Apple sauce, or applesauce, is a sauce made with apples. It is a common dish and ingredient used widely in North American and Europe. It is made by simply cooking raw apples until they break down and straining out the pulp.
Apple sauce is made in both smooth and chunky styles, and is often seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, clove, or nutmeg. Lemon juice, citric acid, and other acidifiers are often added, to enhance flavor, increase acidity for safe storage, and preserve shelf life.
When apple sauce is cooked further, sometimes with the addition of additional sweeteners, it becomes apple butter. Note that there are no dairy ingredients in apple butter.
Apple sauce may be served alone as a dessert or breakfast food. It is often used as an accompaniment to roast meats, especially pork and goose, and to blood sausage. In Central Europe, it is served with potato pancakes, spätzle, and Älplermagronen. In the Netherlands and Belgium it accompanies chicken and french fries.
Apple sauce is also used as an ingredient in baked goods, where it provides moistness and a small amount of cohesion, allowing it to replace fat and eggs.