Martha Stewart Martha’s Pink Applesauce

Martha Stewart Martha’s Pink Applesauce, easy and one pot, gets its blush from red-skinned Empire apples cooked alongside McIntosh, skins and all, then strained. Three ingredients, an hour, and you have a cozy fall batch for pork chops, pancakes, or holiday canning.

A splash of lemon juice keeps the flavor bright, so it works as a side dish for roasted pork or spooned warm over oatmeal. Keep the skins on while cooking, because that is where every bit of the pink color lives.

Martha Stewart Martha's Pink Applesauce

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

13

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Calories

105

kcal

Silky smooth, naturally sweet, and tinted a beautiful rose from the apple skins, with a clean lemon finish in every spoonful.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds McIntosh apples, quartered and cored
  

• 2 pounds red apples, such as Empire or Cortland, quartered and cored
  

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  

Directions

• Cook the apples: Combine apples, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups water in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are completely soft, about 40 minutes.
• Strain the sauce: Pass apples through a medium-mesh sieve or a food mill fitted with the fine disk to remove skins. Applesauce can be stored in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Tools for this recipe

• OXO stainless steel food mill, Kirecoo 12-quart stainless steel stock pot, Zulay metal lemon squeezer. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

What apples work best for pink applesauce?

Red-skinned varieties like Empire, Cortland, or Rome give the most color, and Martha pairs them with McIntosh because McIntosh break down fast and bring that classic applesauce flavor. Use a 2:1 ratio by weight, about 4 pounds McIntosh to 2 pounds red apples, for the best balance of color and taste.

Can I freeze homemade pink applesauce?

Yes, it freezes well for up to 3 months in airtight freezer-safe containers. Leave about half an inch of space at the top, since applesauce expands as it freezes. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before serving.

Do I need to peel the apples before cooking?

No, and you should not peel them. The entire pink color comes from the red skins cooking into the sauce, so peeling would give you plain white applesauce instead. Quarter and core the apples but leave every bit of skin on, since the sieve or food mill removes the skins after cooking.

How long does homemade applesauce last in the fridge?

Stored in an airtight container, this applesauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If you want to keep it longer without freezing, you can process it in sterilized mason jars using a boiling water bath for about 15 minutes, which gives you a shelf life of around 12 months.

Can I make this applesauce sweeter?

Martha includes a sweet variation: add 1/4 cup sugar to the apple mixture before cooking in step 1. Taste the sauce after straining first, because the McIntosh and Empire apples bring plenty of natural sweetness on their own.