5 from 8 votes

Fried Apples

By Sam MerrittUpdated Sep 24, 2025

34 Comments

Servings: 8 servings

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My fried apples recipe yields soft, buttery, perfectly spiced apples. Enjoy them plain or use them as a topping for pancakes or ice cream. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Overhead view of fried apples in a skillet.

The Best Fried Apples Recipe

I’m not sure that there’s a better, easier way to prepare apples than by slicing them up and cooking them in butter, sugar, and cinnamon on the stovetop. This fried apple recipe is one of my favorite ways to use up excess apples (second is my apple butter), a predicament I find myself in year after year (I’ve accepted that I simply have no self-control when apple picking).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Saucy, caramelized perfection. The apples get nice and tender without turning to mush, thanks to a careful cooking method and the perfect balance of butter, sugar, and acid.
Not too sweet, but with incredible depth of flavor. Yes, they’re sweetened and buttery, but with just enough salted butter and cinnamon to keep it from being cloying. Reminds me of the cinnamon apples you get at Cracker Barrel, but better!
Versatile enough for breakfast or dessert. They’re great plain, but divine with vanilla ice cream. Or add a fall twist to your breakfast; we love serving them warm over buttermilk pancakes or brioche French toast.
Perfected cooking method/a few carefully selected ingredients. A little acid (a splash of lemon) brightens the flavors and keeps the sauce balanced and the apples from tasting flat. And while the flavor is certainly reminiscent of apple pie, the apples still taste like apples because we let the natural flavor of the fruit shine.

Scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a plate of apples that have been fried in butter and spices.

What You Need

My fried apples recipe requires just seven ingredients. Let’s talk about a few of them before we get started…

Overhead view of ingredients including apples, butter, sugar, and more.

Apples. I recommend a firm, tart apple for this recipe. I use Granny Smith apples, but Braeburn, Honeycrisp, and Cortland would also work. If you opt for a sweeter apple you may want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Sugar. We’ll use a blend of light brown and granulated sugar for a touch of sweetness and depth of flavor. Dark brown sugar could also work, but it will be richer.
Butter. We’ll use just a few tablespoons of butter to create a lovely sauce with lots of flavor. I used to use ½ cup of butter in this recipe, but I’ve recently discovered that I prefer it with less butter (so the apple flavor can shine and so the sauce is thicker!). I use salted in this recipe, but unsalted will work so long as you add a pinch of salt.
Lemon juice. This brightens our apples and keeps them from being too rich. I always recommend fresh lemon juice, but since we are using such a small amount, bottled will work too.
Cinnamon. Of course! Apples and cinnamon go together so nicely. You could even add a pinch of nutmeg too, if you want even more spice.

SAM’S TIP: Try not to cut your apples too thin, or they will become mushy. I aim for about ½” thickness!

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Them

Collage of four photos showing apples being sliced and cooked in spices, sugar, and butter.

Prepare your apples by peeling, coring, and slicing them into ½” slices.
Melt the butter in a skillet, then add the sugar and cinnamon and stir well.
Add the apples and stir well.
Cook until they have softened to a fork-tender texture, then serve and enjoy!

SAM’S TIP: Your apples will cook evenly if you cut them all to be about the same thickness; otherwise you may be left with some that are still too firm while the rest are tender.

Close-up view of apples that have been fried in butter and spices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to peel my apples?

Just like when making applesauce or apple cobbler, I definitely recommend peeling your apples for this fried apples recipe. While the apples themselves tend to soften and become juicy while cooking, the peels actually become tough and chewy.

If you opt to not peel your apples, this recipe will still work, and some people may not even mind the texture of the peels. For me though, it’s much better to take the extra few minutes to remove the peels.

How is this recipe different from baked apples?

The flavors are pretty similar, but my cinnamon baked apples recipe is a little more hands off. Today’s recipe also tends to be a little bit richer than the baked version. You really can’t go wrong with either though!

What goes with fried apples?

We love serving them on their own, as a side dish, or on top of breakfast foods like crepes, waffles, sourdough pancakes, or French toast. I also especially love serving them over my apple pancakes.

Or save them for dessert and serve with ice cream! The “sauce” thickens as the apples cool, and it’s perfect for spooning over vanilla ice cream (or my no-churn ice cream).

Plate of fried apples topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

More Apple Recipes

Apple Turnovers

Apple Dumplings

Apple Crisp Recipe

Caramel Apple Dip

Enjoy!

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5 from 8 votes

Fried Apples

My fried apples recipe yields soft, buttery, perfectly spiced apples. Enjoy them plain or use them as a topping for pancakes or ice cream.

Recipe includes a how-to video!

Prep: 10

Cook: 10

Servings: servings

Save Recipe Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Johnny peeler (makes quick work of peeling and slicing!)
1 10” cast iron skillet

Ingredients

▢ 3 Tablespoons (42 g) salted butter
▢ 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
▢ 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
▢ 2 lb firm, tart apples (see note¹), peeled, cored, and sliced to be about ½” thick (about 10mm).
▢ 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Melt butter in a large skillet (I use a 10" cast iron) over medium heat.
3 Tablespoons (42 g) salted butter
Add sugars and cinnamon and cook, stirring constantly, until all sugar is absorbed by the butter (about 30-60 seconds).
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Add apples and lemon juice and cook, stirring frequently, until apples are softened, coated in the sauce, and tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes).
2 lb firm, tart apples (see note¹), 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Serve warm as you'd like, we enjoy them served with vanilla ice cream or over pancakes, though they're also delicious served by themselves!

Notes

¹Apples

This was 4 large apples for me. Weigh the apples before measuring. I prefer Granny Smith but any firm, tart apple will work well here.

Butter

May substitute unsalted butter, just add 1/4 teaspoon salt when you add the sugar!

Storing

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Original recipe

The original fried apple recipe can be found here.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

This recipe was originally published September of 2019. I’ve been tweaking it over the years and found that I actually like it with less butter than when I first published it. Sounds crazy, but using less butter actually gives us a more flavorful sauce that thickens nicely. In this updated recipe, we use 3 Tbsp butter (instead of ½ cup), a bit more cinnamon, and a bit more lemon juice. If you were a fan of the old version, don’t panic! I still link to it in the recipe card.