Blueberry Applesauce
This easy blueberry applesauce blends sweet blueberries and apples into a smooth, deep purple sauce that's perfect for water bath canning. Make it with or without added sugar.
Servings: 16 servings, makes 3 to 4 pints
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Ingredients
- 4 lbs apples as purchased, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 4 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup water or unsweetened apple juice or cider
- Sugar to taste optional
Instructions
- Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids. Keep everything hot.
- Peel, core, and slice the apples into a large, heavy-bottomed pot (or leave the peels on if you'll use a food mill). Rinse the blueberries, pick out any stems or soft berries, and add them to the pot.
- Add the water or juice, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the apples are very soft and the blueberries have burst, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Puree the mixture with a food mill or immersion blender to a smooth, even sauce with no large chunks.
- Taste and add sugar if desired, then return the sauce to a full boil.
- Ladle the hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids and rings to fingertip tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for pints and half pints, or 20 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude.
- Let jars rest in the canner 5 minutes, then cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking seals.
Notes
Apple Varieties: Use sweet apples that break down easily, like McIntosh, Cortland, Gala, Fuji, or Golden Delicious. A mix gives the roundest flavor. Tart apples work too, but you may want a little sugar.
Blueberries: Fresh or frozen both work, and frozen don't need thawing. Wild blueberries give a slightly more intense color. You can increase the blueberries for a stronger berry flavor with no change to the canning time.
Sweetener (Optional): Ripe blueberries and sweet apples are usually sweet enough on their own. Taste after cooking and add sugar, honey, or maple syrup only if you want to.
Texture: For the smoothest sauce, run it through a food mill, which also removes the apple skins if you left them on. An immersion blender works too. Keep it a true, even puree with no chunks, which is what lets heat penetrate the jars safely.
Yield: As written, this recipe makes about 3 to 4 pints, depending on how juicy your fruit is and how far you cook it down. You'll start with about 4 pounds of apples as purchased, which comes to roughly 2 1/2 pounds once peeled and cored, plus about 1 1/2 pounds of blueberries (around 4 cups). You can safely double the batch if your pot is large enough to cook the fruit evenly without scorching. To make just a single pint, use about 4 cups of sliced apples (roughly a pound prepared) with a generous cup of blueberries and a splash of water, then sweeten to taste.
Jar Sizes: You can use quarter pint, half pint, pint, or quart jars. Jars smaller than a pint use the pint processing times.
Freezer Option: If you'd rather not can, this freezes well. Cool it, then store in freezer-safe containers with 1/2 inch headspace for up to 1 year.
Altitude Adjustments: The altitude adjustments for canning blueberry applesauce are as follows.
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints, 25 minutes for quarts
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts
- Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes for pints, 35 minutes for quarts
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg