An easy 3-ingredient crock pot applesauce with no added sugar. This easy slow cooker recipe is perfect for fall!
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Healthy applesauce with no sugar
Here's another easy slow cooker recipe for fall. The apples and cinnamon cook all day, filling the house with the aroma of apple pie. It's a warm and cozy treat for crisp autumn days. And homemade applesauce taste so much better than store bought!
Making it in the slow cooker makes this recipe super simple. Just add three ingredients to the crock pot (all of them paleo, vegan, and Whole30-compliant) and let it cook low and slow until you have a perfectly sweet cinnamon applesauce. This homemade applesauce recipe is so good - and so much easier than baking an apple pie. 🙂
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The key to this healthy crock pot applesauce recipe is picking apples that are sweet enough that you don't need to add any sugar. My local farm market had several varieties of apples to choose from. For this batch, I used an early variety called Paula Red, but you can use any sweet apple recommended for applesauce.
How to make applesauce in a slow cooker
The recipe couldn't be simpler - coconut oil, peeled cored apples, and a cinnamon stick. Just oil the slow cooker and dump in the apples and cinnamon.
Peeling the apples is the hardest part, and you could probably even skip that and just slice the apples if you wanted to (but in that case I would be sure to use the food processor to puree it after cooking).
The crockpot does all the work and the apples are soft and sweet after cooking all day. Once they're cooked, they are so easy to mash. You can use a potato masher for a slightly chunky applesauce. Or if you like your applesauce smooth, you can puree it with an immersion blender or food processor.
How to store
Store the applesauce in individual mason jars for easy serving. It will keep a few days in the fridge or you can freeze it for longer storage.
Serving ideas
This homemade applesauce is great warm on its own or over pancakes, pork chops or coconut milk ice cream. And if you still feel like baking, try these cranberry applesauce muffins.
More easy apple recipes
Love apples? Here are easy healthy versions of a couple of fall favorites. Both are gluten and grain-free.
- Easy Apple Crisp Recipe Without Oats - Think you can't make an apple crisp without rolled oats? This version uses an easy crumb topping made with almond flour and pecans to cover the apple cinnamon filling. So good!
- Almond Flour Apple Muffins - These muffins are a fan favorite for good reason! So quick and easy, they are perfect for Sunday breakfasts or to meal prep for on the go breakfasts during the week.
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Applesauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 8 large sweet baking apples
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Oil crock pot with coconut oil.
- Core, peel and quarter apples. Add to crock pot with cinnamon stick.
- Cook on low 6 - 8 hours, until soft. Remove cinnamon stick. Mash apples or puree with immersion blender.
Nutrition
More healthy crock pot recipe ideas
Looking for more healthy slow cooker recipes? Check out these easy meal ideas.
- Crock Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce with Zucchini Noodles
- Crock Pot Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Chicken Soup
- 30 Paleo Crockpot Recipes
What's your favorite slow cooker recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Lisa says
Thanks Amanda!
Stephanie says
How long will this stay good for?
Lisa says
Stephanie, it will keep in the fridge for about a week. If you need to store it longer, you can try freezing or canning it.
Amy says
So I don't need to add any water to the crock pot for this recipe? Do the apples create their own liquid that allows the flavor from the cinnamon stick to spread? Can I use ground cinnamon (how much?) if I don't have cinnamon sticks on hand? Sorry for all the questions. I love the simplicity of this recipe and have never made applesauce in a crock pot, so I want to get it right. Thank you!!
Lisa says
Hi Amy, no water is needed for this recipe. The apples have enough juice when they cook down. I haven't tried it with ground cinnamon, but I would probably just add it to taste at the end.
Lauri Eide says
I made this today with some changes. I didn't use coconut oil because I forgot about it; used 2 cinnamon sticks because I love cinnamon; also added a bit of powdered cloves, ginger, and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. Also, added about 1 TB lemon juice because I love things tart. This came out so good and I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa says
You're welcome, Lauri! I love the extra spices you added. This is a perfect base recipe for different variations 🙂
Lindsay Caldwell says
I'm so excited about this! My dessert for my first week of Whole30 and I feel like this is some special treat. Was even better than the store bought applesauce I had a week ago. Thanks for this!
Lisa says
Yay! I'm so glad you love it 🙂
Marcie says
You're recipe is inspiring to make without sugar..A coupleof suggestions..You say 8 large apples? Wondering how many cups? And nutrition does not say what is a serving/size? And, how much does this make? (Cups, quarts or whatever? I like to plan ahead and know I have enough jars)
Lisa says
Hi Marcie, each apple will result in about 1/2 cup of applesauce, but this will vary greatly depending on the size of the apple, how dense it is, etc. It's a very flexible recipe - using a sweet apple is the most important part since you're not adding any sugar.