Hellooo over there friends! If there is anything quarantine has taught us it’s that we REALLY enjoy our snacks… do you feel me? Today I am sharing the simplest of recipes but just a fair warning… you may never buy the store bought stuff again! Let’s make my simple and easy applesauce recipe in the Instant Pot!
No Instant Pot? Don’t fret. I use the slow cooker setting, so dust off the old crockpot, (yes even as warm weather approaches) grab a bag of fresh apples and get down to cooking one of my kids’ most favorite homemade + healthy snacks! This easy Instant Pot applesauce recipe is sure to become a family favorite…. HACK: try a bowl warm straight from the pot, it;s life-changing! 🙌
Sustainable Snacking
What I love about this snack is that the leftover peels make for the perfect lesson about not wasting. (Hi today is also Earth Day!) Since we have chickens we are able to gather the scraps in a bowl and feed them to the girls right away! Another option is adding the scraps to your compost bin. I admit I am not the expert (yet) on composting but I can say that I have plans for making our own bin… There is always a way to use up food scraps IMO. Pinterest helps me solve most all of my problems, so if neither of these options work for you check there 😂.
You Will Need:
8 to 10 apples (we love gala, but enjoy many seasonal varieties!)
3 to 4 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup water for chunkier sauce or 1/2 cup water for thinner sauce
An Instant Pot or Crockpot
Peeler handheld (or an apple peeler!)
How to Cook:
Simply peel, core and cube the apples and add to Instant Pot or crockpot. Add water and cinnamon sticks then turn on slow cooker setting (if using instant pot) and cook on low for 4 hours. After the apples are done cooking take a potato masher and mash all apples until desired consistency. Alternatively, you can transfer the apples to a blender (or simply use an immersion blender) to make an ultra smooth sauce.
We prefer chunky so we just use a masher! Plus the kids love to help for this part 😍.
Prep
For easy meal planning, chop apples on your meal prep day and refrigerate for a day (two days max) then add to pot in the morning to have a warm snack by the afternoon.
Storage
Store in a large mason jar or glass container in fridge for up to 4 days for yummy and healthy snacking all week long. To add a day or two to freshness feel free to add a squeeze of lemon juice to preserve freshness beyond 4 days (approx total of 6 days).
Optional
Optional add ins include honey or maple syrup. We don’t normally add any because the apples are already sweet enough on their own but if we do we prefer maple syrup!
And that’s it’s..! Simple, comforting, and delicious. If you make our easy applesauce recipe be sure to tell me in the comments! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @thrillofhome so I can share.
If you loved this simple family recipe, you might also enjoy our Vegan Ice Cream In a Bag Recipe and our Loaded Lunchbox Cookies for healthy and fun snacking anytime 💕.
Until the next snack time friends, bye for now and Happy Earth Day!!!
X o X o ,
