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Perfectly tart, delectably sweet, and wonderfully cinnamony, these classic Southern fried apples are an absolute autumn dream! Rich and warm, they can be served as a dessert with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream, or with breakfast, on top of warm oatmeal or fluffy waffles. Easy to make paleo, vegan, or refined-sugar-free!
Before You Get Started
- The apples you use for fried apples do make a difference! Personally, I find Granny Smith green apples to be the best choice here. They’re tart, but not too tart; sweet, but not too sweet; and they have a crisp texture that holds up well to cooking. Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, or Honeycrisp apples will also work. Avoid any that get really soft or mushy when they’re cooked, like Red Delicious apples.
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Make the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Sauce.
Melt ¾ of a stick of unsalted butter, then stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. You’re welcome to use more of any or all of these ingredients depending on your preferences. I like a lighter cinnamon flavor so I only use 1 teaspoon, but you might want to double that!
Be careful not to burn off too much of the butter! Heat it just until it’s melted – you want to have enough to fully incorporate the dry ingredients and also to totally smother the apple slices.
Fry the apples.
Make sure the apple slices are well-coated in the brown sugar butter sauce, then let the skillet do the rest of the work. Flip and stir them as needed so that all of the apple slices cook completely, and only cook them until they just start to break down. You want to maintain some of that crisp texture!
When you slice your apples, try to keep the slices as uniform as possible! If you have really thick slices mixed in with really thin slices, they won’t cook evenly, and you’ll end up with a blend of over- and under-fried apples.
What I Love About This Recipe
- Cinnamon fried apples are basically the embodiment of autumn, especially if you’re not so much a pumpkin spice girlie. They’re warm and sweet and so rich, and with apple season typically peaking in September, this is the perfect recipe to use up some of your apple-picking haul. Trust me, if you’ve ever had the cinnamon apples from Cracker Barrel, you’ll love this homemade version.
- They’re super versatile – you can literally enjoy them for breakfast, dinner, AND dessert. Top your morning oatmeal or a stack of fluffy waffles with fried apples and plenty of cinnamon brown sugar sauce. Serve them on the side of a juicy pork chop or pan-seared chicken thighs. Plop them in a bowl and add a giant scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. THE BEST!
Recipe Variations
- Sweetener Options: I really prefer the richness and depth of dark brown sugar here. Since the recipe’s so simple, that flavor really shines. You’re welcome to use whatever you like – white sugar, light brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, Brown Swerve, etc.
- Go Dairy Free: A plant-based butter will work for fried apples! If you only need a lactose-free option, you can replace the butter with ghee.
- Spice Up Your Life: Can’t get enough fall flavor? I hear you! Try a touch of nutmeg or apple pie spice on your fried apples instead of only using cinnamon. Apple pie spice is most commonly a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but you may find some variations that include cardamom and ginger, too.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Southern Fried Apples
Equipment
- Large skillet
- whisk
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large pinch salt more or less to taste
- 4 large Granny Smith apples approximately 1 ¼ pounds; peeled or unpeeled, cored, sliced
Instructions
- Place large skillet on stovetop over medium heat. Add 6 tablespoons unsalted butter to skillet and let butter melt completely, swirling and tilting pan occasionally to distribute butter across entire surface.
- Once butter has melted, add ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 large pinch salt to skillet. Whisk to incorporate, stirring constantly until brown sugar and salt have dissolved completely, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add slices of 4 large Granny Smith apples to skillet. Flip apple slices to coat fully in brown sugar cinnamon mixture.
- Let apples cook approximately 5 to 8 minutes or until apples just begin to break down, flipping apples as needed to ensure all slices cook completely.
- Transfer apples to serving bowls with vanilla ice cream or warm oatmeal, or enjoy apples on their own. Serve warm.
- Dark Brown Sugar: You can replace this with light brown sugar, coconut sugar, Brown Swerve, or maple syrup.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Granny Smith! They’re the perfect combo of tart and sweet, and their texture really holds up to the high heat of the skillet.
You can absolutely freeze fried apples! Let them cool completely, then pop them in an airtight container and place them in the freezer. If stored properly, they’ll keep up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that the texture will change a bit when they’re defrosted and reheated.
If your fried apples are frozen, defrost them overnight in the fridge before reheating. Refrigerated fried apples are best reheated on the stovetop, just until they’re warmed through and the butter sauce is melted.
Honestly, anything! They go well with sweet AND savory dishes. Roast chicken or turkey, juicy pork chops, oatmeal, French toast, waffles, vanilla ice cream. You can even enjoy them all on their own.
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I used what I had on hand, which was an apple orchard variety, no Granny Smith. I also added a pinch of nutmeg, a splash of vanilla, a handful of raisins, and a few walnuts. The base was ooey gooey, yet light. I’m glad I added my extras because I think the recipe is right in calling for Granny Smith. I’m sure the tartness really adds to the flavor. I’ll definitely go that route the next time.
Thanks for sharing! An apple orchard sounds amazing! We hope you will try it again. 🙂