Healthy Homemade Applesauce for Kids
My kids love store-bought apple puree! This healthy homemade applesauce for kids is a great alternative. It can be eaten on its own or as a side dish for a delicious Christmas dinner. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Sharp knife
- 1 Stove pot
- 1 Grater
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 6 Red apples
- 1/2 Lemon (juice and grind)
- 1.5 cups Filtered water
- 1/2 cup Sugar (coconut, brown, white or stevia)
Instructions
Peel and chop apples up into small square pieces and set aside
Squeeze juice out of lemon and use a grater to grate the lemon
Set pot over stove and add water to simmer on medium heat
Add apples, lemon and sugar and simmer for 20 minutes to make apples soft
Once apples have softened and the liquid has thickened, take pot off stove and leave to cool
You can either remove the liquid or keep it in there before blending. I like to pour out about half the liquid and leave the rest in there so that it is not too thick
Once cooled, pop apples and liquid in blender and blend until smooth
Serve on its own as a snack, on a snack plate or as a Christmas dinner side.
Notes
This is a really simple recipe. I don't know the difference between applesauce and apple puree, but I have a feeling it is associated with how it is used, rather than what it contains.
I like using applesauce over simple apple puree because it contains lemon, making it extra sour and adding some more nutritional benefits like an extra dose of vitamin C. I also like that it offers a more sour taste that babies are not often exposed to early on.
When it comes to preparing the apples, I like to peel the skin first. However, there is definitely more nutrient value in the skin, so you can choose to leave the skin on. It is one less step and it does not affect the taste all that much anyway.
You can choose to add as much or as little lemon grind and juice as you please. I find that if I use 6-7 apples, adding half a lemon of juice and grind should be enough.
When it comes to simmering the apples, 20 minutes would be the least amount of time I would simmer for. If you leave it any longer though, you may need to add a little more water every 5 minutes, so that the water does not dry up.
When you go to blend the apples, depending on the consistency you/your baby likes, you can empty out all of the liquid to make it a thick consistency (probably resembling more like store-bought applesauce) or choose to leave some of the liquid in (making it more runny). I like to leave half of it in and remove the rest, making it runny, but not too runny.
For storage, if you are making it for your baby, I suggest separating it out into an ice cube tray and freezing it. If you are using it as a side dish, place it in an air-tight glass container and leave it in the fridge or freezer, depending on how soon you intend to serve it.