Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce (No Added Sugar)

I love applesauce. I know that makes me sound like I’m three years old, but I will freely admit it with no shame whatsoever.
However, I am also very picky about my applesauce — this also makes me sound like I’m three years old. I do not like overly sweet applesauce, and I abhor those applesauce flavors you can buy at the store, like tropical or mixed berry.
The only fruit sauce combination I accept is apple+apple+apple.
And needless to say, it I prefer homemade applesauce to store-bought.
Straight-up apples that have been cooked down into a thick pulp, with lemon juice and a bit of cinnamon. So simple, so incredibly delicious.

This is not only the best applesauce I've ever made - it is also the best applesauce I've ever eaten.
Aside from the apple themselves, the most important “ingredient” in making slow cooker applesauce is time.
Over the course of 4 hours, the apples cook down to a delicious oblivion.

The awesome thing about applesauce is that all you really need is a few pounds of apples, some water, and a bit of lemon juice. The only real work is peeling and cutting the apples. But it’s totally worth it. It's helpful to give it a stir once or twice during cooking, but for the most part, you can set it and forget it.
There are a lot of recipes that call for sugar, but I don’t think it’s needed.
The apples are naturally sweet, so they take care of your sugar tooth. Of course, you can also taste the sauce once it’s cooked and stir in a little sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you’d like it to be sweeter.

Once it’s cooked, scoop the applesauce into a few containers and stash them in the fridge for the next week to come. Whether you’re eating the sauce on its own or spooning it over ice cream, you’ve got yourself a homemade treat that makes the end of summer a little more bearable. Just a little.

Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce (No Added Sugar)                                                             Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Makes about 8 cups

A couple of notes. How you cut the apples has an impact on how they cook down into applesauce. Apples cut into larger chunks will take longer to cook, or not break down as much, whereas smaller pieces of apple will cook down much faster. I recommend 1-inch pieces.
This recipe makes for a lot of applesauce, but you can easily half it.

12 large apples, cored, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup of water
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, stirring twice during cooking.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and with an immersion blender puree the applesauce until it reaches the consistency you like. If you like a chunky applesauce, skip this step altogether.
Let the applesauce cool completely, then divide between several containers. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to a week, or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition facts

1 cup yields 121 calories, 0 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbs, and 0 grams of protein.