Canning Apple Slices: Easy Way to Preserve Apples for Winter
This post is all about canning apple slices for an easy way to preserve fresh apples and keep your pantry stocked all winter long.
If you have more apples than you know what to do with this fall, canning apple slices is one of the simplest ways to preserve them.
Unlike apple pie filling, these apples aren’t made specifically for one recipe.
They’re just simple canned apple slices that you can pull from the pantry and turn into all kinds of things later.
Use them for cobblers, crisps, pancakes, oatmeal, desserts, or even as an easy side dish.
And because apples can be processed in a water bath canner, you don’t need a pressure canner to make them.
Let’s put some apples up for winter!
Why I Love Canning Apple Slices
I love preserving foods in ways that leave me options later.
Apple pie filling is wonderful when you want a quick dessert.
Apple butter is perfect for spreading on homemade bread.
Applesauce is an easy snack.
But plain canned apple slices are a little more versatile.
You can open a jar and decide what you want to do with them later.
That’s exactly the kind of food I like keeping in a working pantry.
Best Apples for Canning Apple Slices
Choose apples that are juicy, crisp, and preferably a combination of sweet and tart.
You also want apples that will hold their shape reasonably well during cooking and canning. Some good options include:
Honeycrisp
Pink Lady
Jonathan
Braeburn
Granny Smith
Golden Delicious
Fuji
Using a mixture of sweet and tart apples can give your finished jars a really nice flavor.
Most importantly, start with good-quality apples that aren’t spoiled or badly bruised.
How Many Apples Do You Need for Canning?
This will depend on how many jars you want to make.
You’ll need approximately 2¾ pounds of apples for each quart of canned sliced apples.
For a full canner load of 7 quarts, plan on approximately 19 pounds of apples.
A full load of 9 pints requires around 12¼ pounds.
So if you come home from the orchard with a giant box of apples, this recipe can put a good dent in them!
Ingredients for Canned Apple Slices
One of the nice things about this recipe is how simple it is.
You’ll need:
Fresh apples
Water or canning syrup
Ascorbic acid for preventing browning
That’s really it.
The tested recipe allows you to pack the apples in water or very light, light, or medium syrup.
That means you don’t have to make heavily sweetened canned apples if you don’t want to.
Do You Have to Add Sugar When Canning Apples?
No.
Sugar isn’t what makes canned fruit safe.
The syrup helps canned fruit retain its flavor, color, and shape, but it does not prevent spoilage.
So you can choose the packing liquid based on how you plan to use your apples.
I like the versatility of apples packed in water or a very light syrup because you can always add sweetness later when you’re actually using them.
Equipment You’ll Need
Gather:
Water bath canner
Pint or quart canning jars
New canning lids
Jar rings
Jar lifter
Large saucepan or stockpot
Canning funnel
Ladle
Apple peeler or vegetable peeler
Apple corer
Knife and cutting board
Clean towels
You may also want an apple peeler/corer/slicer if you process a lot of apples.
Those can make a big batch go much faster.
How to Prepare Apples for Canning
Step 1: Wash the Apples
Start by washing your apples thoroughly.
Choose firm, good-quality fruit and remove any damaged areas.
Step 2: Peel and Core the Apples
Peel the apples.
Remove the cores and cut the apples into slices.
Try to keep your slices fairly uniform so they cook evenly.
Step 3: Keep the Apples From Turning Brown
Apples start browning pretty quickly once they’re peeled and sliced.
As you work, place the prepared apple slices into water containing ascorbic acid.
The ascorbic-acid solution is for keeping sliced apples from discoloring while you’re preparing them.
This is especially helpful when you’re processing a large amount of fruit and can’t get everything into jars immediately.
How to Make Canned Apple Slices
Step 1: Drain the Apples
Once your apples are peeled, cored, sliced, and ready to go, drain them from the anti-browning solution.
Step 2: Add Your Packing Liquid
Place the drained apple slices into a large saucepan.
For every 5 pounds of sliced apples, add 1 pint of water or very light, light, or medium syrup.
Step 3: Cook the Apples
Bring the apples and liquid to a boil.
Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the apples from burning or sticking.
Don’t skip this step and simply pack raw apple slices into the jars.
Raw packs make a poor-quality product for sliced apples.
The hot-pack method will give you a better finished jar.
How to Can Apple Slices
Now we’re ready to get those apples into jars.
Prepare your water bath canner, jars, lids, and rings.
Keep everything hot while you’re preparing the apples.
Fill your hot jars with the hot apple slices and hot cooking liquid.
Leave ½ inch of headspace at the top of each jar.
Remove air bubbles.
Check your headspace again and adjust it if necessary.
Wipe the rims of the jars clean.
Apply the lids and rings according to your lid manufacturer’s instructions.
Place the jars into your boiling-water canner.
Water Bath Canning Times for Apple Slices
The processing time is the same for pints and quarts, but it changes based on your elevation.
| Elevation | Pints or Quarts |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 feet | 20 minutes |
| 1,001–3,000 feet | 25 minutes |
| 3,001–6,000 feet | 30 minutes |
| Above 6,000 feet | 35 minutes |
Always adjust your processing time for your elevation.
Start timing once the water has returned to a full boil.
After Processing
Once the jars have finished processing, turn off the heat.
Follow proper boiling-water canning procedures for removing the jars from the canner.
Place the jars upright on a towel or cooling rack where they won’t be disturbed.
Allow them to cool completely.
Once cool, check every seal.
Remove the rings, label each jar with the contents and date, and move them to your pantry.
There’s something so satisfying about seeing rows of apples you preserved yourself sitting on the shelf.
What Can You Make With Canned Apple Slices?
This is where this recipe really earns its place in the pantry.
You can use your canned apple slices for:
Apple crisp
Apple cobbler
Apple cake
Oatmeal
Pancakes and waffles
Yogurt
Pork dishes
Quick desserts
Breakfast toppings
Or simply warm them up and serve them as a side dish.
You can also drain the apples and add cinnamon, butter, and your preferred sweetener when serving.
Because you haven’t turned them into one specific finished recipe, you have plenty of options.
Canning Apple Slices vs. Apple Pie Filling
You might be wondering why you would can apple slices if you already make canned apple pie filling.
I think both deserve a spot in the pantry.
Apple pie filling is already prepared for desserts.
You can open the jar and you’re most of the way to an easy pie or cobbler.
Canned apple slices are more of a blank canvas.
They can be made sweet or savory and used for breakfast, dinner, snacks, or desserts.
If you have enough apples, make some of each!
More Ways to Preserve Fresh Apples
If your counters are still covered in apples, there are plenty of other ways to preserve them.
Try my canning apple butter recipe for a thick, warmly spiced spread that’s perfect on toast, biscuits, and homemade bread.
You can also make homemade canned applesauce for an easy pantry staple.
And if you want something ready for dessert, make my canned apple pie filling.
For a simple snack, try dehydrating apple chips.
Canning Apple Slices FAQ
Can you water bath can apple slices?
Yes. Sliced apples can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner when you follow a tested recipe and the appropriate processing time for your elevation.
How long do you water bath can apple slices?
At 0–1,000 feet elevation, process hot-packed pint or quart jars for 20 minutes.
Increase the processing time to 25 minutes at 1,001–3,000 feet, 30 minutes at 3,001–6,000 feet, and 35 minutes above 6,000 feet.
How much headspace do you leave when canning apples?
Leave ½ inch of headspace when canning sliced apples using this tested recipe.
Do apples need to be cooked before canning?
For this recipe, yes.
NCHFP recommends hot packing sliced apples and notes that raw packs result in poor-quality canned apples.
The apple slices are boiled for 5 minutes in water or syrup before being packed into the jars.
Do you need lemon juice when canning apple slices?
The tested NCHFP recipe for sliced apples does not call for bottled lemon juice as an acidifying ingredient.
Instead, the prepared apples are placed in an ascorbic-acid solution while you’re working to prevent discoloration. Follow the tested preparation and processing method rather than borrowing acidification instructions from a different fruit or tomato recipe.
Can you can apples without sugar?
Yes. The tested sliced-apple recipe allows the apples to be canned in water instead of sugar syrup.
Sugar syrup can help preserve the fruit’s flavor, color, and shape, but sugar isn’t what makes the product safe from spoilage.
What are the best apples for canning?
Choose apples that are juicy and crisp, ideally with a combination of sweet and tart flavor.
Firm apples are especially nice because you want the slices to retain some shape after being heated and processed.
Why are my canned apples floating?
Fruit can sometimes float in home-canned jars because of trapped air in the fruit or differences in density between the fruit and packing liquid.
Hot packing helps remove air from fruit tissues and generally produces a better-quality canned product, which is another reason I recommend following the tested hot-pack method.
Can I add cinnamon to my jars of canned apple slices?
For this basic recipe, I’d keep the jars aligned with the tested formulation and add cinnamon, butter, sugar, or other flavorings after opening the jar.
That also makes your canned apple slices much more versatile.
How many pounds of apples make a quart of canned apples?
Plan on approximately 2¾ pounds of fresh apples per quart of canned sliced apples.
A full canner load of seven quarts requires an average of about 19 pounds of apples.
What can I do with canned apple slices?
Use them for apple crisp, cobbler, oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, baked goods, pork dishes, breakfast toppings, or quick desserts.
They’re one of those basic pantry ingredients that can become whatever you need later.
