Baked Apples

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Baked apples are filled with the best of fall’s sweet flavors. Warm spices, oats, nuts and raisins turn the humble apple into a simple, cozy dessert the whole family will love.

Three baked apples on a plate with melted ice cream on top.

Once the fall season hits, nothing tastes better than a classic recipe that brings back childhood memories. For me, baked apples were always the first dessert to hit the oven, and I loved filling the house with that cinnamon apple aroma.

But the best part is that baked apples taste just like an apple pie, with only half the effort to make. All you have to do is scoop, stuff, and bake – it’s incredibly easy. And oh, so tasty.

Choose The Right Apples For Baking

When it comes to apple recipes, remember that choosing the right ones will make all the difference. Why? Because apples all bake a bit differently.

For this recipe you want the apples to be soft on the inside while maintaining their firm shape. I use Honeycrisp apples in this recipe, but any large baking apple should work just fine, like Fuji, Gala, Cortland, Pink Lady, Jazz or Braeburns.

Baked Apples Ingredients

The filling of this recipe is similar to the topping on my apple crisp or berry crisp. Here’s a list of things you’ll need.

  • Apples: Any of the above options will work!
  • Old Fashioned Oats: Rolled oats are my ideal choice for a chunky texture.
  • Nuts: Feel free to use your favorite nuts. I’m definitely a fan of pecans.
  • Dried Fruit: I’m using raisins, but you can use any dried fruit.
  • Coconut Sugar: My favorite unrefined sugar in granulated form.
  • Spices: Nothing evokes fall better than a cinnamon and nutmeg combo.
  • Butter or Ghee: Helps to bind the topping together.
  • Apple Cider: To baste the apples while they’re cooking. You could also use apple juice.
  • Lemon Juice: Just a squeeze over the apples keeps them fresh.

Want to make this dairy-free or vegan? Just swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below

Ingredients for baked apples on a table.

How To Make Baked Apples

  • Create cinnamon oat mixture. Mix together the oats, pecans, dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter in a bowl.
  • Core the apples. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the apples. Then using a melon baller or knife, scoop a cavity that’s an inch or so wide.
  • Peel the top skin. Use a paring knife to remove 1/2″ of the apple’s skin on top to prevent it from bursting.
  • Fill in the good stuff. In a baking dish, stand the apples upright and stuff with the cinnamon oat mixture.
  • Pour and bake. Pour the apple cider into the pan and bake for about 45-60 minutes. Remember to baste them a few times!
  • Serve hot. You can pour the syrupy liquid over the apples or top it with ice cream. Keep on reading for more options.
The filling ingredients for baked apples in a mixing bowl.

Tips For The Best Baked Apple Recipe

  • Watch the time. Each type of apple varies in terms of moisture, so keep an eye on them once they hit the 45 minute mark while baking.
  • Don’t cut all the way. When coring your apple, make sure to not cut all the way through to the bottom. Otherwise your filling will spill out.
  • Balance your apples. If you find that your apples are wobbly and not standing upright, slice the bottom of the apple to balance it out.
Photos showing the process of how to make baked apples.
Baked apples in a baking dish fresh out of the oven.

Topping And Filling Variations

For toppings, a scoop of ice cream (that turns melty delicious) on top is always a winning combo. But you can also…

For the filling, you can…

  • Mix in candied ginger.
  • Swap pecans with walnuts or slivered almonds.
  • Use pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Storing And Reheating

  • To Store: These will stay fresh in a container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
  • To Reheat: Simply pop one of your baked apples in the microwave for one minute.
  • Make ahead 1-2 days before serving. While these are best fresh, you can make them ahead and then re-bake them in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Topping the baked apples with a scoop of ice cream.

Delicious And Easy Fall Desserts

Cozy desserts are what fall is all about. So here’s a few delicious ideas to add to your list.

Baked Apples Recipe Video

Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below! 

Easy Baked Apples

4.96 from 50 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Baked apples are a simple, cozy dessert the whole family will love and filled with warm spices, oats, nuts, and raisins. Watch the video above!

Video

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 375F. Add the oats, chopped pecans, dried fruit, coconut sugar, cinnamon nutmeg, and melted butter to a bowl. Then mix that together until it's well combined.
  • Using a melon baller or paring knife, core the tops of the apples. Then scoop out some of the apple, so that you have a cavity about an inch and a half wide. Just make sure you don't core through the bottom of the apple.
  • Remove about 1/2" of the skin around the top. This helps to prevent the apple skin from bursting when baking. Transfer your apples to a baking dish, standing them upright, and if they wobble you can slice a little bit off the bottom to make them more stable. Then squeeze the lemon over the top edge of the apple.
    Squeezing lemon over the cored apples.
  • Then stuff the apples with the cinnamon oat mixture.
    Four apples stuffed with filling in a baking dish.
  • Pour the apple cider or apple juice into the bottom of the pan.
  • Bake the apples for 45-60 minutes, basting a couple of times throughout with the liquid from the pan. The apples are done when they're tender when pierced with a fork.
    Four baked apples in a baking dish.
  • Spoon the syrupy liquid from the pan over the apples before serving. You can also top them with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, or a dash of cinnamon.
    Baked apples topped with ice cream.

Lisa’s Tips

  • To Store: These will stay fresh in a container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
  • To Reheat: Simply pop one of your baked apples in the microwave for one minute.
  • Make ahead 1-2 days before serving. Then re-bake them in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
  • I’m using an 8″x 8″ square baking dish for 4 apples. But you could always use a larger baking dish if you double the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 273IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked apples, cinnamon baked apples
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.96 from 50 votes

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Recipe Rating




117 Comments

  1. Thank you, Lisa, for the great recipe! They turned out great and even more delicious the next day. I did not use apple cider but made an apple sauce from the cored apple meat in the Vitamix with a little water and honey. It was moist and delicious. Have been sharing your recipes like crazy.5 stars

    1. Sounds like a great improvise with your ingredients! Happy you loved the recipe and thank you for sharing them. :)

  2. Lisa, thank you so much for the tasty recipe! I tested this recipe last night in anticipation of making these for Thanksgiving and they were very tasty. I’ll need to play around with taking more skin off the top because one of the two I made collapsed a bit at the 45 minute mark. I also noticed that my raisins burned, so maybe I just need to stick those inside the apples instead of on top.

    I discovered your videos a few months ago and have loved your recipes! Your classy and eloquent style makes your videos really enjoyable to watch. I’ve especially enjoyed your seasonal/themed meal prep videos. I hope you’ll make more of those!

    Happy Thanksgiving!5 stars

    1. Glad you enjoyed these baked apples Chrissy! I try to remove as much from the top as possible so it creates enough space for the filling. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving as well and stay tuned for meal prep info :)

  3. Best recipe of baked apples! I tried two weeks ago, and I am baking the apples right now again. I love the combination of spices. Nutmeg+Cinnamon. Perfecto! Thank you Lisa!5 stars

  4. I’ve made these three times and they’ve been a hit! I swapped the cinnamon and nutmeg for some pumpkin pie spice that I wanted to use up, and I topped them with vanilla ice cream :)5 stars

  5. Lisa, I made the Baked Apples On Halloween. They are the best tasting Baked Apples! The best part was definitely the filling. 5 stars

  6. These were the perfect treat for Halloween night. They were delicious topped with a bit of vanilla bean ice cream. So good!5 stars

  7. I just did it today (Bake Apple) for Halloween Night Family get together and it was a big hit, everyone loves it! Soo good and soo yummy!😋 Highly recommended. Can’t wait to do it again.5 stars

    1. Woot! Sounds like the perfect sweet treat for Halloween night. I’m glad and your family enjoyed the recipe, Rebecca!

  8. These Baked apples were so delicious.  I have never had or made baked apples before.  It was an easy recipe and it was very hard not to eat just the filling all by itself. I will definitely make these again. 5 stars

  9. You don’t have to be a baker for this recipe as it was very easy to make and so delicious. I easily veganized it and my guests were all super impressed. Highly recommend! 5 stars

    1. Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved the recipe, Lana. And yes, with how easy it is to make, it’s perfect for any time of year!

  10. Hi – great combination and love the stuffing before it went in the apples; currants and pecans.

    I found mine too acidic when I using apple cider vinegar. I will make with apple juice next time.  

    1. Hi Kathleen – oh yes, you’re not supposed to use apple cider vinegar, just apple cider juice. :) That would definitely be too acidic. But apple juice works as well. Hope they come out even better next time!

  11. These are delicious!! I loved making these on a cold Fall day! We topped ours with your caramel sauce that was incredible! Thank you for sharing the recipe with us! Can’t wait to make again!5 stars

  12. Making these with my daycare kids. They’re in the oven and the children can’t wait! Just a heads up, if you take too much of the flesh out (the kids were snacking on the flesh as I scooped it out) you’ll need more filling! My house smells so good too – as opposed to kid smell – lol!

  13. We had a cold snap here in Arizona earlier this week so this seemed like a perfect recipe to try!

    I eat grain free so the only adjustment I made was to substitute some almond flour and cassava flour for the oats. The recipe worked well and my kitchen smelled wonderful as I baked the apples at lunchtime today!5 stars

  14. These are seriously so easy and absolutely delicious. I added toasted coconut flakes to mine and topped them with my homemade cinnamon whipped cream. They’re absolutely the best fall treat👌🏼5 stars

  15. I made these tonight and they were delicious! Absolutely perfect for getting cozy on the couch with and watching Christmas movies. Not to mention that the house smells amazing while these bake:)5 stars

  16. Hi Lisa,

    Thanks for your reply and also sharing this yummy recipe. It  is my favourite for the time being . Healthy yet feels indulgent. No I was not using baking sheet , I just  used an aluminium baking tray. 5 stars

  17. These apples were incredible! They really hit the spot, and I plan to make them again sometime next week! 20/10 recommend!5 stars

  18. Just made this recipe. I used pecans, dried cramberries and some chopped pepitas as well. I turned out great! You were right, what a great smell in the house <3. Thank you Lisa!5 stars

  19. I had THE best Fall day, today, making these delicious baked apples during an ice storm! I made two batches – one for us and one to share. Everyone LOVED them!

    I also made Lisa’s Caramel Sauce to drizzle on top! It was unbelievably yummy!

    Make this all Fall long! Perfect for upcoming Friendsgivings!!5 stars

    1. Wonderful! I’m thrilled you loved the recipe, Kelly. And kudos to you for making the caramel sauce as well – that’s a perfect combo!

  20. What a delicious baked apple!!!! I put on top of them a little vanilla ice cream scoop and it was perfect!!!!
    I totally recommend it!!!!5 stars

  21. The best baked apples I have ever eaten! So very yummy, warm, and comforting especially during the colder days. Definitely recommend this recipe.5 stars

  22. Thank you for this great recipe. We have just finished eating it. Total acceptance and delight from all members of my family. I used walnuts, ghee and brown sugar, as I don’t have coconut sugar here. Not too sweet, but very satisfying, with real vanilla ice-cream. A definite keeper.5 stars

  23. They are really easy and perfect baked apples! I wanted to try different apples so I picked 4 different kinds, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Granny Smith :) I really liked Honeycrisp and Fuji (can’t pick a favorite)! Granny Smith was quite sour for me, but it was my friend’s favorite one with some oatmilk ice cream! I also like to use as little sugar as possible, so I used a very small amount of date syrup (probably less than 1 table spoon) instead of coconut sugar, vegan butter, walnuts, raisins, and mulberries for my fillings and they were still so good! Cannot wait to make them again!5 stars

  24. It is very easy to make, and the filling is to die for! I recommend watching the video if it is the first time that you carve an apple because it is very well explained.5 stars

  25. Made these last night. Might need to cook them a little longer but I’ll do that as I reheat what’s left. Taste great and such a healthy dessert.5 stars

  26. The recipe is easy to make and tastes delicious. My 10 year old daughter made it by herself from start to finish. We will definitely be making it again. We will try drizzling it with some homemade caramel  sauce next time.  5 stars

  27. Hi Lisa, I cannot consume oats of any kind. Is there something you can suggest I replace them with? Thank you 

    1. Hi Jennifer – check out the topping I used on my pear and pomegranate crumble recipe. You could do something similar to that!

  28. Another top-notch recipe! Like most Downshiftology recipes, my son loved making these with me! They were baking while we ate dinner (hello Downshiftology spatchcock chicken!). My family couldn’t WAIT for the timer to go off! Perfectly, naturally sweet. Great crunch from the oats and nuts. This one will be on repeat all fall and winter here! Thanks for another perfect recipe, Lisa!5 stars

    1. This really is such a great dessert to make with the kids! I’m glad everyone got to enjoy this dessert and can now enjoy this all season long :)

    2. Finally made this and they are easy and delicious!!! I actually used Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith and they are all different and tasted so good! Honeycrisp was probably my favorite! I also like to use less sugar as much as possible, so I used a small amount of date syrup (about 1 table spoon) instead of coconut sugar. I also didn’t have pecans so used walnuts with some raisins and mulberry berries and vegan butter and my fillings were still delicious! Perfect amount of sweetness with a bit of ice cream on top!5 stars

      1. Loved how you made this with a variety of apples! But glad this recipe still turned out well with the few substitutions you made :)

  29. Absolutely delicious! I made this tonight and my kitchen is filled with perfect fall smells… and the taste is amazing! I made mine with apple pie spice and it worked really well. I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving!5 stars

  30. Just made these tonight and they were a hit! We used dried cranberries and accidentally bought toasted pecans but it still worked well! Basting is definitely key* 
    Topped with cool whip and they were so yummy! My kids loved it! 5 stars

  31. Great recipe! I made this today and it was absolutely delicious. I added home-made caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Best baked apple I’ve ever had! Thank you Lisa!5 stars

  32. Loved these baked apples. Using apple cider was a great addition to typical baked apple recipes. Thanks Lisa!

  33. Absolutely loved , satisfies my late night sweet tooth and no guilt .

    However the apple cider liquid was burnt on the tray . Could you please help me understand the reason ? 

  34. I had some apple that I’ve been wondering and asking myself what should I turn them into, and then this recipe came out😅. It was very easy to put together, coring the first apple was a bit tricky for me but you get the hang of it quickly. I used my stainless measuring spoons and they worked great. The apples were very tasty a combination of soft sweet apples and crunchy filling and the scoop of ice cream was the perfect topping. Definitely recommend giving this one a try5 stars

    1. Happy to hear this dessert was a success Yoara! It really is the best combo between soft and crunchy textures :)

  35. This looks amazing. I have a ton of oats in my cupboard from a recipe I had a while ago and have been waiting to use them for something.

    Could I use regular (white) sugar instead of coconut or is that a big no no?

    Thank you Lisa!5 stars

    1. Hi Jack- Perfect timing! You can use white sugar, although I might suggest to use brown sugar if you have that on hand. If not, white is totally fine.

  36. My kiddos and I made this together! We have been spending a lot more time in the kitchen lately and its so fun. They really enjoyed making this recipe but they enjoyed eating it even more! Thanks for this delish creation, we are adding it to our “make again” list!!5 stars

    1. This really is such a fun recipe to make with kids, so I’m glad you all enjoyed this one! Can’t wait for you to make it again :)

  37. Hi! This looks amazing! We can’t have tree nuts or peanuts. Can we just omit the nuts and it would turn out ok? We can have pumpkin seeds. it sure if that would work the same?

    1. Thank you Lisa for this recipe! It was extraordinary. My family loved it. I cored my apples with a teaspoon, used apple juice to bake, and everything went perfect. I used vanilla and pecan ice cream as a topping. Soo delicious!!
      This is the first time I make a dessert like this, so definitely won’t be the last. Easy and tasty.5 stars

  38. I NEED to try this recipe! My roommates are vegan so I love that there’s such a simple way to cater to that. Can’t wait to give these apples a taste :)5 stars

  39. I have never baked an apple and I’m wondering what happens to any seeds/core that aren’t removed when we don’t core all the way down? Are they ever a concern?

  40. Interesting topping mix.  I grew up on baked apples.  When I attended college I had my dorm mates devouring them instead of cafe snack food.  Cleaned as you describe and then filled with butter, cinnamon, dried prunes or fresh cranberries and a small amount of sugar.  This is how my great grandmother taught me.  Every season, when we head to the orchard to pick apples, we bake them the same way.  I’m so surprise how over looked a baked apple is.  One of the simplest pleasures.  Another winner, Lisa!5 stars

    1. This recipe definitely brings back a nostalgic feeling and childhood memories! And it’s such a great way to transform an apple into a delicious dessert :)

  41. I’ve never made baked apples before but these are the perfect first version to try! Love all that fall flavor and how pretty they are.5 stars