Applesauce canning safety at a glance
| Requirement | Tested specification |
|---|---|
| Pack | Hot pack |
| Jar sizes | Pints or quarts |
| Headspace | ½ inch |
| Texture | Smooth or chunky |
| Sugar | Optional |
Processing details
Methods: Boiling-water or pressure
Tested source
Tested recipe source: National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP)
Applesauce timeline at a glance
- Prepare: Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.
- Cook: Add ½ cup water and heat quickly until tender, stirring to prevent scorching.
- Finish: Press for smooth sauce or leave chunky, add optional sugar, and return to boiling.
- Fill and process: Fill hot jars, leave ½-inch headspace, and use one complete tested schedule.
Equipment for this recipe
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- Boiling-water canner or pressure canner suitable for the selected schedule
- Pint or quart jars with lids and bands
- 8- to 10-quart pot
- Food mill or sieve for smooth sauce, plus
canning funnel, jar lifter, and headspace tool
Visual guide to the tested method
- Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.
- Cook with ½ cup water until tender, stirring often.
- Press through a sieve or food mill for smooth sauce, or retain a chunky texture.
- Add optional sugar and bring the sauce back to boiling.
- Fill hot jars, leave ½-inch headspace, and process with one complete tested schedule.
The written NCHFP directions and WPRM card remain authoritative.
Safety essentials
Safety boundary: Use the tested hot-pack preparation, ½-inch headspace, and one complete boiling-water or pressure-canning schedule for the jar size and elevation.
What is home-canned applesauce?
This tested hot-pack method produces smooth or chunky applesauce. Sugar may be omitted or added to taste before reheating the sauce to boiling.
Before you begin
- Use sound apples and discard spoiled portions.
- Ascorbic-acid water may be used during preparation to reduce browning.
- Choose smooth or chunky texture before filling.
- Know your elevation and processing method.
Altitude-adjusted processing
| Jar | 0–1,000 ft | 1,001–3,000 ft | 3,001–6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 15 min | 20 min | 20 min | 25 min |
| Quarts | 20 min | 25 min | 30 min | 35 min |
Pressure-canning option: NCHFP also provides tested dial- and weighted-gauge schedules. Follow one complete official table for the selected jar size, gauge type, and elevation.
Applesauce — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 21 lb apples about 13 1/2 lb for 9 pints; about 3 lb per quart
- 1/2 cup water for cooking prepared apples
- sugar optional, to taste
- ascorbic-acid solution optional, to reduce browning
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner For the boiling-water option.
- 1 Pressure canner For the pressure-canning option.
- 7–9 Canning jars Pints or quarts.
- 7–9 Two-piece canning lids Prepare according to manufacturer directions.
Directions
- Wash, peel, and core apples; slice into ascorbic-acid water if desired, then drain.
- Place apples in a large pot, add 1/2 cup water, and heat quickly until tender, stirring to prevent scorching.
- Press through a sieve or food mill for smooth sauce, or leave chunk-style if preferred.
- Sugar may be omitted. If used, add to taste and reheat the sauce to boiling.
- Fill hot jars with hot sauce, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process using the tested schedule for method, jar size, gauge, and altitude.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.How to serve applesauce
Serve warm or chilled as a side dish, snack, baking ingredient, or topping. Refrigerate after opening.
Applesauce canning questions
Is sugar required?
No. NCHFP permits omitting sugar.
Can I make chunky applesauce?
Yes. Smooth or chunky texture is permitted.
Can I pressure-can applesauce?
Yes. Follow one complete NCHFP pressure schedule for your jar size, gauge, and elevation.
Can I use a boiling-water canner?
Yes. Use the altitude-adjusted schedule shown above.
Applesauce versus apple butter
Applesauce is cooked only until tender and finished smooth or chunky. Apple butter is a more concentrated, differently formulated product with its own tested recipe and process.
Applesauce troubleshooting
Why did the sauce scorch?
Heat quickly but stir frequently, especially as the apples soften and the sauce thickens.
Why did the sauce separate?
Fruit variety, ripeness, texture, and preparation can affect separation. Stir before heating after opening.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate and use promptly, freeze safely, or follow an authoritative reprocessing procedure within the permitted time.
Source & provenance
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Fall
Months: September, October, November
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
35–70 lb of Apples per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.