Make the most of your applesauce supply with these delicious kid-friendly recipes that use applesauce. You can use leftover applesauce, a new jar, or just find recipes that rely on this natural sweetener for little kids.

applesauce-muffins-on-plate

Recipes That Use Applesauce

If you find yourself with a little leftover applesauce to use up or wanting to bake with it, the recipes included here are some of our very favorites. We love cooking and baking with applesauce since it adds such lovely flavor and natural sweetness to foods—and it can even help bind recipes in place of egg when needed.

Below you’ll find recipe ideas using applesauce, including muffins, cookies, pancakes, oatmeal, and more, so you can choose the options that appeal most to your family’s preferences.

(You may also like Canned Pumpkin Recipes and recipes to use up leftover pumpkin.)

Your toddler won’t eat? Help is here!

Sign up for our email updates to get tips and ideas sent to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Applesauce Recipes

You can use any store-bought applesauce in these recipes below, but if you’re wanting to start with a homemade one, here are some easy options: Crock-Pot Applesauce, Instant Pot Applesauce, Strawberry Applesauce, and Easy Homemade Applesauce.

Recipes to Use Up Applesauce

Click the teal “get the recipe” button to see the full recipe for each idea.

applesauce-muffins-on-plate

Applesauce Muffins

These happy little Applesauce Muffins are packed apple-cinnamon flavor, whole grains, and vitamins and all without excess added sugar! They’re a perfect healthy snack or breakfast for kids to make ahead and serve throughout the week.

Favorite Applesauce Muffins
Perfectly spiced and just sweet enough, these Applesauce Muffins are a yummy breakfast or snack. We like these on their own, topped with nut or seed butter, or even with a smear of cream cheese. See what your littles like!
Favorite Applesauce Muffins
mini applesauce muffins on pink plate
applesauce-cookies-on-whit-eplate

Applesauce Cookies

With whole grains and lower sugar, these Applesauce Cookies are bursting with fresh apple flavor…all with a one-bowl method!

Favorite Applesauce Cookies (with Oats and Cinnamon)
These cookies are a little crispy around the edges right out of the oven, but soften as they are stored.
Favorite Applesauce Cookies (with Oats and Cinnamon)
applesauce-cookies-on-whit-eplate
applesauce pancakes

Applesauce Pancakes

These Fluffy Applesauce Pancakes are easy to mix up, taste sweet and comforting, and the leftovers store nicely in the fridge or freezer. They are really yummy topped with maple syrup—or served plain!

Fluffy Applesauce Pancakes
These fluffy Applesauce Pancakes are easy to mix up, taste sweet and comforting, and the leftovers store nicely in the fridge or freezer. We like them topped with a little maple syrup, peanut butter, or additional applesauce.
Fluffy Applesauce Pancakes
Applesauce pancakes on plate with syrup and apples.
applesauce-overnight-oats-in-jars

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats are a perfect breakfast recipe to make ahead. They pack protein, probiotics, vitamin C, fiber, and healthy fats—and all you need to do to make them is to stir the ingredients together and let it hang out in the fridge while you sleep!

Easy Overnight Oats with Applesauce
You can easily double (or triple!) the recipe to make more servings. It uses a 1 to 1 ratio of yogurt to applesauce so you can easily scale it up. Mix these up the night before you plan to serve them.
Easy Overnight Oats with Applesauce
applesauce-overnight-oats-in-jars
homemade-applesauce-pouches-on-counter

Applesauce Pouches

You can make your own applesauce pouches to save money and keep a stash of snacks on hand with this simple method.

Favorite Applesauce Pouches
Learn the easiest way to make a batch of Applesauce Pouches, with six flavor options, in less than 30 minutes. This is easy, delicious, and versatile—and a perfect way to batch-prep a snack or meal component.
Favorite Applesauce Pouches
homemade-applesauce-pouches-on-counter
cinnamon muffins in pan.

Mini Cinnamon Muffins

With simple ingredients, natural sweetness, and a super easy stir-together method, these Cinnamon Muffins are a great breakfast for kids. You can make them ahead and serve them throughout the week or even stash half of the batch in the freezer for later!

Mini Cinnamon Muffins
Made with a base of applesauce and whole grain flour, these easy mini muffins are sweet enough to taste like a treat!
Mini Cinnamon Muffins
healthy-cinnamon-muffins on wire rack
mini-birthday-cake-muffins-on-counter

Birthday Cake Muffins

Applesauce lends a subtle sweetness and flavor to these extra-fun mini muffins.

Favorite Birthday Cake Muffins (with Sprinkles!)
These party cake muffins are perfect to celebrate any ordinary day—or as a really fun way to start a child's birthday. Be gentle when stirring in the sprinkles to limit the color running.
Favorite Birthday Cake Muffins (with Sprinkles!)
birthday-cake-muffins-on-counter
Applesauce bread on cooling rack.

Applesauce Bread

This quick bread is a favorite fall breakfast and snack—and it’s also a great side for soups like Carrot Soup and Black Bean Soup. It comes together in one bowl in just minutes and bakes up into the most delicious quick bread. It is lightly spiced, super moist, and freezes beautifully.

One-Bowl Applesauce Bread
This Applesauce Bread comes together in one bowl in just minutes and bakes up into the most delicious quick bread. It's lightly spiced, super moist, and freezes beautifully.
One-Bowl Applesauce Bread
Applesauce bread on cooling rack.
Two slices of applesauce cake on plates with apple in background.

Applesauce Cake

With two kinds of apple for the best flavor and a tender texture, this is our absolute favorite Applesauce Cake. It’s easy, stores well, and is just so delicious.

Easy Applesauce Cake
With two kinds of apple for the best flavor and a tender texture, this is our absolute favorite Applesauce Cake. It's easy, stores well, and is just so delicious.
Easy Applesauce Cake
Two slices of applesauce cake on plates with apple in background.
apple-steel-cut-oatmeal

Overnight Oatmeal with Apple

Stir together a few healthy ingredients in the slow cooker, set it to cook overnight, and wake up to this nutritious Apple Steel-Cut Oatmeal recipe to share with the whole family—babies and toddlers included. (There’s an easy stove-top option, too.)

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
You can make this overnight Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal and enjoy it for breakfast the following day—or make a whole batch ahead to eat throughout the week. (*To do this overnight, choose the LOW option and cook time.)
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
overnight steel cut oats with apples
carrot-pancakes-on-teal-fork

Carrot Pancakes

Applesauce and yogurt add flavor and moisture to these veggie-loaded pancakes.

Fluffy Carrot Pancakes (with Yogurt!)
These hearty Carrot Pancakes pack nice natural sweetness from the carrots and applesauce. This can be a thicker pancake batter, so know that you can thin it slightly, if desired, by adding a few tablespoons of milk.
Fluffy Carrot Pancakes (with Yogurt!)
carrot-pancakes-in-stack-with-pear-slices
stack of granola bars.

Easy Homemade Granola Bars

Use applesauce as your flavor option for a subtle, delicious addition in these soft granola bars.

Easy Homemade Granola Bars
We like to have these granola bars as a snack or toddler breakfast with milk or a smoothie—and they're an excellent lunch box component too. You can make them plain or choose a flavor to add!
Easy Homemade Granola Bars
stack-of-homemade-granola-bars
baby-cookies-on-wire-rack

Baby Cookies

Use applesauce as your flavor option for delicious, moist cookies even baby can enjoy.

Favorite Baby Cookies
You can use any puree that you like the flavor of in this recipe—it works best with purees that are the consistency of mashed banana or mashed sweet potato.
Favorite Baby Cookies
baby cookies on wire rack

Best Tips for Success

  • Use a smooth applesauce in baking or recipes when you want a smooth finished product.
  • If using homemade applesauce, make sure it’s cooled before using it in a recipe.
  • Follow the storage tips in each recipe to store in the fridge or freezer.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please comment below to share!

Related Products

Share it with the world

Pin

Filed Under

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All comments are subject to our Terms of Use.