No sugar applesauce is easy to make at home. You’ll find that a sugar free applesauce is plenty sweet—with the fruits of apples and figs as the core ingredients with no need for sugar. This unsweetened applesauce is nutrient-rich in fiber too.
Let’s Talk Fruit: Sugar Free Applesauce
Apple-picking is a fun activity during early fall, but the farmer’s market and grocery stores offer a lot of great options too. So many kinds of apples exist! If you’ve ever made or appreciated apple pie, you know the secret to a good taste is using a variety of apples—sweet, tart, crunchy, tangy.
When considering apples for no sugar applesauce, the point is apples that will fall apart, cooked until soft. I like a Pink Lady apple that walks the line of tangy and naturally sweet on its own. Other apples that would work too are Cortland and Honeycrisp.
Golden Figs tend to a nutty and delicately sweet flavor, while Mission Figs offer a deeper, earthy sweetness. Either fig variety makes a lovely addition to our unsweetened applesauce, lending their natural sweetness. It’s up to you to decide which is right—just know that if you go with the Mission Figs—because of their dark purple color, they will deepen the color of the applesauce.
Unsweetened Applesauce: Adding a “Sweet” Flavor without the Sugar
Here’s something interesting to consider. Vanilla has no sugar added and yet when we smell or taste it, the result is a sense of sweetness. Similarly, ground cinnamon also plays this subtle trick. And, wouldn’t you know both vanilla and cinnamon pair beautifully with apples and figs, giving them a warm, cozy fall vibe. Ginger makes an appearance here as does lemon juice, but for adding balance of a touch of heat and brightness, not for adding natural sweetness.
Ready to make applesauce?
Fig Unsweetened Applesauce
Ingredients
- bag Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Golden Dried Figs , stems removed + chopped
- 3 apples , peeled + chopped
- 2 cups pure apple juice
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer for 20 minutes, until the fruit is soft and falling apart.
- Strain the fruit through a fine-mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup. Transfer the fruit and 1/4 cup of the juice syrup to a blender. Puree until smooth.
- *Reserve the remaining juice syrup for another use.
Video
Notes
Recipe and photos by Annelies Z
*Spiced Fig Apple Soda:
- Combine the juice syrup with sparkling water and serve over ice.
