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16 Comments | Jill Winger |    Last Updated: July 10, 2020

Canning Apple Slices | How to Can Apples

Photo by twinsfisch on Unsplash

I can feel autumn sneaking up on us already…

Although we’re still having our fair share of 90+ degree days, every 4th day or so, the nights cool off to be surprisingly crisp for this early in September, and I know it’s coming…

But the preservation work is just beginning. Whether it’s canning apple slices, smashing the garden cabbage into sauerkraut, or pulling the still-very-green tomatoes off the vine to ripen in boxes, I’ll be in the kitchen more than my fair share for the next few months.

 

If you are a canning newbie, I just revamped my Canning Made Easy course and it’s ready for YOU! I’ll walk you through each step of the process (safety is my #1 priority!), so you can finally learn to can confidently, without the stress. CLICK HERE to have a look at the course and ALL the bonuses that come with it.

When it comes to apple season, I always have a hard time deciding what to do with the apples because there are so darn many ways to eat them.  (And my kids will probably never get sick of having apple puff pancakes for breakfast either…)

After we eat our fill of seasonal apples, I like to preserve what’s left. Cause who doesn’t love pulling a little bit of the taste of fall out of their pantry on a freezing February night, am I right?

While I do can homemade applesauce, we only need so much. Canning apple slices, on the other hand, gives me so many more winter-dessert options. Think apple pie, apple cobbler, apple crisp (and any other apple dishes that may satisfy a long-winter-night craving).

(Pssst. You can get more canning tips and recipes here.)

By the way, I never throw away my apple cores and peels… Read more here about how to make a homemade apple cider vinegar with the apple scraps.

Photo by Peter Feghali on Unsplash

Choosing the Right Type of Apples for Canning

It’s super important to choose the right variety of apples for canning. You want to end up with distinct and crisp slices, not mushy-almost-applesauce slices. If your canned apples end up mushy, it’s probably because of the type of apple you used. You can still use mushy canned apples to make puree or make a quick applesauce, but if you want crisp canned apple slices, choose your apples well.

Here are some tips for choosing the best apples:

(1) Go with apple varieties that are already naturally sweet (so not, for example, Granny Smith). Some sweeter apple varieties include Gala and Fuji.

(2) Stick with apples that have a firm flesh. Some examples include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Gala, and Fuji.

If you’re dreaming of planning an orchard on your homestead, or even just planting one or two apple trees, you might want to check out Nature Hills’ special Heritage Collection of all sorts of fabulous trees, shrubs, and plants they’ve pulled together, just for my readers. (Pretty cool, huh?)

Choosing the Right Tools for Canning Apple Slices

If you’re doing any kind of canning, you’ll need a few special items in your kitchen. (I list my favorite food preservation tools here.) But trust me, it’s nothing to be overwhelmed by at all.

I’m not much of a gadget-kinda gal, but apples, well they’re deserving of a gadget or two. If you plan on doing lots of great things with apples in the many autumns ahead, I highly recommend a few unique, inexpensive tools that will make your job much easier, such as this apple slicer, an apple corer, or, even better, this handy apple peeler, corer, slicer, all in one. That little gizmo is ingenious and worth its weight in GOLDen delicious apples. 😉

Photo by twinsfisch on Unsplash

Deciding How Many Apples are Needed for Canning

This is far from an exact science, so this is just my estimate for how many apples you need if you want to can apple slices. These numbers can vary depending on all sorts of factors, including the variety of apples used, the juiciness of your apples, etc.

Here’s an average for canned apple slices:

  • 10-12 pounds of apples = 8 pints or 4 quarts of canned apple slices
  • 1 bushel of apples = around 16-18 quarts of canned apple slices

Using Sugar Syrup or Honey Syrup?

I’m including a light sugar syrup recipe and a honey syrup recipe for you to use when canning apple slices. I personally prefer to use honey in my canned fruits (like my canned peaches and my canned cherries), but some people argue that a light sugar syrup will give you crisper canned apple slices. So feel free to experiment and try half of your canned apples with a light sugar syrup and half with the honey syrup to see which ones you like best.

It’s always hard to figure out exactly how much syrup you’ll need to make, so I’ve put down a basic formula, based on using 10-12 pounds of apples.

Recipe for Canning Apple Slices

You Will Need:

  • Crisp, sweet apples (stemmed, peeled, cored, and quartered)
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice plus 4 cups water (to prevent browning)
  • Syrup (choose below either a light sugar syrup or honey syrup)

For a Light Sugar Syrup per 10-12 pounds of apples:

  • 2 1/4 cups organic granulated sugar
  • 5 1/4 cups water

For a Honey Syrup per 10-12 pounds of apples:

  • 1.5 cups honey (this is my favorite place to buy honey)
  • 5 cups water

Instructions:

Prepare your apples by getting them stemmed, peeled, cored, and quartered.

Fill a bowl with 1/4 cup lemon juice and 4 cups water. Slice the apples then place them in the bowl to prevent browning.

In a large pot, add the ingredients for your light sugar syrup OR honey syrup.

Add the apples to the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, pack the hot apple slices into hot, sanitized jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.

Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, covering the apples, but still leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.

(New to the idea of canning and not sure what all of this means? I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step right here. You’ll be a pro in no time!)
Remove the bubbles from the jars (using this nifty tool), wipe the rims, and affix two-piece lids.
Process both pints and quarts for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner. (Add more time if you are at higher altitude.)

Eat your canned apples straight from the jar, over ice cream or oatmeal, or use them to make delicious pies, cobblers, crisps, crumbles, and more. They won’t last long!

Listen to the Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast episode #25 on the topic How (& Why) To Can Apples At Home HERE.

Canning Apple Slices

Other Home Canned Recipes & Tutorials You’ll Love

  • Canning Made Easy: My step-by-step canning process walkthrough– perfect for beginners or nervous canners!
  • Roasted Poblano Salsa
  • Honey Canned Cinnamon Peaches 
  • Honey Canned Cherries
  • How to Can Hot Pepper Jelly

16 Comments | Preserving the Harvest

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Reader Interactions

16 Comments

  1. Carolyn says

    September 16, 2019 at 8:17 am

    Hi, quick question, are you canning slices or quarters? Or does it matter? I get confused easily. I’d like to use my peeler, slicer, corer, but reading the recipe it says to peel core and quarter. I just don’t want to do it wrong and end up with more applesauce ?.

    reply to comment
    • Laura says

      September 18, 2019 at 4:01 pm

      I usually use my peeler, corer, slicer and then quarter the slices because they are too large. I’m dehydrating some apples tonight when I get home from work and will quarter the slices so they dry out faster. Good luck!

      reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      September 23, 2019 at 7:00 am

      Hi Carolyn! This recipe is for canning peeled, cored, apple slices.

      reply to comment
  2. Floranet says

    September 18, 2019 at 6:30 am

    Great Post!! Absolutely amazing.

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      September 23, 2019 at 6:56 am

      Glad you enjoyed it!

      reply to comment
  3. Tony says

    September 18, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    another use for apples is to shred them and press the juice out, then freeze it for future use as a nice summer drink. I use a normal garden shredder, well washed of course, and a small wine press and car jack to press the juice out. Any handyman can make one.

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      September 23, 2019 at 6:55 am

      Thanks for sharing this idea Tony!

      reply to comment
  4. Amy says

    September 19, 2019 at 4:34 am

    Can you use the same honey syrup and steps for canning pears?
    Thank you!

    reply to comment
  5. Dixie Roth says

    September 19, 2019 at 9:24 am

    Do you have a favorite recipe for salsa?

    reply to comment
    • Kayla- Prairie Homestead Assistant says

      September 23, 2019 at 6:51 am

      Hi Dixie! You can find Jill’s fresh salsa recipe here: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2015/09/pico-de-gallo-recipe.html

      reply to comment
  6. Marg says

    October 23, 2019 at 2:31 pm

    I have an Apple Butter problem and You will probably give me the same answer I gave myself. I made 21 pints of Apple Butter in an enamelware toaster oven, my problem is I think it has a slight metallic taste. My pan when I washed it was not shiny anymore, it was dull and rough not smooth. My daughter thinks it taste like a vinegar after taste. I think I need to throw it all out. I don’t want to expose anyone to chemical hazards from the enamel if it leached into the Apple Butter. ? What could of happened?

    reply to comment
  7. Michelle says

    September 18, 2020 at 6:12 am

    When you say water canner you mean water bath. I don’t want to mess this up and I haven’t tried pressure canning yet ? I’m still getting used to the lingo.

    reply to comment
    • Momma B says

      September 22, 2020 at 9:42 am

      Yes? water bath is what she’s suggesting. Makes this a very easy canning protocol. Done a few already this year and they look amazing. Can’t wait to dig in !

      reply to comment
  8. Lori Reffue says

    September 21, 2020 at 7:48 am

    How many quarts of apple slices to make a pie?

    reply to comment
  9. Angie says

    September 21, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Could you pressure can them? If so, what pound and times would you use?

    reply to comment
  10. Becky says

    September 28, 2020 at 4:23 pm

    How do you use canned apples to make a pie? I have a good recipe but I’m not sure how putting apples in syrup in it would change it. Thanks!

    reply to comment

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