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This 4-ingredient homemade strawberry applesauce is sweet (and optionally sugar-free), delicious, and the perfect blend of summer and fall to prepare using a stove or crockpot!
Sweet, Fruity, Delicious Strawberry Applesauce
Apple pie, apple crisp, baked apples, and regular cinnamon applesauce may initially bring to mind chilly Fall evenings. However, combine apples with strawberries in this homemade strawberry applesauce for a delicious blend of summer and fall you can enjoy all year.
Whether you’re looking for a homemade strawberry apple puree for babies and toddlers, a simple fruit snack, an add-in for baking, or a topping for oatmeal and pancakes – homemade applesauce is cost-effective, delicious, and easily adjustable.
You can swap out the choice of apples, choose between various sweeteners (if you use any at all), rely on fresh or frozen strawberries, and even choose the cooking method between stovetop and crockpot.
We love making stovetop applesauce in just 35 minutes, but for an even more hands-off approach, turn to a crockpot—choose which works best for you. Either way, the ingredients list is short (just 4 ingredients!), the method is simple, and it tastes much better than any store-bought alternative, at a fraction of the cost!
The Ingredients
- Apples: Use sweet, tart, or a mixture of both. Read below for the best applesauce apples.
- Strawberries: Fresh, ripe, juicy strawberries add the sweetest, best flavor, though you can use frozen when fresh aren’t available.
- Water: To help cook the apples and bring the sauce to the correct consistency.
- Sweetener: The type (& amount) used is up to you. I.e., white or brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, erythritol, etc. You can even omit it entirely when using sweet apples.
- Vanilla extract: (optional) Use natural vanilla to avoid an artificial flavor.
You can add more flavor to the strawberry apple sauce with a pinch of cinnamon, ginger, or allspice, a little black pepper, and/or a squeeze of lemon juice.
What Are The Best Apples For Applesauce?
Admittedly, we often use whatever apples are in our kitchen at the time and have yet to try a bad batch. However, there are two things to take into consideration when selecting apples.
First, the natural sweetness of the apples can affect how much additional sweetener (if any) you choose to add, so is important if you hope to make sugar-free applesauce. Likewise, softer apples will cook down quickly for a soft apple puree, whereas more crisp apples may work better for homemade chunky applesauce.
Here are some of the best apples for applesauce:
- Fuji (sweet with a firm yet creamy flesh, great for homemade sugar-free applesauce)
- Honeycrisp (sweet, floral, slightly tangy, with a firmer consistency – costly, though)
- Golden Delicious (mellow, sweet, and soft — a great base for any applesauce)
- Mcintosh (sweet-tart flavor and fresh, crisp texture but cooks down very easily)
- Gala (fairly sweet and mellow, great for pairing with more tart apples)
- Pink Lady (sweet, tangy and crispy texture, best for chunky applesauce)
- Braeburn (sweet and tart flavor and holds its shape fairly well for chunky applesauce)
- Granny Smith (fairly tart and firm – best for chunky sauce and mixed with sweeter apples)
We love to use a combination of sweet and tart apples for a more well-rounded applesauce. However, for homemade sugar-free applesauce, we recommend using only sweet apples.
How to Make Strawberry Applesauce
Stovetop applesauce follows less than a handful of simple, low-fuss steps.
- 1) First, rinse, peel, core, and chop/slice the apples into even, bite-sized pieces.
- 2) Then, combine the apples, water, and sweetener in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer for 25 minutes or until the apples are tender (this depends on how large you cut the apples), stirring often. Once soft, remove from the heat.
If the apples begin sticking to the bottom of the pan, add another large splash of water.
- 3) Add the strawberries and vanilla extract, then use an immersion blender, stand blender, or food processor to blend the strawberry applesauce until smooth.
Alternatively, simmer the strawberries with the apples for the last 15 minutes (use this method if using frozen berries too). It won’t taste as ‘fresh,’ but will have a pinker color and slightly mellower, sweeter flavor.
- 4) Finally, taste and adjust any ingredients (strawberries, vanilla, sweetener) to your liking. Enjoy the strawberry applesauce warm or chilled.
Crockpot Strawberry Apple Sauce
Add all the ingredients (except vanilla) to the slow cooker. Set on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours. Then use a wire whisk, potato masher, immersion blender, or blender to mash the sauce to your desired consistency.
Top Recipe Tips
- To save time: If you have one, an apple corer will help reduce the prep time.
- Adjust the sweetness: Depending on the apples you’ve used, you may find the sauce is sweet enough to make naturally sugar-free applesauce with strawberries. To avoid adding too much sugar, only add it right at the end, to taste.
- Adjust the texture: For homemade chunky applesauce, either blend the strawberries separately or cook them with the apples, then use a potato masher for the combined mixture. Alternatively, use an immersion blender for a smooth sauce.
- For a well-rounded applesauce: Use a combination of sweet and tart apples.
FAQs
For super-smooth applesauce, peeling the fruit is necessary. However, leaving it in can make for a fibrous, slightly thicker, more nutritional applesauce (though slightly more tart).
Along with strawberries, pears, plums, or peaches work particularly well when combined with applesauce. Other berries, like cherries, raspberries, or blueberries, will also work.
Yes, add all the ingredients to the pot, seal, and cook on HIGH for 6 minutes. Manually release the pressure, then continue with the recipe as written.
Yes — it’s loaded with several vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, potassium, and folate. It’s also packed with fiber and is a good source of antioxidants. Plus, you can choose how much (if any) sugar to add.
How to Use Strawberry Apple Sauce
This sweet and fruity strawberry applesauce isn’t just great as baby food and a snack for toddlers (in reusable pouches). In fact, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this fruity treat.
- With oatmeal or overnight oats
- Enjoy with vegan yogurt and parfaits
- Spread over toast
- Mix into smoothies
- In bakes for flavor or an egg replacer — vegan muffins, cakes, quick breads, etc.
- As a topping for pancakes, waffles, and French toast
- Add to sparkling water/mocktails
How to Store Homemade Applesauce
Allow it to cool completely, then store the strawberry applesauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days.
Freezing applesauce is also simple. Divide it into smaller portions to store in freezer bags (spread thin with excess air removed) or an ice-cube tray (transfer to a freezer bag when frozen). Label and date the bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature, then stir well before using.
More Vegan Apple Recipes
Looking for more apple recipes? Here are 26 Amazing Apple Recipes you might enjoy!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Easy Strawberry Applesauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds of apples (about 12 medium), peeled, cored and chopped
- ½ cup of water
- â…“ cup of sugar
- 1 pint of strawberries rinsed and hulled
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large pot, add chopped apple, water and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the apples are soft, stirring often and checking for sticking. If apples begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add a large splash of more water. Once soft, turn off heat.
- Add strawberries and vanilla extract. Using an immersion blender, blend apple-strawberry mixture until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, transfer to an upright blender or food processor.) Enjoy warm or chilled.
Video
Notes
- To save time: If you have one, an apple corer will help reduce the prep time.
- Adjust the sweetness: Depending on the apples you’ve used, you may find the sauce is sweet enough to make naturally sugar-free applesauce with strawberries. To avoid adding too much sugar, only add it right at the end, to taste.
- Adjust the texture: For homemade chunky applesauce, either blend the strawberries separately or cook them with the apples, then use a potato masher for the combined mixture. Alternatively, use an immersion blender for a smooth sauce.
- For a well-rounded applesauce: Use a combination of sweet and tart apples.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
I’m in love with this recipe! The taste, smell, and color are wonderful! I’ll never make regular applesauce again. This one is too good!
Right?! You’ll save so much money too!
I’ve never made my own applesauce before, and this one was so easy … thanks for the great recipe!
Right?! So easy and enjoyable for a quick snack!
Such a light snack and dessert!
Right?! Such a yummy sweet snack!
This strawberry applesauce is so good! Has the perfect amount of sweetness!
Right?! Such a yummy sweet snack!
Love how simple and sweet this apple sauce turned out!
Can this be Frozen?
You sure can! For up to 3 months 🙂
so good it eats like baby food
Yes!! Such an easy and tasty treat!
I’ve made this recipe at least a few times and it never fails to make me smile. The perfect amount of sweetness along with the apples. Plus, the color is so fun. Love it!
Yesss! So sweet and delicious!
I love applesauce and you can never go wrong with a strawberry version!
Right?! Such a great combo!
Perfect! Thanks!
Enjoy 🙂
Yum! I feel like strawberry applesauce is so underrated!!
It is! So so good!
Great recipe! My kids really, really liked this applesauce, especially my 3-year old daughter.
Yay! It’s such a hit!
This fruit sauce is the ideal snack for when I’m feeling a bit peckish and wanting something sweet! Topping my morning granola, is another good way to eat it. Thank you!
So sweet and delicious!
This is so good, we have been enjoying it dolloped on top of some yogurt and granola for brekkie, so good!
I think this flavor combo sounds delicious. Yes, I agree you are using two fruits from different seasons but you can always get apples and where I live we are lucky to have strawberries throughout the year.
i just want to eat this on its own… so tasty
the flavor is so good! perfect dessert