Ina Garten Homemade Applesauce

Ina Garten homemade applesauce is a chunky, cinnamon-spiced side dish made with two kinds of apples, orange and lemon juice and brown sugar, ready in 1 hour 45 minutes. It's an easy fall side dish for Thanksgiving, Sunday dinner or pancake brunch, and it's a simple oven-baked recipe.

Cover the Dutch oven tightly and let the apples bake the full 1 1/2 hours, because that slow steam turns them completely soft. Pull it early and you'll whisk up a lumpy sauce with hard bits of apple.

Ina Garten got this recipe from her friend Brent Newsom, a caterer in Bridgehampton, and she makes it whenever there's a chill in the air. She mixes several apple varieties for more depth of flavor and bakes everything with orange and lemon juice instead of simmering it on the stove.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)

Ina Garten Homemade Applesauce

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Calories

130

kcal

Tart and sweet apples bake slowly in citrus juice, butter and warm spices until they collapse into a chunky, golden sauce. A quick whisk at the end smooths it out while keeping those soft bits of apple and strips of zest.

Ingredients

• Zest and juice of 2 large navel oranges
  

• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  

• 3 pounds Granny Smith apples (6 to 8 apples)
  

• 3 pounds sweet red apples, such as Macoun, McIntosh, or Winesap (6 to 8 apples)
  

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
  

• 1/4 pound unsalted butter
  

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  

Directions

• Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. That way it's fully hot by the time the apples are ready to go in.
• Prep the citrus: Zest the 2 large navel oranges and the lemon, then squeeze all the juice into a large bowl. A hand zester is fast and leaves nice strips of zest in the finished sauce.
• Cut the apples: Peel, quarter and core 3 pounds of Granny Smith apples and 3 pounds of sweet red apples such as Macoun, McIntosh or Winesap. Toss them in the citrus juice as you go, so they don't turn brown.
• Add the flavorings: Pour the apples and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. Add 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 pound unsalted butter, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.
• Bake until soft: Cover the pot and bake for 1 1/2 hours. It's done when all the apples are soft enough to fall apart.
• Whisk and serve: Mix the apples with a whisk until smooth. Serve the applesauce warm or at room temperature.

Tools for this recipe

• Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, Microplane zester grater, OXO 11-inch balloon whisk. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use other apple varieties?

Yes, and Ina Garten encourages it, since the more varieties you use, the more depth of flavor you get. Keep a mix of tart apples like Granny Smith with sweeter ones so the sauce stays balanced.

How do I get a rosy color in the applesauce?

Ina Garten adds the peels of 2 red apples to the pot while it bakes, and they tint the sauce a soft pink. Fish the peels out after the apples are cooked, before you whisk.

How long does homemade applesauce keep?

Ina Garten says this recipe lasts for weeks, which is handy because it makes about 2 1/2 quarts. Keep it in a covered container in the fridge.

What can I serve it with?

It's good with breakfast on pancakes, with lunch as a light dessert, or with dinner next to roast chicken or turkey. Serve it warm or at room temperature, whichever suits the meal.

What's the best cinnamon to use?

Ina Garten says Chinese cinnamon has the best flavor, so use it if you can find it. Regular ground cinnamon still works, but the sauce will taste a little less rich.