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Pomegranate applesauce is applesauce with a little extra sparkle. The apples cook down into that familiar smooth, cozy sauce, but the pomegranate juice adds a deep ruby color and a sweet-tart fruitiness that makes it feel like more than just another jar of plain applesauce.
This recipe has been reviewed for safety and accuracy by a Master Food Preserver certified through the University of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Pomegranates are all juice and no pectin, so they don’t make a sauce on their own. Adding pomegranate juice to applesauce gives you the best of both worlds, and you get the body of a smooth, creamy applesauce but the intense sweet tart flavor of pomegranates.
This is still a hot-packed fruit purée, so you can can it using the same boiling-water canner method you’d use for canning applesauce. The main difference here is you’re using juice to infuse incredible flavor to an old time classic tested canning recipe.
Why you’ll love this creative applesauce recipe!
I came across a master food preserver recipe for cranberry applesauce using just apples and juice, and it’s easy enough to adapt to a more flavorful juice like pomegranate.
When I’m working with cranberries, I usually have the whole fruit, but pomegranates are fruits that are easier to work with in juice form.
Since it can be tricky to find pomegranate canning recipes besides simple jellies, I’m happy this recipe will bring those same rich flavors to my pantry without all the extra sugar of old fashioned preserves.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Recipe Name: Pomegranate Applesauce
- Recipe Type: Mixed Fruit Applesauce
- Canning Method: Waterbath Canning or Steam Canning
- Prep/Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Canning Time: 15 Minutes for Pints, 20 Minutes for Quarts
- Yield: 2 pints
- Jar Sizes: Quarter Pint, Half Pint, Pint or Quart
- Headspace: 1/2 inch
- Ingredients Overview: Apples, pomegranate juice and optional sugar.
- Safe Canning Recipe Source: University of Georgia Extension
- Difficulty: Easy. Just cook the fruit, puree (or not) and that’s it!
- Similar Recipes: The process is very similar to making other simple fruit sauce and puree recipes, like crabapple sauce, pear sauce and peach nectar.
Ingredients for Pomegranate Applesauce
All you need here is apples and pomegranate juice. The apples provide body and thickness, and the juice brings the flavor and color.
- Apples: The base of the sauce. Choose apples that cook down easily for the smoothest texture.
- Pomegranate juice: Adds a sweet-tart flavor and that gorgeous rosy-red color. Since it’s already naturally sweet, there’s no sugar needed in most batches.
Use 100% pomegranate juice (not a “juice cocktail”), and avoid juices with preservatives or additives when you can. Simple ingredients make for the most predictable canning results.
How to Make Pomegranate Applesauce
Start by washing, peeling, and coring your apples (or leave peels on if you’ll run the finished sauce through a food mill). Slice the apples into a large pot, then add the pomegranate juice.
Bring the pot to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the apples are completely soft and collapsing, stirring often so the bottom doesn’t scorch. Once everything is tender, purée to your preferred smoothness. A food mill gives the smoothest sauce, but an immersion blender works well too.
For canning, make sure the finished sauce is a true purée without large chunks, so heat penetrates evenly in the jars.
Bring the purée back to a full boil before filling jars.
Canning Instructions
Prepare a boiling-water canner and preheat the water to a simmer. Ladle the hot pomegranate applesauce into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, and apply lids and rings to fingertip tight.
Lower jars into the canner, return the water to a full rolling boil, and start timing once the boil is steady.
Process 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude (see below).
When time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid, and let jars rest 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals, label, and store.
Altitude Adjustments
The altitude adjustments for water bath canning Pomegranate Applesauce are as follows:
- For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- For 1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
- For 3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
- For Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – 25 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
Yield Notes
This recipe is written for a 2-pint batch, but if you’d like to scale it, here are the quantities for a single pint:
- Apples: 6 cups sliced apples (about 1 1/2 pounds prepared)
- Pomegranate juice:1 cup
Apple Canning Recipes
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Pomegranate Applesauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced, see notes
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
Instructions
- Prep apples. Wash apples, then peel and core them (or leave peels on if you’ll run the finished sauce through a food mill). Slice and measure 12 cups sliced apples (about 3 lb prepared).
- Cook the fruit. Add apples and 2 cups pomegranate juice to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the apples are completely soft and collapsing, about 15–25 minutes. If the pot starts to stick, lower the heat and stir more frequently.
- Purée smooth. Purée the hot mixture to your preferred texture. A food mill gives the smoothest applesauce (and removes peels neatly), but an immersion blender works too. For canning, make sure it’s a true purée with no large chunks so heat penetrates evenly.
- Reheat before filling jars. Return the purée to the pot and bring it back to a full boil, stirring so it doesn’t scorch. Keep it hot while you fill jars.
- Fill jars. Ladle the boiling-hot sauce into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, and apply lids and rings to fingertip tight.
- Process. Process in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes for pints or 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
- Cool and check seals. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool undisturbed 12–24 hours. Check seals, label, and store.
Notes
- Apples: 6 cups sliced apples (about 1 1/2 pounds prepared)
- Pomegranate juice:1 cup
Altitude Adjustments
The altitude adjustments for water bath canning Pomegranate Applesauce are as follows:- For Under 1,000 Feet in Elevation – 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- For 1,001 to 3,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
- For 3,001 to 6,000 Feet in Elevation – 20 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
- For Above 6,001 Feet in Elevation – 25 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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