Strawberry Applesauce (Easy Homemade Flavored Applesauce Recipe)

Over the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to make homemade applesauce—and I can’t believe I didn’t try flavored applesauce sooner!

My family loves applesauce, but let’s be honest… it can get a little boring after a while. That’s exactly why I decided to try making strawberry applesauce, and now it’s one of our favorites.

Tap to jump right to recipe.

If you’ve never made applesauce before, don’t worry—it’s one of the easiest things you can make at home.

If you’re new to preserving, be sure to read my guide to water bath canning for beginners.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Super easy—no exact measurements required
• A great way to use up fresh apples
• Naturally sweet with added fruit flavor
• Perfect for canning, freezing, or snacking
• Kid-approved (this one disappears fast!)

Choosing Apples for Applesauce

If you’re planning to make a large batch of applesauce, try to find the most inexpensive apples you can—especially if you’re canning.

Twenty pounds of apples only makes about 3 quarts (or 6 pints) of applesauce, so it goes faster than you think!

If you have access to an apple tree—or even wild apple trees—this is a perfect way to use up fruit that might otherwise go to waste.

How to Make Applesauce

Making applesauce is incredibly simple, and one of the best parts is that you don’t have to measure anything exactly.

Step 1: Prepare the Apples

• Peel and core the apples (optional if using a food mill)
• Chop into chunks

I like using an apple peeler to speed things up—it makes a huge difference if you’re working with a lot of apples.

Step 2: Cook the Apples

Add apples to a large pot with about 1 cup of water.

Cook over low heat until the apples are very soft.

Step 3: Blend Until Smooth

You have a few options here:

• Food mill → removes skins and creates smooth texture
• Immersion blender → blend directly in the pot
• Regular blender → works too, just in batches

See the supplies you need here before getting started.

How to Make Strawberry Applesauce

To make flavored applesauce, simply cook your fruit along with the apples.

For this batch, I added:

About 6 cups of sliced strawberries

Let everything cook together, then blend as usual.

The strawberries add a natural sweetness and a beautiful pink color—plus amazing flavor.

Other Flavored Applesauce Ideas

Once you try this, you’ll want to experiment more! Try adding:

• Cranberries
• Peaches
• Blueberries
• Mango (one of my kids’ favorites!)

You can even mix flavors for something unique.

Adjusting Sweetness

After blending, taste your applesauce.

• Add sugar if needed (depends on how tart your apples are)
• Stir in cinnamon if you like a warm flavor

Some batches need more sugar than others—it really depends on the fruit.

How to Store Applesauce

Refrigerator

Store in the fridge and use within about a week.

Freezer

Applesauce freezes really well!

• Use freezer bags or vacuum seal (Food Saver works great)
• Lay flat for easy storage

Canning Instructions

To can your strawberry applesauce:

1. Pour hot applesauce into sterilized jars
2. Leave 1/2 inch headspace
3. Wipe rims and apply lids and rings
4. Process in a boiling water canner:
   • 15 minutes for pints
   • 20 minutes for quarts

Not sure about headspace? See my guide on how much headspace to leave when canning.

Let jars cool on a towel and check seals before storing. Learn how to test canning jar seals here.

If you’re new to canning, start with my water bath canning guide for beginners.

A Great Homemade Gift

If you end up making a big batch (I picked over 100 pounds of apples one year!), this is a great way to preserve them.

Pint jars of flavored applesauce also make wonderful holiday gifts.

If you’re tired of plain applesauce, this strawberry version is such a fun upgrade—and once you try it, you’ll probably start experimenting with all kinds of flavors too.

More Strawberry Recipes

If you’re preserving strawberries, try:

• Traditional strawberry jam
• Strawberry lemonade jam
• Strawberry mango jam
• Strawberry jelly

 

You can find more tutorials and recipes on my canning and preserving page.

If you’re looking for more ways to use fresh strawberries, check out my strawberry preserving recipes.

Follow my canning and preserving or favorite recipes boards on Pinterest.