This diabetes-friendly 4-ingredient cinnamon applesauce without sugar is so simple to make right in your slow cooker! It’s easy, delicious, and so much healthier than store-bought applesauce.
Why you will love this cinnamon applesauce
Most applesauce you find at the store is packed with high fructose corn syrup, artificial colorings, or artificial sweeteners.
Instead, you can make this diabetes-friendly cinnamon applesauce right at home! Thanks to the slow cooker, it’s incredibly easy.
Plus, you only need four ingredients (and one of those is water!) No fillers, corn syrup, or added sugar, just wonderful and delicious applesauce!
Cinnamon applesauce ingredients
All of the flavor comes from the apples and cinnamon, so it’s important to use high-quality ingredients – preferably organic apples and a cinnamon stick that has been stored in a dry place away from moisture.
- Apples – I like to use a combination of Gala and Red Delicious apples, but feel free to experiment with different varieties to see what you like best!
- Cinnamon stick – Cinnamon comes in two main types – Ceylon and Cassia. Ceylon cinnamon has a gentle flavor with notes of citrus blossom, while the “standard” Cassia cinnamon has a slightly peppery taste. Both are great for this recipe, but I prefer Cassia for a more powerful spicy flavor.
- Lemon juice – Fresh juice from any type of lemon will do.
- Water
How to make cinnamon applesauce
You are only 4 ingredients and 4 easy steps away from delicious homemade applesauce:
- Add the apples, lemon juice, and water to the slow cooker. Place the cinnamon stick in the middle of the apples.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours until the apples are falling apart.
- Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Mash the applesauce with a potato masher in the pot. For a smoother texture, purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
You can serve your applesauce warm, or place it in a jar with a screw-top lid for easy storage.
Ways to use applesauce
There are so many great ways to enjoy applesauce. Personally, I enjoy it right out of a bowl topped with a few sliced almonds!
For a tasty snack, try mixing it with plain yogurt. Or serve your applesauce warm and top it with low-carb granola or walnuts for dessert.
It’s also an amazing topping for apple-spiced overnight oats.
Finally, applesauce is great for baking! You can use it to replace the mashed banana in my oatmeal muffins with pumpkin seeds and nuts.
Storage
This recipe makes about 4 cups of applesauce, so you should have plenty to store for future use!
I recommend placing the applesauce in a jar with a screw-top lid for easy serving. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Other delicious apple recipes
I just love cooking with apples, especially in the fall! You can add them to so many tasty dishes for wonderful texture and flavor. Here are a few of my favorite apple recipes I know you’ll love:
You can also take a look at my roundup of diabetes-friendly dessert recipes for more inspiration!
Cinnamon Applesauce (Without Sugar)
Ingredients
- 7 large apples, (peeled, cored, and quartered)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Add the apples, lemon juice, and water to the slow cooker. Place the cinnamon stick in the middle of the apples.7 large apples, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon water, 1 cinnamon stick
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or on LOW for 6 hours until the apples are falling apart.
- Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Mash the applesauce with a potato masher in the pot. For a smoother texture, purée in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
