These healthy, simple sautéed apples taste like apple pie filling and can top anything your heart desires! Spoon over your morning oatmeal, pancakes, cakes, ice cream, or French toast. Or, chill and serve with yogurt or smoothie bowls!
If you need something that tastes like apple pie in five minutes, then you need to try these sautéed apples! Cooking apples with cinnamon and a touch of honey or maple syrup is like having a healthy apple pie filling at the ready for topping whatever you want, and sautéing is one of the easiest and fastest methods to do it.
When sautéed in cinnamon and maple syrup, apples make the most delicious topping for cozy morning steel cut oatmeal, French toast, pancakes... or even chilled foods like yogurt. Even as a snack on their own, these healthy cooked apples are a delicious and healthy way to satisfy a sweet tooth. So let's make them!
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Ingredients
- Coconut oil - Preferably extra virgin and unrefined.
- Apples - Your favorite variety! I love using a tart or sweet-tart variety here, as the flavor really pops when the tartness contrasts with the sweet ingredients. Some of my favorites are Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jazz, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith. In Wisconsin, it's also common to use McIntosh or Cortlands as apples for cooking and baking, so those would do well here, too!
- Cinnamon
- Maple syrup
- Lemon
- Salt
Substitutions & Variations
Since this recipe is made up of pretty basic and essential ingredients, there aren't a ton of substitutions or variations. A couple suggestions below!
- Pears - This recipe also works deliciously with pears instead of apples. Even combining the two is super tasty! Since pears are softer, I like to cook them for less time to avoid them getting mushy.
- Dice instead of slice - You can dice the apples into small cubes instead of slicing them, which can make these easier to eat as a warm oatmeal or yogurt topping.
- Butter - Try using butter instead of coconut oil to sauté the apples! Note, they will no longer be vegan (unless you use vegan butter).
- Maple syrup - You could use another natural liquid sweetener such as honey or agave.
Instructions
Step 1: Thinly slice your apples and coat with lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 2: Heat coconut oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
Step 3: Add the cinnamon apple mixture to the pan and sauté for about give minutes, or until apples are soft and warm.
Step 4: Serve with flaky salt if desired, and maybe a sprinkle of walnuts, pecans, or granola (cozy maple pecan granola would be divine)!
Success Tip: Depending on what you plan to use the sautéed apples for, you can either thinly slice them (as pictured here), or dice them up!
How to Serve Sautéed Apples
Okay, now what should we do with delicious cinnamon sautéed apples? The cool thing about these apples is that they're delicious chilled and warm, so you can adapt them to what you're serving. Here are some ideas:
- Yogurt parfaits or bowls - I've been making these apple pie yogurt bowls for years, and they are so simple and delicious!
- Ice cream topper - Dice up your chilled sautéed apples and spoon over vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with caramel or top with something crunchy like pecans. Yum!
- Smoothie bowl topping - Similar to ice cream and yogurt, top a vanilla protein smoothie bowl with diced sautéed apples (chilled).
- Overnight oats - Make apple pie overnight oats with your chilled sautéed apples. You can simply add them to a basic protein overnight oats with some cinnamon or apple pie spice!
- Oatmeal - Make your morning bowl of oatmeal into a delicious, comforting apple pie flavored breakfast.
- Pancake or French toast topping - Spoon sautéed apples over pancakes or French toast while still warm.
- Plain with toppings - Eat the apples plain with whipped topping, a dusting of cinnamon and walnuts or pecans for crunch, or even your favorite granola (maple cinnamon walnut granola, anyone?)
Cooked Apples FAQ
Yes! These sautéed apples are cooked with a little maple syrup, which is a natural sweetener, and you don't need a ton of it to make the apples taste amazing. Also, studies show that cinnamon has many health benefits, as do apples (more on that in this article about apple nutrition).
If you're not serving warm, you can store cooked apples after they've had a chance to cool completely. Simply place them in an airtight container and store in the fridge so you can use the amount you need.
It depends on what you're using the apples for, but when it comes to baking and cooking, typically apples on the tart side work best. Cortlands, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, Jazz, and Granny Smith apples all have some level of tartness to them that make them perfect cooking apples.
Yes! Sautéed or cooked apples can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. Just make sure to let them cool completely before you freeze them. When you're ready to use them, let them thaw at room temperature, and reheat as necessary.
Generally, late summer through fall is considered apple season, typically peaking in September and October for most varieties. Honeycrisp, McIntosh, and Cortlands are cooking apples that peak in September and October. However, Pink Lady, Jazz, and Granny Smith seasons last into spring. Fuji season is later u002du002d November and December.
📖 Recipe
Simple Sautéed Apples
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Description
These simple sautéed apples taste like apple pie filling and can top anything your heart desires! Spoon warm over your morning oatmeal, pancakes, cakes, ice cream, or French toast. Or, serve chilled on top of yogurt or overnight oats.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 large or 3 medium apples, thinly sliced
- 2-3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (+ more to taste)
Instructions
- Apples. Add the sliced apples to a bowl and toss in lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
- Preheat. Heat coconut oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until melted and hot (should move quickly across the pan when you tilt it).
- Sauté apples. Add the apple-cinnamon mixture to the pan and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened and warm, stirring occasionally to get all sides of the apples exposed to the heat. Once done, remove from heat and serve warm, or transfer to a container to enjoy later.
Notes
- Serving suggestions: These sautéed apples are delicious served warm over pancakes, French toast, warm oatmeal, and as a dessert topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. They are also delicious served chilled in yogurt parfaits, on vanilla ice cream, or in overnight oats.
- Apples: You can use your favorite kind of apple! For the best flavor, I recommend sweet-tart varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Jazz, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith (more on the tart side).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Snack, topping
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 128
- Sugar: 20.3 g
- Sodium: 148 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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