How to Preserve Apples: 4 Easy Canning Recipes

If you’ve ever gone apple picking and come home with more apples than you know what to do with, you’re not alone! Fall harvest often means baskets overflowing with crisp, delicious apples. Instead of letting them go to waste, try preserving them at home. Canning apples is easier than you think and gives you shelf-stable goodies you can enjoy all year long.

In this guide, I’ll share four of my favorite apple canning recipes: canned apples for baking, applesauce, apple butter, and apple scrap jelly. Each one uses simple ingredients and is perfect for stocking your pantry.

Why Preserve Apples?

• Reduce food waste: Use up apples before they spoil.

• Save money: Store-bought applesauce, butter, or pie filling can’t compare to homemade.

• Convenience: Having jars on the shelf makes baking and meal prep quick and easy.

• Flavor: Preserved apples hold onto that fresh-picked sweetness for months.Recipe 1: Canned Apples for Baking

Perfect for pies, crisps, cobblers and breads, canned apples make baking fast and easy.

Ingredients:

• 12 pounds apples (peeled, cored, sliced)

• 8 cups water

• 4 cups sugar

• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, combine water, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer.

2. Add apple slices and cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened.

3. Pack hot apples into sterilized quart jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.

4. Ladle hot syrup over apples, maintaining headspace.

5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and seal with lids.

6. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes (adjust for altitude).

Recipe 2: Slow Cooker Canned Applesauce

Homemade applesauce is smooth, sweet, and endlessly versatile.

Ingredients:

• 12 pounds apples

• 1 cup water

• Sugar to taste (optional)

• Cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place chopped apples and water in a crockpot and let simmer on low 8 hours or overnight. Simmer until apples are soft.

2. Run through a food mill to remove seeds and skins. If you don’t have a food mill, you can peel and core apples before slow cooking. Once soft, blend until smooth.

3. Return applesauce to pot, add sugar/cinnamon if desired, and heat to a boil.

4. Ladle hot applesauce into jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.

5. Wipe rims, apply lids, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes (pints or quarts).

Recipe 3: Slow Cooker Canned Apple Butter

Rich, spiced, and spreadable—apple butter is fall in a jar.

Ingredients:

• 6 pounds apples

• 2–3 cups sugar (to taste)

• 2 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp cloves

• ½ tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Cook apples until soft in slow cooker on low for 8 hours or overnight. Puree until smooth. Run through a food mill to remove seeds and skins. If you don’t have a food mill, you can peel and core apples before slow cooking. Once soft, blend until smooth.

2. Return to pot, stir in sugar and spices, and cook slowly on low heat until thickened (stir often to prevent scorching).

3. Ladle hot butter into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.

4. Wipe rims, apply lids, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Recipe 4: Apple Scrap Jelly

Don’t toss your peels and cores! They make a delicious, naturally pink jelly.

Ingredients:

• Apple peels and cores

• water

• 1/2 cup sugar per every cup of juice rendered from the apple scraps

Instructions:

1. Place apple scraps in a pot and add water to cover. Simmer for an hour, until cores are mushy and peels have released their color. Strain liquid to remove solids.

2. Measure juice and return to pot with 1/2 cup sugar per cup of juice.

3. Bring to a boil and cook stirring often until mixture reached gel point of 220F. This could take an hour or so. Keep an eye on it and stir often.

4. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.

5. Wipe rims, apply lids, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Tips for Canning Apples Successfully

• Always use clean, sterilized jars and new lids.

• Adjust processing times for altitude.

• Choose firm apple varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Jonathan for best texture.

• Label jars with date and recipe type.

Final Thoughts

Preserving apples at home is not only practical but also deeply satisfying. Whether you’re baking a pie in January, spreading apple butter on warm toast, or stirring applesauce into oatmeal, you’ll taste the season’s harvest in every bite.

These four recipes—canned apples, applesauce, apple butter, and apple scrap jelly—are a great starting point for filling your pantry with apple goodness.

Have you tried canning apples before? Which recipe will you make first?