Flavor Bomb Stovetop Applesauce | No Sugar Added

Experience the wonderful flavors and smells of Fall in your home by making this flavorful, no sugar added Stovetop Applesauce.  It’s like potpourri you can eat!

Sure you could call this Stovetop Applesauce a “recipe”, but I think a better word would be an “experience”.

I’m not sharing any earth shattering new content with you today, but rather a reminder to embrace the smells and joy of the Fall season.  One way we do this every year is by making some stovetop applesauce.

We either eat it all up right away, freeze it for later, or for a treat we top it with some granola and a dollop of cream.

Even living in our RV full time with a family of 6 was not going to stop us from enjoying this early Fall tradition.  In fact, I think it made it even better.  

The smell of the apples and spices simmering on our little stovetop infused our entire home with the most glorious cozy smell.  Easy to do when you live in under 200 square feet.

Each child had their part in making the applesauce, though the boy claimed his only job was going to be to eat it.  I was ok with that!

I took turns with my 13 year old daughter to capture some of the sweet treasured moments of us enjoying one of our favorite traditions, even in our RV.  I think I have a little photographer in the making!

I’m not going to sugar coat the RV life.  It is not for the faint of heart and truth be told – I am so over it.  But I’m hoping to make plenty of good memories with the time we have left so we will remember this time fondly – no matter the challenges. 

If you are new here, find out why we are living in an RV and all about our home building experience so far. You can also catch the RV renovation finished tour here.

When we stopped by the farmers market and found loads of beautiful apples, I knew cooking up some applesauce would be something we all would enjoy together.

My Instant Pot lovin’ sister Marci had a nice giggle when I told her I was making stovetop applesauce.  She reminded me it would be soooo much easier in the pressure cooker.  

But I knew it wasn’t the end result I was going after.  I wanted the smell to last all day, not minutes. I wanted to experience the slow simmer of tender apples and spices slowly releasing their yummy smell into the air.  I wanted to watch as they mixed and went from crisp to blender-ready-tender. I wanted my kids to experience it all!

You can grab our Instant Pot cookbook “Master the Electric Pressure Cooker” to find our favorite Instant Pot applesauce recipe, which is so great for making loads of applesauce quick and handy.   (This post contains affiliate links)

But if you are after a Fall experience that will include all your senses, follow my simple steps for flavorful, no sugar added Stovetop Applesauce.

Making Stovetop Applesauce can be summed up in a few words – simmer until tender and blend or mash up.

But I have some tips for you to really bring the flavors home!

*Print recipe down below.

STEP 1:  Peel, Slice and Core Apples

Start by slicing your apples all about the same thickness.  Using a tool like a “apple-peeler-corer-slicer” is a major time saver and does a wonderful job at preserving as much apple as possible.

The kids love this job!

Add your sliced apples to the pot, as full as you desire.

STEP 2:  Add Water or Apple Juice to Pot

Then you’ll add about ¼ – ½ cups of water to the pot.  If you happen to have apple juice around, this makes a wonderful substitute for water.  It will help keep a potent apple flavor for your end result.

This may not seem like enough liquid, but as those apples start to cook, their juices will release and provide you with enough liquid to prevent burning.  If at any time you see the liquid start to dissipate, add a little more water or apple juice.

STEP 3:  Add spices

We love to throw in a few full cinnamon sticks to the pot to infuse the flavor to the max!  I even added a couple of pieces of whole Allspice. We also grated whole nutmeg into the pot, as we find the flavor to be even more rich.  You can preserve some spices for after cooking to determine if your masterpiece needs just a bit more.

STEP 4:  Let apples simmer until fork tender

This is where the magic happens!  Bring the apples to a slow simmer and stir occasionally.  They will reduce in size and release their juices.

When the apples are fork tender, you can remove from heat.  This took us about 20 minutes.

STEP 5:  Remove whole spices

If you added allspice or cinnamon sticks, remove them before blending

STEP 6:  Blend

Transfer your apples to a blender.  You might also prefer to hand mash in the pot or use an immersion blender.  We like it really smooth because I use it in baking a lot, so I prefer a blender. 

You’ll blend it up until you receive your desired consistency. Some like it chunky and some like it smooth! You don’t need to spend loads of money on a blender. We have loved our KitchenAid blender for years, and it does a great job.

You can also add more ground spices, if it is too your liking. Like I said, this isn’t an exact recipe, so have fun with it!

STEP 7:  Bottle it up!

If you don’t eat it all right up (which is a really nice thing to do together), place it in jars or containers.  I love to freeze some to use for later, or keep it in small containers in the fridge for the kids to add to their lunches or for after school snacks.

That’s really as simple as stovetop applesauce is!  You can certainly add some sugar while cooking, but we find apples are plenty sweet on their own and enjoy it without any added sugar.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I hope it reminded you to pull out your favorite Fall time recipe to ring in the new season!  I encourage you to try this easy stovetop applesauce recipe (or experience), and let me know how you enjoyed it! I’d love to hear what you enjoy making in the Fall time to enjoy the taste and smells of the season.

You might also enjoy some of my other Fall recipes.  A favorite around here is my Whole Wheat Pumpkin Crepes and our Healthy Pumpkin Dip.

I’m so excited to share that this recipe is part of a blogger collaboration with incredibly talented home and lifestyle bloggers.  Our apple recipes kick of the series called “Tastes of the Season”. You won’t believe the amazing recipes and images from this Apple themed collection!  Looks like I need to go get me some more apples!

Big thanks to Kristen from Ella Claire for bringing us all together to share!  Which one looks irresistible to you?! Sign up for my updates so you don’t miss the rest of the series.  Pumpkin is up next!!

TASTES OF THE SEASON SERIES | APPLES RECIPES

Apple Streusel Muffins by Ella Claire & Co. | Puff Pastry Apple Strudel by Inspired by Charm | Apple Crumb Pie Bars by Tidy Mom | Stovetop Applesauce by Tidbits | Apple Cheesecake Tart by Rooms for Rent

Gluten/Dairy Free Apple Crisp by Zevy Joy | Apple Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies by Anderson + Grant | Easy Apple Dumpling Dessert by Happy Happy Nester | Gluten Free Apple Fritters by Home Made Lovely | Sheet Pan Apple Crumble by My Sweet Savannah

Salted Caramel Apple Tart by Shabby Fu Fu | Cinnamon Apple Bread by Julie Blanner | Apple Blackberry Waffles by French Country Cottage | Sugar Free Apple Butter by Farmhouse on Boone | Puff Pastry Apple Pie by Jenna Kate at Home

Apple Walnut Bread by On Sutton Place | Apple Cake with Homemade Caramel Sauce by Town and Country Living | Mini Apple Pies by My 100 Year Old Home | Apple Scones by Boxwood Avenue