Microwave Applesauce

The whole family love’s “GG’s applesauce.”

By
Alison Spiegel
Alison Spiegel
Alison Spiegel
Alison Spiegel is a writer, editor, and content strategist with over a decade of editorial experience leading teams at legacy publications and startups, including The Huffington Post, Tasting Table, Food & Wine, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, and Tricycle: The Buddhist Review.
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Updated February 11, 2025
Alison Spiegel
Microwave Applesauce in a bowl with a spoon

Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

It’s not fall until my mother shows up with a quart or two of her homemade sweet applesauce. We affectionately call it GG’s applesauce (GG is what my kids call their grandma). 

As a lover of fall, I welcome this annual tradition as a symbol of the season and a reminder of the autumns that came before. That’s because my mom’s been making this applesauce since I was a kid—ever since she picked up the recipe at a local grocery store.

When my kids first started eating solids, this was an early food for them. They still look forward to it as an afterschool snack or dessert. It’s on the sweet side, so we typically eat it as a side to very savory dishes like pork chops, potato pancakes, or roast chicken; or we savor it as a sweet treat. 

small bowls with Microwave Applesauce in them, spoon and napkin on the side

Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

Make Applesauce In the Microwave 

Making use of the microwave to cook the apples, this recipe requires no fancy equipment and hardly any time. All the work comes in the prep: peeling, coring, and slicing the apples. The rest is just a little waiting for the apples to cook, quickly and efficiently in the microwave, and some therapeutic mashing when they come out. 

For home cooks who like to multitask and might have something else going on the stove, and for those who like to limit cleanup, this microwave applesauce is a gift. 

Tips for Making This Easy Applesauce

  • Peel most if not all of the skin, because it won’t mash up with the potato masher. But don’t worry if you don’t get every single piece of skin. It’s easy to fish out larger pieces of skin after you’ve made the applesauce, and a few pieces of tart skin can also add some nice texture if you choose to leave it in.
  • If you’re doubling the recipe and have more apples to peel, let peeled and sliced apples sit in the lemon water as you do the rest. This helps avoid browning. 
  • Use a wide, shallow microwave-safe dish so that all the apples can submerge as much as possible under the liquid and poach evenly.
close up of small bowls of Microwave Applesauce

Simply Recipes / Jazzmin Kaita

Microwave Magic

Microwave Applesauce

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Servings 6 to 8 servings
Yield 1 1/2 to 2 quarts

This is a sweet apple sauce, so it’s a great one for a mix of tart apples, such as Granny Smiths or McIntosh, and sweet apples, such as Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, or Jonagolds. Use exclusively tart apples if you’re looking for a tangier taste. If you use only sweet apples, you may want to decrease the amount of sugar by 1 or 2 tablespoons.

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Ingredients

  • 4 apples (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, and quartered

  • 1 cup water

  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method

  1. Prepare the apples:

    Peel the apples, then slice in half. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the apple core. Then cut the apple halves in half (making quarters). Place them in a wide, microwave-safe dish.

  2. Assemble the applesauce:

    Combine the 1 cup water and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar and ground cinnamon. Pour the mixture over apples. Using clean hands or a large spoon, stir the apples to coat in liquid.

  3. Microwave:

    Microwave the apples on high for 10 minutes, stopping halfway through to stir. To test if the apples are done, pierce with a fork or cake tester. If you feel any resistance or hear the tester pushing through the apple, microwave in 1-minute increments until you don’t feel or hear any resistance. If you have a lower-wattage microwave, you may need to cook the apples for a few more minutes.

  4. Mash the apples:

    Using a potato masher, mash the apples until they break apart and mix fully with the liquid. This may take a few minutes. The mixture will appear watery at first, but the mashing will cause the water to absorb into the applesauce. This is a chunky applesauce, so the final mixture won’t be totally smooth.

    Let cool slightly before enjoying warm or cool. To store, cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to a year.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
99 Calories
0g Fat
26g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 99
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 2mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 22g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 9mg 46%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 112mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.