There’s nothing quite like homemade cinnamon applesauce. The store bought stuff just can’t compare! You can find my Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce here! It’s extremely easy to make and absolutely delicious. In fact, you may struggle to keep the family out of it so you can store it away!
I enjoy making a large batch of applesauce, keeping some out for eating fresh, and also canning some to partake in at a later date.
Canning jars of food sounds intimidating, but believe me when I say that processing applesauce is not difficult. You don’t even need any special equipment like a pressure canner! Learn even more about How to Can With a Water Bath Canner here! I also discuss Pressure Canning vs. Water Bath Canning here.
Learn all you need to know about canning homemade applesauce in a water bath! The process is simple because no special equipment is required. I’ve listed out the needed supplies and step-by-step instructions just below. You can also find a bit more info about canning at the very end of this post.
How to Can Homemade Applesauce
What You’ll Need:
- Applesauce
- Jars (I like to use pint size jars, but any size will do)
- Lids and rings
- Large stock pot with a lid
- Canning rack
- Canning tongs
- Canning funnel (optional)
Keep in Mind: this recipe is only for canning applesauce and should not be used for anything else. There are certain foods that should not be canned in a water bath and each food should be processed for different amounts of time. I encourage you to follow proper and safe recipes for the certain food you’d like to process.
Instructions:
1. First things first, you have to have Applesauce ready to can, so head over here to try my homemade cinnamon applesauce recipe!
2. Next, make sure all of your jars and lids are sterilized. I just bring them to a boil for a few minutes in my stock pot.
3. Pour the applesauce into the jars. This is where the canning funnel can come in handy. I personally prefer wide mouth jars because it makes this step so much cleaner and easier! I just spoon the sauce into my jars without a canning funnel. If using narrow mouth jars, I recommend having a funnel.
4. Leave 1/2 inch headspace from the lid. Make sure to wipe away any food residue from the mouth of the jar before putting the lids on.
5. Add the lids onto the jars.
Keep in mind: do not completely tighten the lids. Screw them on once or twice so that they loosely fit the jar. I have a trick for knowing they are tight enough. Read about it below!
6. Place the jars on the rack inside of the stock pot. Completely submerge the jars in water and bring to a boil.
7. Allow the water to boil according to your elevation level and jar size. For example, my elevation in Missouri is over 6,000″ and I am using pint sized jars. This means I need to allow my jars to boil for 25 minutes. Find your elevation and then use this source to figure out how long to process your jars.
Keep in mind: You will want to have a rack in the stock pot for the jars to stand on so that they are not directly on the hot surface. Direct contact with the bottom of the pot can cause the jars to break.
8. Use canning tongs to remove jars from the water bath and place on a towel or hot pad. Allow to cool and wait to hear the lids ‘pop’. This means the jars have sealed properly.
How to Store Canned Goods
Before storing, make sure all the jars have properly sealed. You can do this by pressing the middle of the lid with a finger. If the lid springs up when you release pressure, the lid is not sealed.
Store all sealed jars in a dark place. Canned applesauce lasts for one year in proper storage.
Enjoy!
If you make this recipe and love how it turned out, feel free to tag me on Instagram @hilltopfarmhouseblog . I’d love to see your creation!