Crockpot Applesauce

Using a crockpot makes cooking so easy! I love putting things into the crockpot, not having to watch them, and coming into the kitchen a few hours later to find what I was making is all done. One of my favorite things to make with a crockpot is applesauce! Once you see how simple this recipe is, you will not want to buy pre made applesauce again!

Ingredients

6 Apples (I usually use Cortland, but others would work well too)

½ cup water

3 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp of lemon juice

½ tsp ground ginger

Directions

1. Slice and core the apples and add them into the crockpot. Make sure you leave the skin on.

2. Add the water, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice and ground ginger.

3. Cover the crockpot and set it for 3 hours on high. I try to stir it about half way through.

4. Once the 3 hours is done, carefully remove the cinnamon sticks. Be careful, since the applesauce will be hot

5. Depending on if you like your applesauce chunky or smooth, you will use an immersion blender or a fork for this step. For smooth applesauce I recommend using an immersion blender. If you are like me and enjoy a chunkier applesauce, use your fork to mash the apples.

6. Enjoy!

When making homemade applesauce, many people remove the skin. What people do not realize, is that removing the skin, decreases the fiber content of the applesauce. One medium apple with the skin, contains 4.4 grams of fiber. Without the skin, the same medium apple contains only 2.1 grams of fiber.

This means that more than half of the fiber is lost from removing the skin. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that leaving the skin on the apples retains the fiber.

There are so many different ways to use applesauce!

Ways to use applesauce

A topping for your yogurt or oatmeal

A condiment for chicken or turkey

To replace butter or oil in recipes

To top potato pancakes

On it’s own as a snack or a sweet treat

Instead of jelly with peanut butter on a sandwich

Applesauce is so versatile with so many different ways to use it! Don’t forget to leave the skin on your apples to retain the fiber.

Linzy Ziegelbaum, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and owner of the private practice LNZnutrition LLC. She provides nutrition counseling and education to clients of all ages with many nutrition needs. Linzy enjoys sharing her love and nutrition expertise with others through counseling, her LNZnutrition blog and social media pages, including Facebook and Instagram.

Main Photo Credit: Brent Hofacker/shutterstock.com; Second Photo Credit: PHILIPIMAGE/shutterstock.com