15 Ways to Preserve Apples for Winter
This post is all about 15 ways to preserve apples so you can make the most of apple season and enjoy your apple harvest all winter long.
If you have more apples than you know what to do with, you’re in the right place.
Maybe you have apple trees that produced more than expected this year.
Maybe you went apple picking and somehow came home with three times as many apples as you planned.
Or maybe you found a great deal on fresh apples and want to stock up while they’re in season.
Whatever the reason, there are so many ways to preserve fresh apples instead of letting them go to waste.
You can can them.
Freeze them.
Dehydrate them.
Turn them into applesauce, apple butter, pie filling, jelly, juice, and more.
And you don’t have to choose just one method.
I actually prefer preserving apples several different ways because it gives you so many options throughout the year.
If you’re processing a lot of apples, this apple peeler/corer/slicer- all in one is one of those simple kitchen tools that can save you so much time—it peels, cores, and slices each apple in seconds and makes working through a big apple harvest much easier.
Here are 15 of my favorite ways to preserve apples for winter.
What Is the Best Way to Preserve Apples?
There really isn’t one best way.
It depends on what you want to do with your apples later.
If you want something shelf stable, canning or dehydrating may be your best option.
If you have plenty of freezer space, freezing apples is incredibly easy.
If you want ready-to-use pantry staples, turn your apples into things like applesauce, apple butter, pie filling, jelly, or juice.
And if you have good storage apples and the right conditions, you may even be able to store some of them fresh.
That’s why I like using several preservation methods during apple season.
1. Can Apple Slices
One of the simplest ways to preserve apples is to can apple slices.
Plain canned apple slices are incredibly versatile because you haven’t committed them to one particular recipe.
Open a jar and use the apples for:
Apple crisp
Apple cobbler
Oatmeal
Pancakes
Baked goods
Desserts
Or simply warm them up and serve them as a side.
Learn how to can apple slices here.
2. Make Homemade Applesauce
Applesauce is one of those pantry staples that is so simple to make yourself.
And you don’t need a bunch of ingredients.
Applesauce can be made smooth or chunky and with or without added sugar.
It’s great for snacks and breakfasts, but don’t forget that you can also use applesauce in baking.
Try my homemade canned applesauce recipe.
3. Can Apple Butter
If you’ve never made homemade apple butter during fall, add this one to your list.
Apple butter is cooked down until it’s thick, smooth, concentrated, and full of apple flavor.
Spread it on:
Toast
Biscuits
Sourdough bread
Pancakes
Waffles
English muffins
Or add a spoonful to oatmeal.
It’s also a beautiful homemade food gift during fall and Christmas.
If you’re already making applesauce, turning some of those apples into apple butter gives you another completely different pantry staple.
Try my homemade canned apple butter recipe.
4. Can Apple Pie Filling
This might be one of my favorite ways to preserve a big apple harvest.
With home-canned apple pie filling sitting in your pantry, you’re already halfway to dessert.
Use it for:
Apple pie
Apple crisp
Apple cobbler
Hand pies
Apple turnovers
Cheesecake topping
Pancakes
Or ice cream.
Get my canning apple pie filling recipe here.
5. Dehydrate Apple Chips
You don’t have to can everything!
Dehydrated apple chips are one of the easiest ways to turn fresh apples into a homemade snack.
Slice the apples thinly and dehydrate them until they’ve reached the texture you prefer.
You can keep them simple or add cinnamon before drying.
They’re perfect for:
Lunchboxes
Road trips
Hiking
Snacks
Homemade trail mix
Charcuterie boards
They’re also a great way to preserve apples without taking up freezer space or using more canning jars.
Learn how to make my dehydrated apple chips.
6. Freeze Apple Slices
If you’re looking for the easiest way to preserve apples, this might be it.
Freezing apples requires very little equipment.
Wash your apples, peel them if desired, remove the cores, slice them, treat them to help prevent browning, and package them for the freezer.
I especially like freezing apples in recipe-sized portions.
If your favorite apple crisp uses six cups of apples, freeze six cups in one bag.
Then when you want apple crisp in January, most of your prep work is already finished.
Frozen apples work beautifully for:
Pies
Crisps
Cobblers
Muffins
Quick breads
Oatmeal
Applesauce
And other cooked recipes.
Read my complete guide on how to freeze apples for later.
7. Make Apple Jelly
Apple jelly is another classic way to put up an apple harvest.
Unlike apple butter, jelly is clear and spreadable with a completely different texture.
It’s wonderful on homemade bread, biscuits, toast, and English muffins.
It also makes a simple homemade gift.
NCHFP has a tested apple jelly recipe made from apple juice, sugar, and lemon juice. NCHFP Apple Jelly Recipe
This would be an especially good way to use apples when you’re running out of ideas for yet another dessert.
8. Make Apple Juice
Another way to use a large quantity of apples is homemade apple juice.
If you have a juicer or other method of extracting apple juice, you can turn a harvest into something your family can actually drink throughout the year.
Apple juice can also become the starting point for other homemade recipes.
If you’re planning to preserve apple juice for shelf storage, use a tested canning method rather than simply bottling fresh juice and placing it in the pantry.
9. Make Apple Cider
Fresh apple cider is one of those things that immediately feels like fall.
Unlike clear apple juice, cider is generally less filtered and has that deeper fresh-apple flavor.
You can drink it cold or warm it with cinnamon and other spices for a cozy fall drink.
If you make a large batch, freeze some in freezer-safe containers for later.
Just remember to leave enough room for the liquid to expand as it freezes.
Then you can pull homemade cider from the freezer when fall is long gone.
10. Make Apple Fruit Leather
If your family likes fruit snacks, turn some of your apples into homemade apple fruit leather.
This is especially useful when you have apples that aren’t quite pretty enough to can in slices.
Cook the apples until soft.
Puree them.
Spread the puree into a thin, even layer on dehydrator fruit-leather trays.
Then dry until pliable.
Apple fruit leather can also be flavored with cinnamon or combined with other fruits.
It’s another great option for lunchboxes and snacks.
And it takes up very little pantry space compared with jars of applesauce.
11. Dehydrate Apple Slices for Baking
Apple chips aren’t the only reason to put apples in the dehydrator.
You can also dry apples specifically for long-term pantry storage and future recipes.
Once properly dried and conditioned, dehydrated apples can be stored in airtight containers.
Later, they can be rehydrated and incorporated into recipes.
This is especially useful if you’re short on freezer space.
A huge basket of fresh apples becomes a surprisingly small amount of food once all that water has been removed.
12. Freeze Applesauce
Maybe you love homemade applesauce but don’t want to can it.
That’s okay!
You can also freeze applesauce.
Allow your prepared applesauce to cool and transfer it into freezer-safe containers, leaving appropriate room for expansion.
You can also freeze smaller portions for easy snacks.
This is a nice option if you’re new to food preservation and aren’t ready to start water bath canning yet.
13. Freeze Apple Pie Filling
Apple pie filling doesn’t necessarily have to go into canning jars.
You can also prepare apple filling specifically for the freezer.
Portion it based on the amount required for your favorite pie or dessert recipe.
When you’re ready to bake, you’ve already done much of the work.
I especially like preservation methods like this because they aren’t just preserving food.
They’re saving you time later.
14. Store Fresh Apples for Winter
Sometimes the easiest preservation method is doing almost nothing to the apples.
Certain apple varieties store much better than others.
Start with firm, good-quality apples without bruises, cuts, insect damage, or signs of spoilage.
Cool temperatures and high humidity generally help extend fresh apple storage, although the ideal setup depends on the variety and your storage conditions.
Check your stored apples regularly.
You’ve probably heard the saying about one bad apple spoiling the bunch.
There’s some truth to that.
Remove any apples beginning to deteriorate so they don’t affect the others.
If you have a cool basement, cellar, extra refrigerator, or another appropriate storage space, fresh storage can help stretch apple season surprisingly far into winter.
15. Make Apple Scrap Vinegar
And finally, don’t automatically throw away all those apple scraps.
Apple peels and cores can be used to make a fermented apple scrap vinegar.
It’s different from commercially produced apple cider vinegar, so I wouldn’t use homemade scrap vinegar as the acid source in home-canning recipes. The acidity of homemade vinegar isn’t standardized enough for that purpose.
But it’s a fun zero-waste project for scraps that otherwise might have gone to the chickens or compost pile.
And I love anything that helps us get one more use out of the food we’re already growing or buying.
Which Apple Preservation Method Should You Choose?
If you’re staring at a mountain of apples and don’t know where to begin, here’s how I’d decide.
For the easiest option:
Freeze apple slices.
For the most versatile shelf-stable option:
Can apple slices.
For easy snacks:
Make applesauce or dehydrated apple chips.
For breakfast:
Make apple butter.
For quick desserts:
Can apple pie filling.
For long-term pantry storage without jars:
Dehydrate apples.
For imperfect apples:
Make applesauce, apple butter, fruit leather, cider, or juice.
For beautiful apples that store well:
Keep some fresh.
You don’t need to preserve the entire harvest one way.
In fact, I think it’s much more useful when you don’t.
How I Would Preserve 50 Pounds of Apples
If I suddenly had 50 pounds of apples sitting in my kitchen, I wouldn’t make 50 pounds of applesauce.
I’d divide them up.
Some would become canned apple slices.
Some would become apple butter.
I’d make several jars of applesauce.
I’d put up a few batches of apple pie filling.
I’d slice some for the freezer.
I’d fill the dehydrator with apple chips.
And I’d keep the nicest storage apples fresh.
Now one big apple harvest has turned into completely different foods.
That’s how I like to think about a working pantry.
You aren’t preserving food just to have rows of pretty jars.
You’re creating ingredients and foods that you’ll actually use later.
Don’t Forget About the Apple Scraps
After processing a big batch of apples, you’re going to end up with quite a pile of peels and cores.
Before throwing them away, consider whether you can get another use out of them.
Depending on what you’re making, apple scraps can be used for:
Apple scrap vinegar
Fruit pectin projects
Infused water
Composting
Feeding appropriate scraps to livestock
One basket of apples can go a surprisingly long way when you use as much of it as possible.
How to Build a Pantry From Your Apple Harvest
This is really the bigger reason I love preserving apples.
One afternoon of work can become months of food.
Your pantry can have jars of:
Apple butter
Applesauce
Apple slices
Apple pie filling
Apple jelly
Your freezer can have:
Sliced apples
Apple pie filling
Apple cider
Applesauce
And your pantry shelves can also hold bags or jars of dehydrated apple chips and dried apple slices.
That’s a lot of food from one seasonal harvest.
And every jar or freezer bag you put away is something you don’t have to buy later.
15 Ways to Preserve Apples FAQ
What is the easiest way to preserve apples?
Freezing apple slices is probably one of the easiest options.
It doesn’t require a canner, jars, or a long processing session. You can also freeze apples in whatever quantity you have available.
Can you freeze fresh apples?
Yes.
Fresh apples can be peeled, cored, sliced, treated to minimize browning, packaged, and frozen for later.
Frozen apples will be softer after thawing, so they’re best for cooking, baking, smoothies, and similar uses rather than eating like fresh apple slices.
Can you can apples?
Yes.
There are tested home-canning recipes for sliced apples, applesauce, apple butter, apple pie filling, apple jelly, and other apple products.
Always follow the ingredient proportions, preparation instructions, jar size, processing method, processing time, and altitude adjustment for the tested recipe you’re using.
What can I do with too many apples?
You have plenty of options!
Make applesauce, apple butter, apple pie filling, jelly, cider, juice, fruit leather, or dehydrated apple chips.
You can also can sliced apples, freeze them, dehydrate them, or store suitable varieties fresh.
How can I preserve apples without canning?
Freezing and dehydrating are two of the easiest alternatives.
You can freeze sliced apples, applesauce, pie filling, or cider.
You can also make dried apple slices, apple chips, and fruit leather with a dehydrator.
How do you preserve apples for winter?
There are several ways.
For shelf-stable storage, use a tested canning recipe or properly dehydrate the apples.
For freezer storage, freeze prepared apple slices or other apple products.
Some apple varieties can also be stored fresh under appropriate conditions.
Using several methods gives you the most variety throughout winter.
What is the best way to preserve apples for apple pie?
You have two great options.
Freeze sliced apples in the amount needed for your favorite pie recipe, or preserve apple pie filling using a tested canning recipe.
If convenience is the goal, having prepared pie filling on hand makes dessert incredibly easy.
How long do frozen apples last?
For best quality, I like to plan on using frozen apples within about 8–12 months.
Keep them continuously frozen and package them well to protect against freezer burn.
Can you dehydrate apples?
Yes!
Apples are one of my favorite fruits to dehydrate.
Make crispy or chewy apple chips for snacking, or dry apple slices to store for future recipes.
Do you have to peel apples before preserving them?
It depends on the preservation method.
Tested canning recipes may instruct you to peel the fruit, while freezing and dehydrating methods can vary depending on your intended use.
Always follow the preparation instructions for the specific preservation method you’re using.
Can I use bruised apples for preserving?
Minor bruises can often be trimmed away when you’re making products such as applesauce.
But don’t preserve apples that are moldy, rotten, or otherwise spoiled.
Start with sound fruit and remove damaged portions as appropriate.
Which apples are best for preserving?
That depends on what you’re making.
Firm apples that hold their shape are useful for slices and pie filling.
Softer or naturally sweeter varieties can work beautifully for applesauce and apple butter.
Mixing sweet and tart varieties can also create a more complex apple flavor.
Make the Most of Apple Season
A big apple harvest doesn’t have to become a big pile of spoiled apples sitting on the counter.
Pick one preservation method and start there.
Freeze a few bags.
Fill the dehydrator.
Make a batch of applesauce.
Put up some apple butter.
Can sliced apples.
Every little bit adds up.
And when you’re opening a jar of apples you preserved yourself in the middle of winter, you’ll be very glad you did the work while apples were everywhere.
More Food Preservation Ideas
Once your apples are put away, keep stocking that pantry!
Water Bath Canning for Beginners
Pressure Canning for Beginners
