Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (2024)

Looking for some ideas to savor the fall apple crop? When apple season is in full swing, this collection ofhealthy apple recipes is perfect for cooking with your abundance.

And be sure to tuck some apples away for the off season! Here’s how to store apples for the winter months.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (1)

On the apple farm

Apples are one of my favorite fruits to bake with. These are (mostly) healthy apple recipes made from whole food ingredients. The best apple recipes start with flavorful, fresh apples. My favorite, bar none?

The Gravenstein apple. When I was a young girl, our first apple crop was the Gravenstein apple, usually in their prime by early August. My dad’s birthday was in July though, so every year Mom made his favorite apple pie with apples still on the green side. It was our first pie of the season, the first taste of the harvest to come.

These are the apples I grew up with and one of the first apple varieties to ripen every season. Their flavor is slightly spicy and a bit tangy. They are a tender apple with thin skin and cook up beautifully when they are ripe. A perfectly ripe Gravenstein has green skin with a slight yellow tinge and red stripes.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (2)

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(There is also a Red Gravenstein apple; they are sweeter than the standard variety and tend toward mushiness, though the flavor is good.)

Gravensteins are only in their prime for a few weeks, though. Overripe Gravensteins will become a bit mushy in a pie. Not to worry — Gravensteins are also the best apple for makingapplesauce;if you find yourself with some very ripe Gravs, they make a wonderful sugar free applesauce.

Finding Gravenstein apples will be the most difficult trick. They don’t ship well, so unless you know someone who has a tree or live in an area where farmers grow Gravensteins, you might be out of luck.

The best apple recipes

My Grandma’s apple pie recipe is (in my opinion) one of the best apple recipes out there. Learn how to make a pie crust and serve this up to your loved ones. They’ll be so happy.

If you’re looking for healthy apple recipes, one of the easiest side dishes you can make is applesauce. Make it in an electric pressure cooker or cook up a big batch and preserve it for the winter.

Healthy apple recipes galore!

Start with fresh apples, add some whole food ingredients, and you’ve got yourself a collection of healthy apple recipes. Now, these aren’t sugar free. Some of these recipes definitely fall in the dessert category. But they’re homemade with real food ingredients. In my mind, that qualifies these as healthy apple recipes.

When it’s harvest time in the orchard and apples are abundant, bake some up into a pie, crisp, or cobbler for dessert. Or can them for a pantry staple you can enjoy year round.

Whether you have a handful or a bushel full of fresh apples, here are some healthy apple recipes to use them.

Must-Try Apple Recipes

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (3)

This lightly sweetened apple cake is delicious and gluten free. (Trust me, they'll never know!) Serve it for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or alongside hot coffee for breakfast.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (4)

Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe

Quicker and easier than an apple pie made with double crusts, you'll love this easy apple cobbler! [Gluten free option, too!]

Easy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Celebrate harvest season with these easy apple cinnamon muffins. Freeze extras for school lunches.

Skillet Apple Pie Recipe

This skillet apple pie recipe always brings people back for more. The rustic presentation combined with the flavors of fall are a show stopping dessert every time.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (5)

Historic Apple Tansey Recipe

This easy recipe dates to the colonial era and is grain and gluten free. It's lightly sweetened, so makes a perfectly suitable breakfast as well as an easy dessert.

Homemade Applesauce Recipe

This homemade applesauce recipe doesn't require any measuring at all. Eat it fresh or try canning applesauce to stock your pantry. It's like pie in a jar!

Grandma's Apple Pie Recipe

The most important thing to know about making apple pie is that it's not hard. My grandma's pie crust might be new to you, but it doesn't have to be fiddly.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

With no added sugar, this slow cooker spiced apple butter recipe is a delicious way to preserve the flavors of fall.

Instant Pot Applesauce

Homemade applesauce in a flash with an Instant Pot!

Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins for the Gluten Free Crowd

These healthy apple cinnamon muffins are a perfect way to start the day.

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Old Fashioned Applesauce Cake with Pecans

This apple spice cake can be baked in an Instant Pot or a standard oven.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (7)

How to Make Dried Apples at Home

These dried apples are healthy snacks with no added sugar. Perfect for the lunchbox!

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (8)

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (9)Originally published in September 2014; this post has been updated.

Healthy Apple Recipes to Enjoy the Abundant Fall Harvest (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with an abundance of apples? ›

There are so many more apple recipes to try – chutney, apple glazed pork chops, apple turnovers, apple cheddar scones, apple molasses upside-down cake, challah, and these extremely adorable apple pie cookies.

Which apple variety is typically harvested in the fall? ›

Those include Braeburn, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Winesap, Cortland, Rome, Jonagold, Suncrisp, Pippin, Cox's Orange Pippin, and Northern Sky.

What to do with your apple harvest? ›

7 Recipes to Make with Your Apple-Picking Haul
  1. Baked Apples with Oatmeal and Yogurt (above) Pick your apples Saturday afternoon and use them for a healthy breakfast on Sunday. ...
  2. Applesauce. ...
  3. Deep-Dish Apple Pie. ...
  4. Cider Chicken with Apples and Onions. ...
  5. Escarole-Apple Salad with Walnut Dressing. ...
  6. Kale and Apple Salad.

What can I do with too many fresh apples? ›

You could also make applesauce, apple butter or apple jelly. You could put them in muffins, crumbles and cakes. You could layer them in sandwiches. You could roast them with sausages or toss them into kale salad.

What is the best fall apple? ›

Fall Apples (good storage apples) —
  • Gala. In season: mid-August to late October. ...
  • Honeycrisp. In season: mid-August to late September. ...
  • Empire. In season: late August to mid-October. ...
  • Jonathan. In season: early September to mid-November. ...
  • Cortland. In season: early September to mid-November. ...
  • Red Delicious. ...
  • Jonagold:

What apples can you pick in October? ›

APPLE CHART
VarietyTasteHarvest
EmpireMore sweet than tart. Extra crisp.Early October
EvercrispSweet and juicyMid October
FujiVery sweet. Firm, crisp, and juicy.Late October
GalaSweet with crisp yellow flesh.Early September
34 more rows

What apples are harvested in September? ›

5 Apple Varieties to Pick in September at Great Country Farms
  • Candy Crisp® -Coming in Mid September.
  • Jonafree-Ripe Early September.
  • Jonagold – Ripe in Early September.
  • Ruby John – Coming in Mid-September.
  • Shizuka – Coming late September.
Sep 1, 2023

What do apple orchards do with fallen apples? ›

Apples that end up on the ground are not wasted. Many times farmers come to collect the apple drops to feed to livestock. If apples are not picked up, they are mowed at the end of the season and help to fertilize next year's crop.

Should I leave fallen apples on the ground? ›

for the fruit to fully decompose. and when that decomposes, that will make that soil trench. there really, really good for growing plants here. whatever you choose to do with the fallen apples, it's best not to leave them on the ground.

Can I freeze apples? ›

Sweeter apples such as Fujis or Galas are more likely to hold their flavor than tart varieties, but any apple will do fine in the freezer for six to nine months. Perhaps more important to keep in mind, though, is that freezing an apple does alter the texture, leaving the flesh spongier than that of a fresh apple.

Do apples last longer in the fridge or on the counter? ›

"They can last six to eight weeks stored in a refrigerator," says Wortz. Scheck notes that if your room temperature is on the warm side, the refrigerator is ideal for storing apples for any amount of time. The countertop is an option for shorter storage; apples can last one to two weeks there.

Are old apples good for baking? ›

Apples that are past their prime might not be great for biting into as an afternoon snack or for a recipe with visible apple slices, but they've still got plenty of flavor. Older apples are great for baking (especially if they're one of the varieties best for baking).

When should you throw away apples? ›

This can keep them fresh for up to 6–8 weeks. If you notice physical signs of expiration, such as bruising, soft spots, or oozing, it's best to discard apples to prevent the intake of potentially dangerous compounds called mycotoxins.

What to do with a large number of apples? ›

So You Brought Home Too Many Apples. Now What?
  1. Applesauce. DIY applesauce not only makes your kitchen smell like fall, it tastes about a billion times better than store-bought stuff. ...
  2. Baked Goods (cake and crisp and pie and cobbler and muffins and bread) ...
  3. Baked Apples. ...
  4. Apple Butter. ...
  5. Turkey Apple Sausage. ...
  6. Extras.
Sep 24, 2018

How do you preserve too many apples? ›

Any kind of apple can be frozen. You can freeze cooking apples and eating apples using the same method: freeze them sliced or whole on a baking tray, then transfer them to freezer bags for long-term cold storage.

What can I do with 20 pounds of apples? ›

Since we're often asked what you can do with your 20-pound box of Michigan apples when you get home, here are some suggestions:
  1. Make Applesauce. ...
  2. Dry Some Apple Slices. ...
  3. Whip Up Some Apple Butter. ...
  4. Bake an Apple Pie. ...
  5. Make Homemade Apple Juice. ...
  6. Bake Apple Crisp. ...
  7. Dip Your Apples in Caramel. ...
  8. Add Apple Slices to a Charcuterie Board.
Oct 8, 2023

Can you freeze fresh apples? ›

Sweeter apples such as Fujis or Galas are more likely to hold their flavor than tart varieties, but any apple will do fine in the freezer for six to nine months. Perhaps more important to keep in mind, though, is that freezing an apple does alter the texture, leaving the flesh spongier than that of a fresh apple.

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