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This Homemade Strawberry Applesauce is super simple to make and only requires 4 ingredients. Kids and adults are both sure to love this delicious applesauce.

Homemade Strawberry Applesauce Ingredients
This simple vegan, gluten free, dairy free, no sugar added recipe has only a few ingredients. For this stovetop recipe you will need:
- Apples- any sweet crisp red apple such as Gala, Cosmic Crisp, etc.
- Strawberries- fresh strawberries if they are in season or frozen strawberries will also work
- Lemon- for fresh lemon juice
- Cinnamon- either cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Applesauce
This recipe will take about 45 minutes to make. To start, wash the apples and strawberries (if using fresh strawberries. Then, peel and chop the apples. Next, remove the stems and slice the strawberries. Combine the apples and strawberries in a saucepan.
Then, add the juice from one lemon and cinnamon stick or cinnamon spice. Stir it up and start cooking! Cook over medium/high heat to bring to a simmer then lower heat and let cook until apples are super tender. This will take about 20 minutes. Be sure to lower the heat so that it doesn’t boil over onto your stove. Here is what it will look like:

Then, using a blender (immersion or standard) or food processor blend the applesauce to your desired consistency. Don’t forget to take out the cinnamon stick if you used one! My kids like it super smooth. Let cool and then store it.
To speed up cooling your applesauce, put it in an ice water bath. In a large bowl add ice and cold water. Then, put your applesauce in the containers you are going to store it in and place them into the ice water bath. This will cool off your applesauce much faster and then you can go ahead with storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Storage tips
This recipe does not include canning instructions and cannot be kept at room temperature. Leaving this fresh applesauce at room temperature could result in food poisoning. There are a couple of safe options for how to store your applesauce to ensure the best quality.
- We generally go through it quickly now so I will store it in a glass jar, mason jars or another airtight container in the refrigerator. In the refrigerator, it will be good for about a week.
- Another option is to make your own pouches. Disposable or reusable ones can be purchased on amazon. Those can be frozen for up to 3 months! If you don’t want to make individual pouches applesauce can also be frozen in freezer bags or other airtight containers.
- If you are making this recipe to be used for baby food is to freeze it in small portions such as an ice cube tray and pop into a resealable freezer bag and keep in the freezer. This allows you to take out a little at a time. We did this a lot when our children were little.
- Let frozen applesauce defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using. Do not defrost at room temperature to avoid bacteria growth.
Both ways of storing applesauce will work just be sure to use whichever is the best way for you to end up with the smallest amount of waste. Before serving applesauce that has been stored in the refrigerator or freezer be sure to give it a good stir to incorporate any excess water that may have separated out.
More Applesauce Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, be sure to use a large pot and review our suggestions for freezing to make your applesauce last if you make a large batch of applesauce.
Absolutely, try blueberries, blackberries or raspberries in this recipe as well. You could even do an assortment of berries. If using blueberries or blackberries make sure they are sweet so you don’t need to use any added sugar.
Yes! We love to use a slow cooker for our applesauce. If you do use a slow cooker I would be sure to double or triple this recipe so there is enough in the slow cooker. Also, it should cook on low for only 2-3 hours. Check it often to avoid burning the berries.
Fresh applesauce has a different timeline than store-bought applesauce. Homemade applesauce should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. Always look for signs of spoilage when getting close to the 5-7 days such as mold on the surface of your applesauce or an off smell.
Store bought applesauce will last much longer as it is shelf stable when unopened. Unopened store-bought applesauce should be stored in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight. With proper storage it will generally last for a couple of months. For open applesauce use the best-by date or expiration date to determine if applesauce is still good to eat. Also, keep a lookout for signs of mold and an off odor that indicate a bad applesauce.
You definitely don’t need to make your own applesauce however it can be fun and save you some money. During the fall when apples are in season it is definitely a time saver. Homemade applesauce allows you to control the flavors and avoid the high sugar content you will find in the applesauces at the grocery store. It’s also a fun recipe to make with kids.

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If you enjoyed this homemade applesauce recipe be sure to try our others: Pear Pumpkin Applesauce, Crock Pot Blueberry Applesauce and Very Berry Spinach Applesauce. For other kid friendly recipes, check out our Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Very Berry Blueberry Muffins, Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bites, Italian Pasta Salad, Citrus Chicken Pasta, Banana Bread, Sausage Casserole and Peanut Butter Honey Muffins.

Homemade Strawberry Applesauce
Simple Homemade Strawberry Applesauce made on the stove top.
Ingredients
- 4 red apples
- 1 pint strawberries
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Wash apples, strawberries and lemon.
- Peel, core and chop up apples. Remove tops from strawberries and chop into quarters.
- Combine strawberries and apples in a sauce pot.
- Juice lemon and add to pot. Add cinnamon or cinnamon stick.
- Cover and cook over medium high heat until simmering. Remove lid and stir. Lower heat and continue to cook until apples can be easily mashed. About 20 minutes.
- Once apples are very tender, use an immersion blender, stand up blender or potato masher to get your preferred consistency of applesauce. (Don't forget to remove the cinnamon stick if you used that.)
- Let applesauce cool and store in the refrigerator. Applesauce will stay good in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
See post for detailed storage tips.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 26mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 5gSugar: 21gProtein: 1g