Get ready to cook and bake some of the best fall apple recipes! This collection includes sweet and savory apple recipes that you can make for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert.
Fall brings so many delicious sweet and savory seasonal ingredients to the table.
Pumpkin recipes are everywhere (try our Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, Pumpkin Roll Cakes with Cream Cheese Filling, or Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with Gingersnap Crust).
Brussels sprouts take center stage.
But if I were to choose one fave fall ingredient, it would be apples!
Apples are absolutely one of my favorite fall ingredients to cook with and to bake with. The possibilities are endless!
But before we get in the kitchen and start making these recipes, let's first look at the best apples for cooking and the best apples for baking.
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🍎 Which apples are best for cooking?
Gala apples are my family's favorite apples. We almost always have some in our house!
These red apples don't brown as quickly as some other apples do (I'm looking at you, Braeburn apples!). That means they're great for using in fresh salads or in cooked dishes like Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Cider, and Sage.
🍏 Which apples are best for baking?
Hands down, my favorite apples to use in most baking recipes are Granny Smith green apples.
Granny Smith apples have a delicious tart flavor that adds a nice balance to the sweetness of fall baking. And more importantly, these green apples tend to hold their shape during baking. They are less likely to turn to mush under the heat.
Honeycrisp apples also tend to retain their structure during baking. These apples are were developed by the University of Minnesota in the 1960s, making them a relative newcomer to the apple world. They have a balanced honey sweet and tart flavor and are nice and crisp. Perfect for baking in pies, especially!
Fuji apples are some of the sweetest apples you'll find on the market. This makes them a delicious candidate for baking in galettes, pies, tarts, crisps, and more.
👩🏻🍳 More apple cooking and baking FAQs
This is a personal preference, and you can bake apple desserts with or without the peels. The peels do add some texture to the baked goods, but unpeeled apples tend to bake up nice and smooth, giving desserts a more pleasant texture that people are used to. It's up to you, but I prefer to peel apples before baking with them.
Yes! We have an apple tree that is prolific in fruiting, and we end up peeling, coring, and slicing apples then putting them in freezer bags to use throughout the fall and winter. You can also make Freezer Apple Pie Filling that you can use for Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies, Mini Apple Pies, and Apple Whiskey Hand Pies.
Fall Apple Recipes
Apple breakfast recipes
Fall weekends call for a big stack of these Fluffy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes. With a cinnamon sugar coating that adds a sweet crunch to each pancake, these are decadent, indulgent pancakes perfect for cozy fall mornings.
These apple cinnamon muffins with shredded carrots and zucchini are a healthier, super tasty fall breakfast or brunch! A great way to sneak some veggies into your day - and your kids won't even notice the veggies!
Crunchy, buttery apple fritters with caramel apple dipping sauce are a decadent weekend breakfast or brunch!
Baked apple cinnamon donuts are the ultimate fall treat! Dunk them in your morning coffee or enjoy them after a day at the pumpkin patch.
Apple dinner recipes
Pork tenderloin grilled with apples and hard cider, along with rich herbs, is a satisfying fall dinner recipe.
Diced green apples lend a tart, delicious crunch to classic chicken salad sandwiches!
Pork Chops with an Apple Cider Glaze make a satisfying, delicious dinner!
Apple side dishes
This Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Pomegranate dish is a bright, healthy vegan side dish that balances fall's best comfort food. This is a great healthy Thanksgiving side dish, too!
Apple dessert recipes
Made with puff pastry, a classic apple pie filling, and drizzled with sweet caramel sauce, these air fryer apple hand pies are the ultimate handheld fall dessert! Great for any fall gathering like Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Halloween, it's also a yummy apple dessert for cozy movie nights in and easy weekend baking.
With a buttery shortbread crust and a crunchy sugary topping, these Apple Pie Bars are a fun and delicious way to enjoy the cinnamon apple flavors of fall's classic dessert!
Apple Whiskey Hand Pies are easy to make, and the apple whiskey with crispy pastry will warm you right up on a chilly fall day!
Looking for a healthy after-school snack? These Chewy Apple Granola Bars are a delicious and nutritious fall treat you and your kids will love!
One-skillet Apple Cranberry Crisp is a sweet, crunchy fall dessert. A great dessert to serve a crowd, or at the campfire.
What's better than apple pie? MINI Apple Pies! More crust to filling ratio means more yumminess all around.
This is a great fall recipe for when you have an abundance of apples and want to prep ahead for apple pies. This recipe makes enough for two batches of apple pie filling that you can freeze for months, then take out and make apple pies, apple hand pies, apple crisps, and more.
More fall recipes
Did you try and love any of these recipes? Please consider leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and a review in the comments. Thanks!
This post was originally published on October 28, 2013. It has been updated with new photos, text, and newer recipes on October 2, 2020 and then again on September 10, 2022.
Jennifer Allen says
OMGEE! I have to try all of these recipes! What a great collection!
Christian Guzman says
What a great post! And, it's so timely. We just received two bushels of apples from market. I will have a tough time choosing between these incredible looking recipes.
Jess says
Fall time is my favorite because of all the apple recipes. There are so many good ones to choose from here. I think the Apple Fritter may be my favorite!
Beth says
I agree. Apples are my favorite fall ingredient. I love the sound of the brussels sprouts and that boozy dessert is a must try! Thanks for this collection of delicious recipes!
Shanna says
These all looks so good. The hard is going to be which one to choose first.
Marylou Ivy says
Sounds easy and yummy! Question..should I blind bake my crust for my pie or can I add the Apple pie filling and bake until crust is done??
Renee says
I forgot to mix the cornstarch with the sugar and spices before adding it to the water, so I had to run it through the blender before adding the apples! hahaha, turned out fine, though : )