ingredients

You can actually make an excellent and healthy applesauce with just 3 ingredients – and one of them is water! No sugar needed, and it still comes out very sweet!

• Apples – any type, a mix is good. McIntosh make great applesauce, as do Golden Delicious and Empire.
• Cinnamon and any other spices desired
• Water

Making Applesauce in the Slow Cooker

The most work you have to do in this recipe is chop the apples. You don’t even have to peel them! Once you’ve got your cubed apples, you just throw them in the slow cooker with some water and leave it to simmer for several hours, until the apples are soft and breaking down into a mush. Then you can blend it into a smooth puree, and enjoy!

Tips

• It is better to aim for more water rather than less – you don’t want to burn your slow cooker!
• Be careful blending the cooked apples into applesauce, as you may want to let them cool a bit first.
• If, after blending, you want your applesauce a bit thicker, you can pour it back into the slow cooker and let it cook down.

Slow-Cooker Applesauce

A super-convenient, delicious recipe!

Prep Time: 20 min	Cook Time: 480 min
Total Time: 500 min	Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 8-10 medium apples, around 3 lbs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Wash and chop the apples into even-sized medium chunks.
2. Put the apples in a slow cooker with the water and cinnamon stick, and cook covered on LOW for 8 hours or until the apple chunks are soft and falling apart.
3. Pour the apple mixture into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.
4. If desired, return the applesauce to the pot and continue to cook until thicker.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.