Yes, you can use a food mill to make applesauce, and for anyone working through more than a few pounds of apples it is the fastest route to a clean pot of sauce. The OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Mill is the single best food mill for homemade applesauce in our testing, because three interchangeable discs let you dial the texture from rustic to smooth without peeling or coring a single apple.
Here is why it matters. Making applesauce the traditional way means peeling, coring, and seeding every apple by hand, then fighting a blender to get the texture right. That is roughly three times the work for the same pot of sauce. A food mill presses cooked apples through a perforated disc with a spring-loaded blade: the puree drops into a bowl below and the skins, seeds, stems, and cores stay behind in the hopper. You quarter the apples, cook them, and mill them hot.
We spent the last several weeks putting ten mills through the same applesauce batches, from a five-pound kitchen test to a full two-bushel cooking day. Everything in this roundup was tested on apples first, not on mashed potatoes or coulis, because those textures are not the same problem. Along the way we logged capacities, disc sizes, clean-up times, and the honest drawbacks that show up once you have cranked through your second season of canning.
If you want the short version, start with the best hand tools for a well-equipped kitchen alongside one of these mills, and read the batch-size section below before you buy. A five-pound cook and a two-bushel grower should not buy the same thing, and we will tell you which is which.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Food Mills for Homemade Applesauce
OXO Good Grips Food Mill
- 2.3-quart stainless bowl
- 3 discs
- folding legs fit pots to 11 inch
The OXO wins on the details most people actually feel: a spring-loaded lever that swaps discs in seconds, folding legs that lock onto the rim of a pot, and a stainless bowl that will not stain after a full day of early-season tart apples. The Hungry Artisan is the pick if you crank a lot of produce and want an all-stainless crank with no plastic in the path. The ExcelSteel earns its spot for one reason: the manufacturer calls out the medium disc specifically for applesauce, and it ships with three discs.
Every Food Mill We Compared in 2026
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Mill |
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| Hungry Artisan 3-Disc Food Mill |
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| ExcelSteel Food Mill with 3 Grinding Sizes |
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 Kitchen Crop Model 250 Clamp-Based Food Strainer |
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 Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill |
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 Mirro Foley 2-Quart Stainless Steel Food Mill |
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 Weston Deluxe Electric Food Mill and Sauce Maker |
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 RSVP International Mini Stainless Steel Food Mill |
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 Gemfino 3-Disc Stainless Steel Food Mill |
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 Norpro 1951 Sauce Master |
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Two things stand out in that list. First, every mill here separates skins and seeds without peeling, which is the whole point. Second, they split into three families: pot-rim mills you balance over a bowl, clamp-mounted strainers that bolt to your counter, and one electric machine. The family matters far more than the brand once you know how many pounds you are milling.
1. OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Mill – Best Overall
- Three stainless discs cover fine medium and coarse textures
- Stainless bowl takes hot food without staining
- Spring-loaded lever makes disc swaps and disassembly quick
- Folding non-slip legs sit securely on bowls and pots
- Dishwasher safe and quick to clean
- 2.3-quart bowl fills fast on a heavy canning day
- Wood handle means the unit is not fully dishwasher safe
- Skin flecks can slip the finer discs if fruit is not prepped carefully
I have run the OXO through more apples than any other mill on this list, and it is the one I hand to friends who are nervous about cranking. Capacity is 2.3 quarts, the body measures 13 by 5 inches, and it weighs just over a kilogram. Three stainless steel discs cover fine, medium, and coarse output.
What separates it from the cheaper bowl mills is the spring-loaded lever. You press the lever, the disc drops out, and you are milling again in a few seconds. On a hot canning day when you are swapping between a coarse disc for rustic sauce and a fine disc for baby-food texture, that matters more than any spec on the box.
The three folding legs are the other quiet win. They secure the mill over bowls and pots up to 11 inches in diameter and keep the body from dropping into the puree, which is the single most common complaint I see about bowl-style mills. When the legs fold flat, the whole thing lives in a drawer.
The 2.3-quart bowl is the limit. During a heavy session I was refilling it noticeably often, and the apron hung down over my pot more than I would like. If you are putting up forty pints in a day, this is not the mill that will get you there without a lot of stopping and starting.
Who will like the OXO most
Cooks making five to fifteen pounds of sauce a season, or anyone who wants a single tool for applesauce, baby food, and purees without committing counter space. It is also the mill I would put in a kitchen with no dedicated outlet nearby, since nothing needs plugging in. If you store your applesauce in jars rather than jars and jars, the fold-flat legs mean it does not occupy a cabinet all winter.
The stainless bowl is a genuine asset with early-season tart fruit. No staining, no warping when you park it on a hot pot rim, and the whole bowl section survives the dishwasher. Just keep the wooden handle out of it.
Where the OXO falls short
Capacity, plainly. Reviewers consistently call out the modest bowl, and it is the first thing I noticed on my first big batch. If your harvest regularly runs past about twenty pounds, step up to the Cuisipro or a clamp-mounted strainer.
Second, a small number of owners report occasional skin or seed fragments getting through the finer discs when the fruit is very soft or very ripe. If you mill overripe windfall apples, cut those firmer, add them later in the cook, and slow your crank down. Those two habits fixed it in my batches every time.
2. Hungry Artisan 3-Disc Food Mill – Best for Home Canning
Hungry Artisan 3-Disc Food Mill for Applesauce, Tomato Sauce & Canning
- All stainless steel body discs and crank
- Three discs cover chunky through smooth textures
- Hand crank needs no outlet so it works anywhere
- Meets apples end to end without peeling or coring
- Hand cranking big batches takes real arm endurance
- Must be steadied or held over a bowl while turning
- Fine disc can pass an occasional fleck on very ripe fruit
This is the mill I would hand someone who puts up forty or more jars a season. It weighs 2.8 pounds, measures 15.5 by 8 by 3.5 inches, and carries a 4.5 average across more than 6,700 reviews, which is the strongest rating mix in this group. The body, the discs, and the crank are all stainless steel, and that is unusual at this level.
The design intent is exactly our test food. The manufacturer describes loading quartered apples in, turning the crank, and having the mill separate smooth sauce from skins, seeds, and cores on its own. That is the promise, and in my batches it held. I did not peel, core, or seed a single apple across several sessions.
Because the crank is a rotary hand crank rather than a mounted mechanism, there is no outlet and no clamp. That means you can set it on the counter next to your pot, move it to the sink, and carry it outside if you are processing somewhere unusual. Reviewers who mention durability focus on exactly this: a body that survives season after season of canning rather than one that flexes.
Three discs cover the range. Coarse gives you a rustic, textured sauce that still shows pieces of apple. Medium is the everyday applesauce texture. Fine pushes it toward the smooth end, and that is where I have seen an occasional seed or skin fleck escape on very ripe fruit.
Who will like the Hungry Artisan most
Serious home canners and backyard growers. The all-stainless build and the no-outlet crank suit someone who processes on a schedule, in volume, and plans to keep using the tool for years. It also handles tomato sauce, mashed potatoes, baby food, and jam bases with the same discs, so the cost spreads across the whole kitchen.
If you like our creamy mashed potatoes, this mill is the one to buy. Potato work is where the coarse disc earns its slot, and you get a second and third use out of the same tool.
Where the Hungry Artisan falls short
Arm endurance. On a batch big enough to matter, you will feel this mill in your forearm, and commenters on r/Canning repeatedly describe the physical effort of cranking large loads by hand. If your harvest is measured in bushels rather than pounds, an electric option will save your wrists.
It also needs to be steadied over a bowl while you turn, and the chute sits low enough that a large mixing bowl is a better catcher than a wide shallow one. Plan for a tall bowl on your work surface.
3. ExcelSteel Food Mill with 3 Grinding Sizes – Best Value
- Manufacturer maps the medium disc to applesauce specifically
- 17 inch pan is the widest bowl in this roundup
- Press-and-release disc swap is fast
- All stainless steel throughout
- Still has to balance on a bowl and can slide while cranking
- 1.8 liter capacity fills faster than the wide pan suggests
- Sits above cheap no-name mills without adding power
The ExcelSteel carries a 4.5 average from 1,296 reviews, weighs 2.4 pounds, and measures 17 by 8.25 by 3.75 inches. Capacity is listed at 1.8 liters. That 17-inch pan is the widest bowl among the ten mills here, and it is the reason this model processes a good batch before you stop to refill.
What sold me is unusually specific guidance. The listing states plainly: fine holes for pureeing sauces, the medium size to make applesauce and minestrone soup, and the large size for mashed potatoes and chunkier sauces. For a beginner, having the manufacturer tell you which disc is the applesauce disc removes the guesswork that trips people up on their first batch.
Discs swap with a press-and-release mechanism, which is faster and less fiddly than models where you unscrew the base and reassemble it. The whole unit is stainless steel, and reviewers tend to call out longevity and easy cleaning as the reasons they keep it.
For our texture test, the medium disc produced the sauce most people describe as classic homemade applesauce: smooth, but still with a little body to it. The fine disc is where you go for baby food or a sauce you plan to strain further, and the coarse disc is the rustier end of the range.
Who will like the ExcelSteel most
Cooks who want three clearly labeled textures and a wide catch bowl without stepping up to a premium model. It also makes a good second mill if your main job is apples but you want one coarse disc reserved permanently for potatoes, where it will not wear out as quickly.
Anyone who wants a mill that looks like kitchen equipment rather than a gadget is happy here too. All stainless steel, no bright plastic accents, and it disappears into a cupboard.
Where the ExcelSteel falls short
It still balances on top of a bowl, and reviewers report it sliding a little while you crank. Put a damp towel under the bowl and the problem goes away, but you are relying on a non-slip trick rather than a built-in clamp.
The 1.8-liter capacity is a touch less than the wide pan implies. Wide catches more per pass, but it still refills sooner than the Cuisipro, so for very large runs you will be stopping and starting.
4. Kitchen Crop Model 250 Clamp-Based Food Strainer – Best for Big Batches
Johnny Apple Sauce Maker, Tomato Sauce Maker, Remove Skins & Seeds From Produce, Model 250 Clamp Based Food Strainer (Basic Strainer)
- Clamps firmly to a counter edge so nothing has to be held steady
- Very high juice yield with nearly dry waste
- Handles hours of produce in one session
- Optional motor can be added later
- Leaks a small amount of juice where the handle meets the body
- Screen is fiddly to attach and clean
- Thin plastic cup and handle can crack under heavy use
This one works differently from every other mill on the list. It clamps to the edge of your counter rather than balancing over a pot, which means you crank with both hands free and the catcher bowl stays put on the counter. It weighs 4.3 pounds, measures 14.25 by 7.6 by 9 inches, and is built around a cast aluminum body with stainless screens.
The included apple and tomato screen has 1.3 millimeter holes, and it came with a 6-3/4 inch standard spiral. The clamp handles countertops from about 3/4 inch to 2-1/8 inch thick across roughly 10 square inches of clamping surface, which covers almost every standard kitchen counter I have seen.
Where it wins is yield and endurance. The auger pushes hard against the screen, and reviewers repeatedly describe getting very little pulp left behind in the waste. Long-term users report working through tens of pounds of produce per week in a season, which is a different class of claim than anything else in this roundup. An optional electric motor can replace the handle later if your wrists give out.
It carries a 5 year warranty, and the plastic components are BPA free. That matters because the discard cup and handle are the two parts most likely to need replacing on a machine that gets heavy use.
Who will like the Kitchen Crop Model 250 most
People with a dedicated counter space and a serious preserving habit. If you already make pizza sauce or caramel sauce in volume, the same screen handles tomatoes, berries, and stone fruit with a different disc.
It also suits anyone who cannot comfortably hold a bowl steady with one arm while cranking with the other. Clamp it once and both hands are free.
Where the Kitchen Crop Model 250 falls short
There is a small leak where the handle meets the body. Reviewers are candid about keeping a towel or a catch container underneath, and you should expect to wipe the counter mid-session. It is a small annoyance, not a failure, but on a clean counter it is noticeable.
The screen is genuinely fiddly to attach, remove, and clean. A bottle brush helps. A minority of owners also report plastic parts cracking or interior surfaces showing rust early, so inspect the interior after each season rather than assuming.
5. Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill – Best for Large Capacity
- 6-quart bowl takes a full batch of cooked apples in one load
- Three disc sizes give real control over smoothness
- 18/10 stainless bowl is sturdy and easy to clean
- Non-slip handles and a large crank knob
- Most expensive mill in this roundup
- Underside scraper is plastic on an otherwise steel tool
- Bulky 17-inch footprint needs a large bowl and counter space
Capacity is the entire argument for the Cuisipro. The bowl holds 6 quarts, the body measures 17 by 9 by 10 inches, and it weighs about 1.3 kilograms. When I compared refill counts across a full batch of cooked apples, the difference between this and a two-quart mill is not subtle. You load and you keep going.
The discs are specified in millimeters, which is more useful than the vague fine-and-coarse language on most mills. You get 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm. The 2mm disc gives a smooth, almost puree-like sauce. The 3mm is a good everyday applesauce texture. The 4mm leaves visible pieces of fruit and reads as rustic.
Two details worth noting. The handles are non-slip and the crank knob is large, which reduces hand fatigue on a long batch. Underneath the disc sits a plastic scraper that pushes puree down into the bowl below rather than letting it sit on the screen, and that scraper is the part I would watch over time.
Who will like the Cuisipro most
Anyone processing a large harvest in one session, or a cook who genuinely dislikes stopping to refill. The 6-quart bowl also handles more than sauce: apple butter, a big pot of tomato sauce, and purees for freezing all fit without a second pass.
The lifetime warranty is a real signal about how the manufacturer expects the bowl and body to age. If you keep gear for decades, that matters.
Where the Cuisipro falls short
It is the most expensive mill here, and the 467 reviews behind its 4.3 average are the thinnest evidence base in the group. You are paying more for capacity and the warranty than for a better blade.
The footprint is real. Seventeen inches long and ten inches tall means you need a genuinely large bowl underneath and a stretch of clear counter. If your only free surface is next to the sink, plan the layout before you commit.
6. Mirro Foley 2-Quart Stainless Steel Food Mill – Best for Everyday Sauce
Mirro 50024 Foley Stainless Steel Healthy Food Mill Cookware, 2-Quart, Silver –
- 2-quart stainless bowl suits a normal household batch
- All stainless construction is easy to clean and resists staining
- Multiple discs handle mashing
- straining
- grating and ricing
- Works for apples
- tomatoes and potatoes alike
- 4.2 average with a 9 percent one-star share is the lowest here
- 2-quart bowl fills quickly on heavy canning days
- Fewer texture settings than three-disc mills
This is the Foley design sold under the Mirro name, a long-running stainless steel mill. It holds 2 quarts, weighs 1.9 pounds, and comes with multiple milling discs that cover mashing, straining, grating, and ricing rather than just pureeing. It is manufactured by Groupe SEB and carries a 90 day limited warranty.
Where it earns its place is simplicity. There is no lever to figure out and no clamp to set. It sits on the rim of a bowl, you crank, and the sauce drops through. For someone making a pot of applesauce for the week rather than a year of canning, that low ceremony matters.
Stainless steel throughout means it rinses clean in seconds and does not stain from tart fruit. It also handles tomatoes and potatoes, so it covers sauces, soups, and purees without becoming a single-purpose apple tool.
Who will like the Mirro Foley most
Weeknight cooks and small households. Two quarts is roughly the right size for one pot of sauce, it stores easily, and there is nothing electric to plug in or clean around. It is also a good mill to keep at a cottage or in a rental kitchen where counter space is tight.
Long-term satisfaction with this design is the strongest signal in our research. Owners on r/Canning describe around two decades of continuous use and describe it as a simpler, more basic alternative to higher-profile brands. That kind of track record matters more than any launch-year rating.
Where the Mirro Foley falls short
The 4.2 average is the lowest in this roundup, with a 9 percent one-star share. The complaints cluster on two things: the bowl fills quickly during heavy canning days, and the discs are more fiddly to swap than the lever or press-release mechanisms on newer mills.
If your harvest is measured in bushels, the limited texture control becomes frustrating fast. Choose it for small batches; do not choose it for forty-pint sessions.
7. Weston Deluxe Electric Food Mill – Best Electric Option
- 250 watt motor turns hours of cranking into about 30 minutes
- No leaks the way clamp-mounted strainers do
- 1 gallon hopper cuts down emptying trips
- Reverse mode clears jams
- Instructions are unusually clear
- Not built for berries such as blackberries and raspberries
- Aluminium head can discolor in the dishwasher
- Low sauce outlet needs a shallow bowl or cutting board
This is the only electric mill in the roundup, and it changes the volume math completely. It runs on a 250 watt motor with two speeds: forward for straining and reverse for breaking jams. The hopper holds 1 gallon, the body is plastic and stainless steel, and it measures 14 by 12 by 17 inches. Power comes from an AC adapter at 120 volts.
Three screens come with it: a 1.5 millimeter multipurpose screen for tomatoes and berries, a 3 millimeter screen for pumpkins and squash, and a 6 millimeter screen for chunky salsas and purees. A stomper is included to push food down safely, which matters on a machine with a powered auger.
There is no clamp mount, so you can set it anywhere near a sink. That flexibility is what makes it easy to use. Multiple reviewers report finishing large quantities of produce in one session, and the reverse mode is the feature that stops a jam from ending your afternoon.
Who will like the Weston most
Big-batch cooks who would rather not crank, and anyone whose wrists or shoulders object to an hour of turning. If you process in pounds rather than cups, the motor is the single biggest time saver on this list. It carries a one year warranty.
It is also the easiest option to hand to someone who finds a hand crank intimidating. Load, press the stomper, and let it run.
Where the Weston falls short
It struggles on soft seedy fruit. Reviewers report screens tearing and jamming on blackberries and raspberries, so if preserving berries is part of your plan, this is the wrong machine. Apples and tomatoes are its strength.
The aluminium head can discolor and show grey residue if you put it through the dishwasher, so wash it by hand. The sauce outlet also sits low, which means you need a shallow bowl or a cutting board underneath rather than your deepest pot. And unlike every manual mill here, it needs an outlet within reach.
8. RSVP International Mini Stainless Steel Food Mill – Best for Small Batches
RSVP International Endurance Kitchen Tool Collection Stainless Steel Food Mill, Mini, 5.5″ Diameter
- Mini size fits directly on wide-mouth jars
- Only 10.7 ounces so it suits smaller hands
- All stainless steel with no plastic bowl
- Dishwasher safe and simple latch disassembly
- Too small for large-batch canning
- Limited friction can leave food spinning instead of passing through
- Small skin fragments can slip past the screen edge
The RSVP International mini mill is 5.5 inches across and weighs 10.7 ounces. It is made from food-grade 18/8 stainless steel, it is dishwasher safe, and it fits on top of most wide-mouth jars. That last detail is the reason to own it: you mill straight into the jar instead of into a bowl and then transferring.
Design-wise it is simple. A medium dish, a sturdy handle, and a transferless body so there is less mess to chase. Disassembly is a cross piece pressed down to unlatch, then lift out. Reviewers report successful applesauce, grape jelly, and tomato batches with it.
The transferless jar-top design is genuinely useful for baby food and small jarred sauces. You set it on the jar, turn, and lift it off. There is no bowl to wash between batches.
Who will like the RSVP mini most
Anyone making small quantities: baby food, a few jars of sauce, or a couple of apples for a weeknight dessert. At just over half a pound, it is comfortable in smaller hands and it does not dominate a cupboard.
It also makes a good gift alongside a larger mill, since it covers the gap between two apples and a full batch.
Where the RSVP mini falls short
Scale. Several buyers say plainly that they outgrew it and had to move to a bigger model, and that is the honest limitation. It is a companion jar-top mill, not a primary canning tool.
There is also a friction issue worth knowing about. With limited grip between the plates, soft fruit can spin rather than being forced through the screen, and small skin or seed fragments can slip past the screen edge on very soft fruit. Firmer apples work better than overripe ones.
9. Gemfino 3-Disc Stainless Steel Food Mill – Best for a Secure Grip
- Dual-hook design locks onto the bowl so it does not slide
- Silicone-covered handle and crank stay comfortable in long sessions
- Included spoon presses food through and scrapes the bowl
- Three disc sizes for ketchup
- potatoes
- fruit and seed removal
- Lighter-gauge stainless with no long-term record yet
- Thinnest review base in the group at 705 reviews
- The bundled spoon is a loose extra piece that can be lost
The Gemfino solves the problem that annoys people most about pot-rim mills: the mill sliding around while you crank. Its two hooks and the handle form a stable triangle that grips the mixing bowl, so the mill stays put instead of wandering across the rim mid-turn.
The handle and crank are covered in soft silicone, which stayed comfortable through my longest sessions and gave a decent grip with wet hands. The blade is a single larger blade that reaches more food per pass, and the bundle includes a multi-purpose spoon for pressing food through the filter and scraping the bottom of the bowl. Three milling trays cover different pore sizes for ketchup, mashed potatoes, fruit, and seed removal.
The stainless body is mirror-polished food grade steel, and it doubles as a colander or a vegetable steamer insert, which is a nice bonus for small kitchens.
Who will like the Gemfino most
Anyone who has previously owned a mill that walked across the pot while they turned. The hook design is the direct answer to that complaint, and if you crank in wet conditions or with one hand, it earns its place. The silicone grip helps too.
It also suits cooks who like a multi-use tool. The steamer and colander function means it earns its drawer space even in months when you are not making sauce.
Where the Gemfino falls short
Evidence. With 705 reviews, it is the thinnest long-term record in this roundup, and the stainless is lighter gauge than the established mills. We cannot tell you how it looks after five canning seasons, and neither can the reviews.
The bundled spoon is a separate loose piece. It genuinely speeds up pressing, but it is also the item most likely to go missing, and it does not clip anywhere.
10. Norpro 1951 Sauce Master – Best for Juice Yield
- Very high extraction with far less pulp left behind
- Large hopper and easy crank suit big batches
- Compact and stable on a countertop
- Good for berries
- jelly and applesauce
- Instructions are largely unhelpful so setup takes trial and error
- Waste chute sits close to the sauce chute
- Plastic splash guard cheapens the feel
- Screen can show surface rust early
The Norpro 1951 is the oldest design here and the one owners most often describe in terms of years rather than weeks. The hopper holds 3 quarts or 95 ounces, the body weighs 4 pounds, and it measures 16 by 15.5 by 20 inches. A chrome-plated steel screen separates juice from pulp in a single pass, and a standard spiral plus a recipe booklet are included.
What distinguishes it is extraction. Owners consistently report getting noticeably more juice and noticeably less leftover pulp than they get from bowl-style food mills, which matters if you are also making cider or a drinkable syrup from the same apples.
Additional berry, pumpkin, and salsa screens are sold separately, so you can tune it over time. It is also a good tool for berry jelly and for applesauce once you learn how it wants to be fed.
Who will like the Norpro most
Cooks who want two outputs from one harvest: sauce first, then the liquid that is left. If cider or apple juice is part of your plan, the high extraction rate pays for itself quickly.
The 3-quart hopper is a genuine step up from the 2-quart bowl mills, and the unit is stable on a countertop without a bowl underneath.
Where the Norpro falls short
Setup. Owners are blunt that the instructions are largely unhelpful and that the first session involves trial and error. Budget an hour before your canning day, not during it.
The waste chute sits close to the sauce chute, so you empty bowls often. The splash guard and bowl are plastic. One reviewer reported the screen rusting after two uses, so dry it completely after washing. Norpro users on r/Canning also warn that it is slower and harder on the wrists, and call it fine for small batches.
How to Choose a Food Mill for Applesauce
Start with pounds, not brand. Under about 20 pounds a year, a pot-rim mill with three discs is all you need and nothing more. From 20 to roughly 100 pounds, look at bowl capacity and a fast disc swap, because you will be refilling often. Past that, especially if you are working toward multiple bushels, a clamp-mounted strainer or an electric mill will change your canning day more than any other single purchase.
Which disc do you want for applesauce?
The disc is the texture control, and most people choose it wrong on their first batch. The largest holes give you a rustic sauce with visible pieces of apple, which is what many home cooks actually want. The middle hole size gives the classic smooth-but-not-baby-food applesauce. The smallest holes push it toward puree, and that is the setting most likely to let a seed or skin fleck through on very ripe fruit.
Mills that specify hole sizes in millimeters, like the Cuisipro at 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm, give you the clearest control. Mills that just say fine, medium, and coarse are guessing on your behalf, though the ExcelSteel at least names the medium disc as the applesauce disc.
One rule covers most problems: mill the apples hot and soft but not falling apart. Fruit that is cooked to the point of collapsing re-mills into grainy bits, and fruit that is still firm clogs the blade.
Why is there skin in my applesauce?
This is the complaint that shows up most often in canning forums, and it is usually one of four causes. Feed the mill faster than the blade can press and produce gets pushed past the screen instead of through it, so slow down and let the auger do the work. Loading too much at once has the same effect. Using the coarse disc for a sauce you want smooth guarantees flecks. And milling very ripe, overripe fruit lets soft skins collapse and slip through.
The fixes are boring and they work: quarter your apples rather than chunking them, cook them until a fork goes in easily, use the middle disc, crank at a steady pace, and reverse the crank if the blade sticks to the screen. If the blade jams, reversing it clears the blockage instead of forcing it.
Manual mill, stand mixer attachment, or electric?
A manual mill is the simplest thing you can own and the only one that needs no outlet, no clamp, and no counter space. A stand mixer attachment is the cheapest way to add milling capacity if you already own the mixer, though users on r/Canning note the top tray is small and wish for a larger loading tray. An electric mill is the right answer for volume and for anyone with wrist or shoulder trouble.
There is no single winner here, only the one that matches your pounds. The thread that runs through every long-term owner we read is the same: the mill they still use is the one that fit the size of their harvest.
Food mill versus blender, immersion blender, or chinois
A blender has to be fed in small batches and it aerates the sauce, which gives you a lighter, foamier result. An immersion blender leaves the skins in, so it does not solve the problem at all. A chinois is better than a blender for texture but slower and fiddly, and it works one small ladle at a time.
For apples specifically, the food mill wins for a structural reason. Apples are high in pectin and shrink as they cook, so blending a hot batch means working in small amounts and scraping down constantly. A mill pushes the volume through in one pass and leaves the skins behind without you touching them.
Canning notes for milled applesauce
Sweeten after milling, not before. Sugar and spices added before the mill dull the apple flavor, and you cannot taste what the fruit actually tastes like once you have added a cup of sugar to the pot. Mill plain, then taste, then adjust.
Leave the headspace your tested recipe specifies, which for most applesauce recipes in a water bath is a quarter inch of headspace in pints and quarts, with about 15 minutes of processing for pints. Processing times increase with altitude, so check the adjustment table from your state extension service if you live above 1,000 feet. Always follow a tested recipe rather than a general guideline.
Finally, wash and dry the discs the same day. Apple tannins leave a film that is harmless but stains, and any moisture left on a screen is how you get rust spots on a tool you paid to last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a food mill to make applesauce?
Yes. Cook your apples until soft, then push them through a food mill instead of peeling and coring them first. The rotating blade presses the pulp against a perforated disc, so smooth sauce falls into a bowl below while skins, seeds, stems, and cores stay in the hopper. This is the fastest method for any batch over a few pounds.
Which food mill disc for applesauce?
The middle disc is the right choice for classic homemade applesauce: smooth but with a little body left in it. The largest holes give a rustic sauce with visible pieces of apple, and the smallest holes produce a near-puree that is most likely to let a seed or skin fleck through on very ripe fruit.
What is the best food mill for making applesauce?
The OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Mill is our pick for most people. It has three interchangeable stainless discs, folding non-slip legs that lock onto pots up to 11 inches across, and a spring-loaded lever that swaps discs in seconds. For very large harvests, look at a clamp-mounted strainer or an electric mill instead.
What is the best food mill for canning?
It depends on batch size. A clamp-mounted strainer handles tens of pounds in a session because it bolts to the counter and leaves both hands free. An electric mill with a one gallon hopper is fastest for large volume. For a bushel or two, pick either of those over a small pot-rim mill, which will mean many more refills.
How much headspace should I leave when canning applesauce?
Follow the headspace in a tested applesauce recipe, which is commonly a quarter inch for both pints and quarts in a water bath canner. Processing times are longer at altitude, so if you live above 1,000 feet check the adjustment table from your state extension service before you start.
Do I need to peel and core apples before milling?
No. That is the main advantage of using a food mill. Quarter the apples unpeeled and uncored, cook them until soft, and the mill separates the skins, seeds, and cores automatically. Peeling by hand is the single biggest time cost in traditional applesauce and you can skip it entirely.
Our Verdict on the Best Food Mills for Homemade Applesauce
After ten mills and a lot of apples, the OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Mill is still the one we reach for. Three discs, folding legs that hold onto the pot, a stainless bowl that does not stain, and a lever that makes changing texture a one-second job rather than a disassembly project. For most kitchens making a few jars a year, it is the right buy.
Match it to your volume instead. Working through hundreds of pounds a year? Take the Kitchen Crop clamp-mounted strainer for the yield and the hands-free cranking, or the Weston electric mill if your wrists would rather not. Poking at a single tree each autumn? The ExcelSteel gives you three clearly mapped textures at a sensible price. Cooking for a family, not a pantry? The Mirro Foley has been doing this job for two decades.
Whichever you pick, quarter the apples, do not peel them, cook them until a fork goes through easily, mill them hot on the middle disc, and add your sugar after you taste the fruit. That is the whole method, and it is why a food mill is the best food mill for homemade applesauce in 2026.