There’s nothing like autumn to make you want to capture the season’s brilliant flavors in a tasty, handy treat. Dehydrated applesauce helps you enjoy the beautiful flavor of fall apples you pick fresh for months. Whether you want an easy snack, a tasty baking mix, or a nutritious boost for morning oatmeal, once you know how to dehydrate applesauce in a food dehydrator, you’ll find uses for this treat for almost anything. Best of all, it’s easy to do with a handful of simple ingredients.
“Dehydrating applesauce amplifies the flavor and lengthens the shelf life, making it a must-have for any pantry that wants to enjoy fall flavors all year long.”
In this complete guide to making dehydrated applesauce, we’ll show you how to easily make homemade applesauce into dried apple sauce with step-by-step instructions and what each step offers along the way. You’ll be well on your way to turning this simple fruit into a tasty treat you can store for months to add its natural apple sweetness to any recipe or snack.
How to Prepare: Fresh Fruit and Homemade Applesauce
To start making dehydrated applesauce, you want to pick only the freshest apples available. Like with any variety, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Fuji are great options because they hold their own on the flavor profile. If you want to take the easy route, you can opt for unsweetened applesauce in a jar instead. Whatever you decide, be sure to steer clear of any added sodium or sugars and keep the flavor as natural and pure as possible.
Although apples are the true heroes in this recipe, adding just a few other ingredients can really make this mixture shine. A splash of lemon juice not only boosts the flavor but it aids in preserving that beautiful fall flavor of the apples as well. If you’re feeling particularly sweet, you can add just a drizzle of honey or maple syrup to sweeten the final product naturally, but this step is completely optional. A dash of cinnamon will bring to mind those warm, aromatic spices of fall and make your dried apple sauce even more inviting.
If using whole apples, the first step is to peel, core, and chop into quarters for faster cooking time. Smaller pieces mean faster cooking.
How to Dehydrate Applesauce in a Food Dehydrator: Step-by-Step
To start you’ll need a batch of unsweetened applesauce. Either make homemade applesauce from fresh fruit or opt for pre-pureed applesauce. To do it yourself:
Peel, core, and quarter your apples.
Add to a large pot with a splash of water (about 1 cup of water per 4 cups of apples).
Cover and simmer until apples are tender.
Mash with a potato masher or blend with a food processor for smooth applesauce.
Taste your applesauce and if desired, squeeze in a squirt of lemon juice for zing, sugar and cinnamon for sweetness and heat.
Once you have your applesauce made, it’s time to proceed with the dehydrating process:
Line dehydrator trays with parchment paper to prevent applesauce from sticking.
Pour puree onto lined trays. For best results, applesauce should be spread to about ¼ inch thick.
Turn on your dehydrated applesauce dehydrator to about 110°F and dehydrate slowly and evenly.
Dehydrate for about 18 hours or until applesauce is no longer sticky with zero wet spots remaining.
After dehydrating, let your applesauce cool to about room temperature. Now you have the option to break this into strips to make fruit leather or dehydrated apple granules for more uses like morning oatmeal, baking or longer storage.
For extra flavor, you can sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the applesauce before drying to give your snacks that lovely fall flavor. To ensure your dehydrated applesauce stays as fresh as possible, store in an airtight container and keep stored in a cool, dark place.
How to Make Applesauce into Dehydrated Apple Granules
To turn your beautiful homemade applesauce into dehydrated apple granules you’ll need to take a few simple steps. First, pour your applesauce onto the lined trays of your food dehydrator. Make sure to spread it evenly and not too thick. Good quality parchment paper will line your trays to prevent sticking and aid in removal.
Turn on your dehydrator to the lowest temperature setting which is usually about 135°F. Dehydrate your applesauce for about 18 hours or until it feels no longer moist to the touch. The actual moisture level of the applesauce and the dehydrator you use will affect the amount of time it takes to properly dry.
Once your applesauce is fully dried and no longer tacky to the touch, you’ll want to let it cool until it is completely cool to room temperature. This is important before breaking up the dried applesauce while still warm because it will break into less evenly sized granules and tough patches.
Next, you’ll want to take your dried applesauce and break it up into hand-sized pieces. If you desire smaller sizes, you can use a food processor and pulse your dried applesauce pieces into small granules. This method offers more control over the final size of your dehydrated apple granules than simply crushing by hand.
One of the best parts about these apple granules is its versatility. It still holds that lovely fall flavor and can be easily sprinkled on morning oatmeal, added to yogurt or any recipe that needs a quick boost of apple flavor. For cooking uses, you can easily rehydrate by adding to a dish with some added liquid or water. It also acts as a flow agent for sugar and cinnamon mixtures which can then add flavor to baking recipes or coat meats during the cooking process.
Whatever you decide to do with your dehydrated apple granules, you’ll want to store them in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dark place to preserve the flavor and texture for a long time. That way you’ll always have a little bit of autumn you can sprinkle into your next recipe!
Reasons to Try Storing Your Dehydrated Apple Sauce in an Airtight Container and Dark Place
Dehydrated applesauce makes a great long term storage option for many reasons. First, the moisture is removed from the applesauce which naturally lengthens the shelf life for months and even years of enjoyment. Properly stored, dehydrated applesauce can hold its delightful fall flavor and nutritional value for a long time. Keep in an airtight container and store in a cool, dark place and you’ll be enjoying this tasty treat any time you want rainy day foods.
The other side of the coin is that dehydrated applesauce is significantly more compact than fresh applesauce. It’s essentially lightweight and easy to store in any kitchen that’s short on space. Whether you’re a lover of all things prepared, enjoy the outdoors, or want to capture the flavors of the season for months, dehydrated applesauce does it all.
Dehydrated apple granules in particular lend themselves to many recipe uses. Need to add some of that fresh apple flavor to morning oatmeal or perhaps a dessert? Simply add water to rehydrate the granules back to your desired consistency. They are great for baking as it adds apple flavor without adding more liquid to the recipe. You can even use them in savory dishes like as a spice rub to coat meats before roasting.
The actual dehydration process is easy and can be done with just two ingredients—unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon. Simply spread applesauce on parchment paper and dehydrate at the lowest temperature possible (usually about 110F).
Once the applesauce is fully dried and no longer tacky to the touch, you’ll want to let it cool until it is completely cool to room temperature. This is important before breaking up the dried applesauce while still warm because it will break into less evenly sized granules and tough patches.
Conclusion To Dehydrating Applesauce
As you can see dehydrated applesauce is a wonderful way to capture that great flavor of fresh fall apples and reduce them down to a great ingredient for your cabinet. From adding dehydrated apple granules to your morning oatmeal to using them as a meat coating mix, the options are limitless. While it may be a little time consuming and labor, the end result is worth all of the hard work. To store your dried applesauce longer you can place them in an air tight container and store them in a cool, dark place. Using a food dehydrator to make your own dried applesauce allows you to enjoy the flavor and versatility year round. So many stores carry snacks and sauces with added preservatives and ingredients, but with just a little bit of time, you can have endless amounts of natural, homemade goodness! So go pick up those apples and load up your food dehydrator. Enjoy!
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