Stewed Apples
Soft, sweet and delicately spiced, these stewed apples are the perfect topping for your breakfast bowls, pancakes and waffles.
Fresh apples are sliced and cooked low and slow in a mix of sugar and spices until they soften slightly, making one of the easiest and most versatile condiments ever! Just like my classic blueberry sauce, this one's sure to be a breakfast favorite in your household.
I've recently been on a roll, preserving fresh fruit every chance I get. Just last week, I made a batch of roasted strawberries, and used up some extra fresh figs that I had to make a nice fig paste.
This time, I had lots of apples, and that's when I thought of trying out this easy recipe with fall-inspired flavors. A few pantry staples and 15 minutes is all it takes to make a nice batch of these delicious apples that you'll love every bite of. And if you have a bit of extra time, try my spiced pear butter recipe too!
Quick Look
- 🔪Prep time: 5 min.
- ⏲️Cook time: 15 min.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋Main ingredients: Apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, lemon juice.
- ♨️Cooking method: Chop apples 🡢 transfer to a saucepan with brown sugar and cinnamon and cook 🡢 add butter and lemon juice 🡢 cook until apples are slightly soft 🡢 cool and enjoy or store for later.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Spoon some of the stewed apples over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top with Feuilletine flakes for a bit of texture.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- They're incredibly versatile- just like my apple cider caramel sauce! You can use the stewed apples as a topping for your breakfast oatmeal bowls, on pancakes and waffles and even as a filling for your apple pies and pastries.
- It's a great way to put extra apples to use. I like to use some for my fermented apples and reserve some of this one.
- It's really easy to make and almost impossible to mess up- really!
Recipe Ingredients
Apples: Use ripe, fresh apples, preferably organic ones. Any kind of apples will do- you can use either sweet or tart- all depending on your preference.
Brown sugar: For that sweetness and depth of flavor. You can use white sugar too. Sometimes, I use my homemade date sugar too.
Cinnamon: Just a dash, for that earthy aroma and a bit of spice. Sometimes, I like to switch things up and use a pinch of my Air Fryer ginger powder instead.
Butter: Salted butter, for that richness and flavor.
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed, to tie all the flavors together.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- To make vegan stewed apples, swap the butter in the recipe for a plant based butter of your choice.
- For a bit of extra flavor, you can also add a dash of vanilla or my olive oil caramel sauce.
- If you don't have fresh lemons, you can add a dash of apple cider vinegar or strawberry vinegar to balance the sweetness with a little tartness.
- You can also use a mix of apples and pears to bring a nice bit of flavor variation.
How to Make Stewed Apples
Step 1: Core and slice the apples. Cut into medium sized chunks.
Step 2: Transfer to a saucepan with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the butter and lemon juice and mix well. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes, mixing occasionally.
Step 4: Once the apples soften a bit, take the saucepan off heat and allow the apples to cool down. Serve or store for later.
💭Top Tip
Want to cut down the cooking time further? Chop the apples into even smaller pieces.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you want to use a natural sweetener, skip adding the brown sugar and use coconut sugar or a spoonful of date puree instead. Sometimes, I end up using my homemade golden syrup here!
- The cooking time will depend on the size of your apple chunks and how you prefer the final texture. If you want the stewed apples to be softer, keep cooking them for a few extra minutes.
- Start with a little sugar, taste and add more if needed. This is especially true if you're starting with a sweeter variety of apples.
- Use a heavy bottomed pan for the recipe- this will help keep the apples from burning. I did this when I made my peach jalapeno jam too!
- You can also add a bit of cornstarch, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch to thicken up the mixture.
How to Use Stewed Apples
These cinnamon stewed apples are perfect as a topping over your bowl of granola or oats, or even as an addition to your yogurt parfait. I love spooning some of this into a jar of my homemade coconut yogurt and enjoying it as a snack.
On days when we're having pancakes or waffles for breakfast, I love serving an assortment of toppings like fig compote or my spiced Christmas jam, a nice crunchy pecan praline sauce and some of my date syrup, and these stewed apples are also a must!
Troubleshooting and FAQs
You can store your leftover stewed apples for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Use an airtight container or glass jar for storage.
You can enjoy the leftovers cold too! If you really want to reheat them though, simply pop them in the microwave with a splash of water and warm them up.
You absolutely can! Simply allow them to cool down completely, transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Make sure you thaw completely before reheating for the best texture!
You can, but you don't need to. You'll be cooking down the apples, which will soften their peel, and you'll actually enjoy the texture.
More Fruit Preserves
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this stewed apples or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Stewed Apples
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Core and slice the apples. Cut into medium sized chunks.
- Transfer to a saucepan with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the butter and lemon juice and mix well. Continue cooking for 10 more minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Once the apples soften a bit, take the saucepan off heat and allow the apples to cool down. Serve or store for later.
Notes
- Want to cut down the cooking time further? Chop the apples into even smaller pieces.
- Start with a little sugar, taste and add more if needed. This is especially true if you're starting with a sweeter variety of apples.
- The cooking time will depend on the size of your apple chunks and how you prefer the final texture. If you want the stewed apples to be softer, keep cooking them for a few extra minutes.
- You can also add a bit of cornstarch, arrowroot powder or tapioca starch to thicken up the mixture.
