Easy Fried Apples Recipe (Like Cracker Barrel!)
There’s something about warm, cinnamon-spiced fried apples that just feels like home. Tender apples cook in butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon until coated in a thick, sweet sauce. If you love the fried apples at Cracker Barrel, you can make a similar Southern-style side dish at home in about 30 minutes.
Serve these easy fried apples alongside a meal, spoon them over pancakes or waffles, or turn them into dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredient Notes
- Apples: Granny Smith apples are tart and hold their shape well during cooking. Honeycrisp apples are sweeter but also remain fairly firm. Fuji and Gala work, too, but will give you sweeter, softer fried apples.
- Butter: Adds richness to the sauce and complements the apples and cinnamon.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: The combination sweetens the apples and helps create the syrupy sauce.
- Cinnamon: Gives fried apples their classic warm flavor. You can add a small pinch of nutmeg or allspice if you’d like.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the buttery cinnamon-sugar liquid into a sauce that coats the apples.
Instructions
- Peel the apples and cut them into even slices or chunks.
- Add the apples, butter, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large cast-iron skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but not mushy.
- Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and stir the cornstarch mixture into the apples. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Let the fried apples cool for about 10 minutes before serving. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
What to Serve With Fried Apples
Fried apples aren’t just for dessert. In the South, they’re often served as a sweet side dish with savory meals. Try them with pork chops, baked ham, roasted chicken, or a country-style breakfast.
For something sweeter, spoon them over pancakes, waffles, French toast, oatmeal, pound cake, cheesecake, or vanilla ice cream.
Fried Apples
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel the apples and cut them into even slices or chunks.
- Add the apples, butter, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a large cast-iron skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender but not mushy.
- Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and stir the cornstarch mixture into the apples.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Let the fried apples cool for about 10 minutes before serving. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Any firm, crisp apple would work well, Granny Smith are wonderful if you’d like a more tart topping. Mealy apples such as red delicious do not hold up well to cooking.
- Store in an air-tight glass jar in the fridge and eat throughout the week.
- Freeze in quart-size freezer bags: fill bags and remove all air, freeze flat. When you’re ready to eat, cut away the plastic bag with kitchen shears and thaw in a saucepan on low, covered.
- Try adding a pinch of nutmeg and/or ginger, and a splash of vanilla extract.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Storage & Reheating
- Freeze: Fried apples can be frozen, although the apples will be softer after thawing.
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave. If the sauce has become too thick, stir in a small splash of water or apple juice.
Tips for the Best Fried Apples
- Cut the apples evenly. Similar-sized pieces cook at approximately the same rate, so you don’t end up with some pieces mushy while others are still firm.
- Don’t overcook them. Cook until the apples are easily pierced with a fork but still hold their shape.
- Use cold water with the cornstarch. Cornstarch mixes more smoothly into cold liquid and is less likely to form lumps.
- Let the sauce rest. It may look a little thin when you remove the skillet from the heat. Give it several minutes -the sauce thickens as it cools.
Variations & Serving Ideas
- Dairy-Free: Use plant-based butter in place of regular butter.
- Extra-Spiced: Add a pinch of nutmeg or allspice along with the cinnamon.
- Apple Cider Fried Apples: Replace some or all of the water used in the cornstarch slurry with apple cider for additional apple flavor.
FAQs About Fried Apples
Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp work well. Tart apples hold their shape better, while sweeter ones cook down softer.
Yes – peeled apples create a softer texture, while leaving the peel on gives a bit of chew and color. It’s personal preference!
Yes, just reheat gently before serving. They taste even better once the flavors have melded.
Use a firm apple and cook it only until fork-tender. Cut the pieces to a similar size and keep the heat relatively low while the apples cook. Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are particularly good choices when you want the pieces to hold their shape.
If you can’t get enough apple desserts, I’ve got plenty more cozy recipes for you to try. My Puff Pastry Apple Roses are as beautiful as they are delicious, Cozy Apple Crisp is a timeless fall favorite, and my Easy Apple Dump Cake is the ultimate low-effort, high-reward dessert.
These Skillet Fried Apples are simple, nostalgic, and endlessly versatile. They’re just as perfect at the breakfast table as they are on the dessert menu. Once you try them, you’ll see why this cozy dish has been a Southern staple for generations.
Last Bite
👉 Have you made fried apples at home? Share your favorite way to enjoy them in the comments – over ice cream, on pancakes, or straight from the skillet!
