This Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce is the perfect snack for kids. Made with a drizzle of vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, and no added sugar! Easy to make on the stovetop and freezes well!

Blue kids plate and bowl with homemade applesauce and a scattering of apples, cinnamon and vanilla next to it.
5 stars (1 rating)
“Simple and delicious. My 1 year old couldn’t get enough. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions!” -Paige
Add your comment

Homemade No-Sugar Added Applesauce

Looking for a super easy homemade applesauce? That doesn’t have added sugar?

Then, I’ve got you!

I first made this recipe because my neighbor had too many apples on their apple tree and gave me 4 huge bags of apples. So I did what any mom with two applesauce-loving kiddos would do – I made my own.

And O.M.G!

It was delicious!

Like, lick the bowl delicious.

10 years later and my kids STILL request this applesauce on the regular. We like to add in a touch of cinnamon and vanilla to really bring out the natural sweetness of the apples, but those are both optional.

#momhack – double or triple this recipe so you can eat some right away and then freeze some for later on when you are short on time.

Spread of ingredients for no sugar added applesauce with text next to each one.

Ingredients

Make sure to read the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions!

  • Apples: the base of the recipe is fresh apples. Make sure to use apples that are ripe and sweet, such as Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Water

If you are looking for more easy and healthy applesauce recipes for your family, then be sure to check out our reader fav Strawberry Applesauce, Carrot Applesauce, Beet Applesauce, or these delicious 8 5-Minute Applesauce Combos for Kids. You can also find more recipes and information in my best-selling cookbook Little Foodies: Recipes for Babies and Toddlers with Taste.

To the Kitchen We Go

A wooden cutting board on a white countertop with chunks of apples on it.
Peel, core, and roughly chop apples.
Silver saucepan filled with cooked chunks of apples.
Add apples, cinnamon, vanilla and water to a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender.
Clear blender with pureed apples.
Add ingredients to a blender. Pulse for a chunky texture, or blend for a smooth applesauce.
Blue kids bowl on a blue plate and blue napkin filled with homemade applesauce.
Serve and enjoy!

How to Serve this Unsweetened Applesauce

Besides eating this straight out of the container after your kids go to bed, there are so many fun ways to enjoy this applesauce.

  • Easy Dessert: warmed with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
  • Yogurt Parfait: Spooned over yogurt and sprinkled with granola.
  • School Lunch: add this delicious applesauce to your kids air-tight lunch box (or container) and send it for school lunch.
  • Oatmeal: spoon into a bowl of warm oats and top with some chopped pecans, sprinkle of hemp seeds and a little brown sugar.
  • Reusable Pouch: spoon into a reusable food pouch for an easy on-the-go toddler or kid snack.
Blue kids bowl on a blue plate and blue napkin filled with homemade applesauce with spoon resting on top and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the applesauce.

Recipe Tips

  • You can use any apples you have on hand or prefer, though the sweeter apples will give you naturally sweeter applesauce.
  • If adding another fruit, you can use fresh or frozen in this recipe.
  • This recipe will thicken up once it cools down in the fridge for a few hours.
  • You can add this applesauce to reusable pouches for an on-the-go toddler snack.
Blue kids plate and bowl with homemade applesauce and a scattering of apples, cinnamon and vanilla next to it.

Get the recipe: 20-Minute Homemade Spiced Unsweetened Applesauce

5 stars (1 rating)
This Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce is the perfect snack for kids. Made with a drizzle of vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, and no added sugar! Easy to make on the stovetop and freezes well!
Yield: 3 cups
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Side Dish
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

  • 6 large apples
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions 

  • Peel apples. This step is optional. Peeling apples will give the applesauce a crisper taste, while not peeling them will give the applesauce an earthier taste and texture. Both are great.
  • Core, and roughly chop the apples.
  • Place the apples, cinnamon, vanilla, and water into a medium or large saucepan. Cover. Heat over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
  • Transfer all ingredients into a blender.
  • Pulse for a chunky applesauce or blend for 15-30 seconds for a smoother applesauce. You can also use an immersion blender for this step.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Age: 6+ months
Storage: Unsweetened Applesauce will keep for 1 week in the fridge (if it lasts that long!) or for 3 months in the freezer. 
Apples: Make sure to use apples that are ripe and sweet, such as Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
Cooking with Kids
Kids love helping in the kitchen and this applesauce recipe is a great way to get them involved.

Toddlers

  • They can help pick out and measure the ingredients.
  • Toddlers can help chop the apples into small chunks, with a child-safe knife.
  • With assistance, they can add cinnamon and vanilla to the cooking apples.
  •  

Kids

  • They can gather and measure all of the ingredients.
  • Kids can help peel and chop the apples with a child-safe knife.
  • They can help spoon the cooled sauce into a container.
Add-Ins: The great thing about homemade applesauce is that it offers a solid base to get creative with many other kinds of fruit. You can even include a combination of a couple of fruits in your fridge or freezer that need to be used up, like these:
  • Blueberries
  • Strawberries
  • Raspberries
  • Blackberries
  • Cherries
  • Peaches
  • Mangos
  •  

Equipment

Saucepan
Blender
Reusable Pouches
Bumkins Baby Bowl

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @babyfoode on Instagram and hashtag it #babyfoode!

Rate Recipe Pin Recipe

Medically reviewed and cowritten by Jamie Johnson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), and Lauren Braaten, Pediatric Occupational Therapist (OT).