Chunky applesauce is comfort food for me, especially this version with a glow-up of warming fall flavored whole spices. What’s better is this canned applesauce is here to stay and is on the shelf, ready to enjoy no matter the season.
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Glow-Up Your Applesauce
The best way to give your applesauce a glow-up is to make it chunky and use warming fall spices for a full comfort food effect. The best way to spice chunky applesauce is with whole spices.
It’s the season of comfort food, and spicing things up with a cozy feeling and a healthy spin is how I like to feel the fall vibe. You’ll never catch me missing a moment to spice up my recipes!
My favorite seasonal recipes with warming spices are spiced cranberry sauce, mulled wine with whole spices, spiced apple butter, spiced persimmon bread, and spiced pomegranate wine.
I love taking the opportunity to use whole spices when I can. They infuse flavor so well, look pretty, and make the whole house smell amazing. This applesauce is a perfect opportunity for just that!
Chunky applesauce is a healthy snack, and the best part about this simple recipe is that it’s canned. So it is shelf-stable and ready to comfort and spice your life!
An Easy Canning Recipe
This recipe is from the book Naturally Sweet Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan of the Food in Jars blog.
This book contains canning recipes that use alternative sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, coconut sugar, and juice concentrate. This is a great way to preserve seasonal favorites without refined sugar.
It’s one of my favorite canning books, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in canning and healthier alternatives. This book also inspired my no-sugar blueberry jam recipe!
Chunky Spiced Applesauce Recipe
This recipe makes three or four pint jars of chunky applesauce, which is shelf-stable for up to a year. That means homemade applesauce all year!
Sometimes, the air for the headspace at the top of the jar can cause oxidation over time, and the top of your applesauce will turn brown. It’s less noticeable in this spiced version, if at all.
If some browning happens by the lid, don’t stress! It’s normal and shouldn’t be an issue. Onward to this chunky, healthy, whole spiced delight!
Ingredients
Fresh apples: It takes about 5 pounds of fresh apples. So gather homegrown apples, glean some, or get a flat from a market.
Note: This recipe works with any variety of apples, so choose your favorite or a mix of different types.
Apple juice or cider: If you have freshly pressed juice or cider, great! Otherwise, store-bought is good too.
Spices: Whole star anise, cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, ground cloves.
Apple juice concentrate: While optional, apple juice concentrate adds natural sweetness without being overly sweet. However, it’s not necessary when working with really sweet apples.
How To Make Chunky Applesauce
First, prepare your boiling water canner for a water bath method. Put the canning rack at the bottom of a large pot and heat the jars in simmering water until it’s time to use them.
Wash the lids in warm soapy water and set aside until ready for use.
Sauce Time!
Peel, core, and chop the apples. Then, put them into a large pot with the apple juice, star anise, and cinnamon sticks.
Cover the pot and bring the apples to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Then, let the apples cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the fruit is soft enough to crush with the back of a wooden spoon, you know it’s ready.
Remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks. Using a potato masher, mash the cooked apples into a chunky puree.
Note: If you prefer a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender instead of a potato masher. Whatever floats your boat!
Add the nutmeg and cloves and mash some more. Taste and add the optional apple juice concentrate, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce has reached your preferred level of sweetness.
Water Bath Canning Process
Once the applesauce is cooked and ready, spoon it into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. A ladle and canning funnel are helpful tools for this process!
A wooden chopstick works great to dislodge any trapped air bubbles. If necessary, add more sauce to return the headspace to ½ inches.
Wipe the jar rims, then center a lid on each jar and apply the band, adjusting to fingertip tight.
Now, place the jars into the boiling water canner.
Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the pot lid, and let the jars sit inside for 5 minutes.
Use a jar lifter to remove the hot jars. Place them on a towel or rack on the countertop, and let them cool for 12 to 24 hours.
Lastly, check to make sure the lids are all sealed correctly. To know that they are sealed, they should not flex when the center is pressed. Now it’s time to enjoy this healthy spiced snack!
How to Serve Spiced Chunky Applesauce
These jars will stay shelf-stable for at least a year. Store them in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry or basement.
This means you have a year’s worth of deliciousness ahead of you! Definitely top your pork chops with this sauce, as well as your pancakes. And vanilla ice cream! So good.
You can also have it as a healthy snack with no fuss. It is also amazingly tasty with a drizzle of maple syrup. Whenever you crack open a jar to these aromatic and delicious spices, you’ll thank your past self!
More Fall Apple Recipes
- Apple Ginger Kombucha
- Freezer Apple Pie Filling
- Grandma’s Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Spiced Apple Butter
- Fermented Apple Ginger Beer
- No Sugar Apple Jelly
- Apple Pie Filling for Canning
Spiced Chunky Applesauce Canning Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds apples
- ½ cup apple juice or cider
- 2 whole star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup apple juice concentrate optional
Instructions
- Prepare your boiling water canner for a water bath method. Put the canning rack at the bottom of a large pot and heat the jars in simmering water until it's time to use them. Wash the lids in warm soapy water and set aside until ready for use.
- Peel, core, and chop the apples. Put them into a large pot with the apple juice, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. Cover the pot and bring the apples to a low simmer over medium-high heat. Let the apples cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft enough to crush with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove the star anise and cinnamon sticks. Using a potato masher, mash the cooked apples into a chunky puree. Add the nutmeg and cloves and mash some more. Taste and add the optional apple juice concentrate a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce has reached your preferred level of sweetness.
- Spoon the applesauce into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Use a wooden chopstick to dislodge any trapped air bubbles. Add more sauce to return the headspace to ½ inch, if necessary.
- Wipe the jar rims, then center a lid on each jar and apply the band, adjusting to fingertip tight. Place the jars into the boiling water canner.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the pot lid, and let the jars sit inside for 5 minutes.
- Use a jar lifter to remove the hot jars and let them cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check to make sure the lids are all sealed, they should not flex when the center is pressed.
Notes
- Any variety of apples will work in this recipe, so choose your favorite or a mix of different types.
- Apple juice concentrate adds natural sweetness without being overly sweet.
- If you are working with really sweet apples, you can skip the added juice concentrate entirely if you’d like.
- If you prefer a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender instead of a potato masher in step 3.
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