Canning Apples for Pie, Crisp or Cobbler

The perfect recipe for preserving a BIG batch of apples, these spiced, canned apples make future pies, cobblers or crisps a breeze. Make the best of the bruised apples (that wouldn’t last long otherwise) by canning them today.

If you’re looking for an apple pie filling recipe that has a few apples floating in a bunch of thickened sugar water with spices … this is NOT it. THIS recipe is packed with apples, not much sugar, a few gentle spices and no thickening agents. Why? So you can pack more apples into your jar … and use those lovely apples however you like whenever the fancy strikes you. When you open the jar, you can add the thickener, the amount of sweetener, or whatever else you want to add. These canned apples give you an easy start to whatever apple recipe you decide you want to make.

What kind of apples work best for canning?

Really I think you could do this with just about any apple, but honestly, honeycrisp apples may actually be the best for this particular recipe. Honeycrisps are great for eating, but if you want to use them in baking, you typically have to cook them MUCH longer to get a tender, cooked apple. With these canned apples, they get pre-cooked so they are nice and tender, just like other apples. I used honeycrisp apples fresh “caught” from my dad’s tree.

I happened to be up at my dad’s house when he decided it was time to pick his honeycrisp apples. My mom, dad, sister and I gathered round the small tree for the harvest, ready with boxes and dad pulled up the ladder. I got to get up on the ladder and pick for a while, until I could no longer reach the higher ones. Then dad had to take over. Some of the apples fell to the ground even as we tried to grab them, and some had been pecked with birds, but the ones that were perfect all went in the “good” box and the imperfect “seconds” went into a separate box. We managed to pick all but one of the apples and dad was okay with leaving that one for the birds because it was already pecked and full of yellow jackets.

There were a LOT of apples in the “seconds” box and we knew these needed to be used soon. I decided it would be fun to can them in quart jars … just enough for a pie. I decided I wanted to make enough to fill 5 jars, but my dad’s canner fits 7 jars, so I made two extra jars for him, with apples that weren’t peeled because that’s the way my dad likes his apples. My kids always want their apples peeled, so mine all got peeled. I’m sharing the recipe I used for my 5 jars. My dad didn’t want any sugar or seasonings in his, so it was basically just packing apples into the jars with some of the juices. I did like the way the peels made the whole jar a pretty pink color, but well, my kids don’t like peels.

I’m not going to lie: it was a good bit of work for one person to peel and chop that many apples and I’m seriously questioning why I didn’t recruit some helpers. Having helpers for this task would make much faster work of it! I peeled, cut and measured 32 cups of apples (using a 4-cup measuring cup), but some of those were heaping, so I think it might have been closer to 34 or even 35 cups. My dad helped sterilize and prep the area, but I scooped the hot apples into the jars, covered them and put them in the water bath. I then went to relax and dad handled the rest (which really wasn’t much).

How to make pie from canned apples?

Making a pie from these canned apples is so easy! This is a low-sugar recipe, leaning into the sweetness of the apples (my dad’s apples were super sweet!), but you can always add more sugar if you want a sweeter pie.

1. Pour the apples into a large mixing bowl and use a small scoop or spoon to remove excess liquid.
2. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or AP flour), 1 teaspoon cinnamon,  3/8 – 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 EACH: nutmeg, cloves, allspice. Sprinkle over the apples and stir together.
3. Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with pie crust, pour the filling in, then dot with butter and top with a second pie crust. Seal edges and cut holes in the top to allow venting.
4. Bake at 375 F. for 45 minutes to an hour, until browned on top. Let cool before cutting.

How long do canned apples last?

If sealed properly, these apples will last for years in a dark, cool place. Some say that home canned goods should be used within a year or two, but I’ve successfully used much older jars from the pantry with good results. Personally, I doubt that our 5 jars will last that long! It wasn’t very long after I made these before my kids decided it was time for apple pie (as you can see in the pictures).

What equipment is needed to can apples?

Clean quart-size canning jars with lids and rings, a water bath canner(big enough for quart jars), a jar funnel and a jar lifter. Clean kitchen towels are also needed for wiping the rims and sopping up spills.

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