Cranberry Applesauce

Name: Cranberry Applesauce
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 cups
Ingredients: 8 medium apples; peeled; cored and chopped 1 cup water 1 ½ cups cranberries (fresh or frozen) ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt ⅓ cup packed brown sugar 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

A kid-approved, bright and flavorful take on traditional applesauce.

Cooking for a Crowd

Use these recipe sheets to prepare for larger groups:

Bowl of smooth apple and cranberry puree.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes: 6 cups
Nutrition Facts: View label

Ingredients

8 medium apples, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup water

1 ½ cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

Directions

Wash hands with soap and water.
Rinse or scrub fresh fruits under running water before preparing.
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool slightly. Mash to a thickness you like with a potato masher or fork.. Serve warm or cold.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

When frozen or fresh cranberries are not available, substitute canned cranberry sauce for the cranberries and brown sugar. Add 1 can (14 ounces) of cranberry sauce to the saucepan after the mixture has been simmering for about 15 minutes.
For a smooth texture, puree in batches in a regular blender, using the manufacturer's directions for pureeing hot liquids.

Featured in a Food Hero Monthly

Comments

Submitted by tierrabonita on Mon, 11/23/2020 - 12:14

Amazing recipe! My whole family loved it! I halved the recipe to not use up all our apples, but i should not have! The girls raved and raved about it every bite and went for seconds. ALSO, i did blend it to be extra smooth, especially for my picker eater as i knew that would up the chance she would eat it, and interestingly both girls kept mentioning it tased like clouds and that was one reason they loved it so much. They told me to make it again and again. We did happen to have a lemon, but next time i will for sure try without because to me i tasted a tad tart, but no one else had that taste.... THANKS for a GREAT kid approved recipe!

Submitted by AliLind on Wed, 04/01/2020 - 14:31

I love this recipe! It is bright and fun, so it really appeals to kids. It is a little tart and a little sweet, which makes it very tasty.

Submitted by ashleymolasses on Mon, 12/18/2017 - 14:27

I made this recipe at home with frozen cranberries, added a few more apples and a couple pears. I did not add the brown sugar and the applesauce was still plenty sweet and delicious!

Submitted by aharris on Thu, 11/30/2017 - 14:59

I made this recipe for a lunchroom tasting this week and the kids LOVED it! They all wanted seconds! Because I was making it for such a large quantity (350 students) I opted to use unsweetened applesauce and canned cranberry sauce. Based on the suggestion in the notes, I ommitted the sugar. The color was still beautiful and it tasted great warm or cold. I would definitely make this again!