These fried apples are fresh apple wedges sauteed with butter, sugar and cinnamon until browned and tender. An easy side dish or dessert option that always gets rave reviews!
When apples are in season I cook with them constantly. I make apple cobbler, baked apples, apple pie filling, apple cake, Jewish charoset and these simple yet satisfying Southern style fried apples. Serve your apples as a side dish recipe for pork chops, or spoon them over vanilla ice cream for a treat!
There are SO many different ways to enjoy apples – cakes, pies, homemade apple sauce, cobber, you name it. One of my favorite ways to serve apples is this Southern preparation of fried apples, similar to what they offer at Cracker Barrel. This 5 ingredient recipe couldn’t be any easier and it tastes so flavorful.
Table of Contents
Fried Apples Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need fresh apples, butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and ground cinnamon.
How Do You Make Fried Apples?
Cut the apples into wedges. Melt the butter in a pan or large skillet, and add both types of sugar as well as cinnamon. Stir everything together, then add the apples to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until the apples are tender and starting to caramelize. Serve and enjoy!
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- I like to cut my apples into thicker slices and leave the peels on because they’re easier to eat. It also helps to ensure they don’t get overly soft as they brown in the sugar and butter.
- This recipe assumes that you’re using an apple with some sweetness to it, such as the Pink Lady apples shown. If you choose a tart apple, such as Granny Smith apples, you may want to increase the sugar by 1/4 cup.
- I stick to the classic cinnamon to spice my apples, but you could also add a pinch of ground cloves, allspice or nutmeg. Another great choice is to use apple pie spice.
- Be sure to keep your stove at medium heat or medium-high heat. If the pan is too hot, the apples could burn on the outside before they cook through.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Quick Tip
While I typically use light brown sugar, you can also use dark brown sugar for a more pronounced molasses flavor.
Recipe FAQs
I choose Pink Lady apples to fry because they have a nice flavor balance of sweet and tart, and they hold their shape when cooked. Other great options are Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn or Golden Delicious.
It takes 10-15 minutes to cook sliced apples on the stove top. To cook a whole apple, I recommend baking it in the oven at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes.
If you’d like a thicker sauce for your fried apples, feel free to mix 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Add the corn starch mixture to the apples in the pan, and cook on high for 1 minute or until the sauce is thick.
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Flavor Variations
Fried apples make a great side dish or snack, but there are so many different ways to pair them with other flavors.
- Ice Cream: Serve your apples over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Breakfast Topping: Spoon your apples over pumpkin pancakes or buttermilk waffles. You can also mix them into french toast casserole.
- Oatmeal: Serve fried apples on top of a hot bowl of oatmeal or cold overnight oats. They’d also be great over chia pudding.
- Side Dish: Offer a side of fried apples alongside brown sugar pork chops or roasted chicken.
- Yogurt: Spoon over vanilla Greek yogurt and sprinkle with granola, pecans or walnuts.
I like to make a double batch of apples so I can enjoy them all week long in various preparations. Everyone is sure to love these apples no matter how you serve them up!
More Great Apple Recipes
Apple Nachos
6 mins
Fried Apple Pies
30 mins
Apple Pork Chops
30 mins
Slow Cooker Apple Cider
2 hrs 5 mins
Apple Fries
30 mins
Fried Apples Video
Love This Recipe?
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Fried Apples
Ingredients
- 6 large apples such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith or Braeburn
- 1/2 cup butter salted or unsalted, both work just fine
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel the apples if desired (I leave the skins on). Cut the apples into wedges.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Add the apples to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until apples have started to caramelize around the edges.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I like to cut my apples into thicker wedges because they’re easier to eat and it helps to ensure they don’t get overly soft as they brown in the sugar and butter.
- This recipe assumes that you’re using an apple with some sweetness to it, such as the Pink Lady apples shown. If you choose a tart apple, such as Granny Smith, you may want to increase the sugar by 1/4 cup.
Made this with vegan butter for my daughter. That’s her favorite dessert she always orders at restaurants . It was a hit! Thank you!
So good with pork chops!
These make such a great side dish, so easy and delicious!
These are perfect in these cute little dishes!!
Great idea for a pancake topping!
We pick fresh apples every year! This will surely be a hit in our house!
This is such a great way to eat apples!
Even though it’s summer these fried apples look amazing! I’m always a fan of enjoying apples year round and this looks like the perfect dinner side or dessert. 🙂
Those pictures really make me want to devour those fried apples! I love apples and totally see this recipe being a huge hit at my house.
Love the way my home smells of apples after baking a recipe like this! Gives me all the feels of fall; I love it! Excited to make these this week!
This was such a sweet treat! Love this recipe, flavors are amazing! Thank you
Fried apples are such an easy dish and great in lots of dishes from breakfast to dessert.
We love making these in the autumn. They are SO good on overnight oats.